Video
Goat Care at Connemara Farms
Transcript
Hi! I'm Park Ranger Lia and I am standing in the feed room of the dairy goat barn at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. This room is where our staff and volunteers start the morning to care for our dairy goats. A dairy goat's diet can be pretty simple. They need hay, a nice place to graze on grass and fresh water. Here we also supplement with some extra feed for extra protein and fat in their diet. This doe is gonna get 1 cup of sweet feed, half a cup of alfalfa pellets and a small scoop of minerals.
Morning feeding is an important part of their daily routine. It not only provides nourishment for their day but allows staff to individually check their overall health. It's important to brush down the goats. Since it's springtime and the weather is warming our goats are shedding their thicker winter coat, This is also a great time to check their overall health. Did they finish their feed or do they have any injuries that need care? Once the feeding and care is complete the goats will head out to the large grassy pasture adjacent to the barn for exercise and grazing.
Then we clean inside the barn to remove the droppings from where the goats slept overnight. Goats aren't the only animals we care for at Connemara farms, our chickens and cats receive plenty of attention too.
Before moving to Connemara, Mrs. Sandburg sought to find large fields and pastures for her goats. Once the herd was established here she wrote in a letter that they are thriving in the invigorating mountain climate of this new home where they range happily over the hillside. Now that connemara is a unit of the National Park Service we can enjoy the same view of dairy goats ranging happily over the hillside.
Thanks to the Sandburg Home Visitor Services team. Lia Beddingfield, Micheal Dages, Sarah Perschall. Music by Alex Williamson, "Dream Girl."
Description
Take a peek into the morning routine of the dairy goats at Connemara Farms. How do park staff and volunteers care for the descendants of Mrs. Sandburg's dairy herd?
Duration
2 minutes, 50 seconds
Credit
NPS
Date Created
04/08/2020
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