It's already June 1st! Can you believe it? Where did the month go? Heck, where did the last 5 months go? I know I've been slacking on my posts but I've been trying to get acclimated to my new job. I'm finally getting there, although the early mornings are killing me. When I get home, I'm like this:
All I want to do is sleep...and sleep some more. Anyhow, this weekend I was starting to feel a bit more like my sassy self and less like a sleep-deprived zombie, so Mr.S and I got dressed up and slipped out for a lovely dinner sans kidlets. Afterwards, we stopped by this little impromptu "goat farm" that Kidlet #1 had told us he had recently passed by during one of his extensive bike rides. It's just off Watt Avenue and American River Drive and it looks like the county is using the goats for conservation grazing. The basin was full of cute little goats (including little babies!), a handful of sheep and a giant dog along with a smattering of signs on the fence stating:
County of Sacramento, Department of Water Resources
We are pleased to inform you that KD Goat Ranch has been contracted to control the vegetation in the Wilhaggin Detention Basin. KD Goat Ranch has been using goats and sheep for over 10 years for a natural solution to weed and brush elimination. Our company is pleased to be able to serve your community. Goats are ideal to control the unwanted brush surrounding the basin. Using goats and sheep for vegetation control is a greener way to maintain grasses and brush, and also aids in vector control.
Expected Timeline
We are planning to start grazing in mid May, 2014. The expected grazing period is 3-4 weeks. KD goat ranch will be bringing 100 goats and 50 sheep accompanied by a livestock guardian dog. We will be onsite daily to check the livestock and care for and feed the dog.
Although I'm sure projects like this have been done in many other places and it's nothing new, I still thought it was really cool. We went down there as the sun was going down and the temp was cooler- the goats were closer to the fence at that time and more spread out. There were cute kids nursing on the nannies/does and of course several billies/bucks were head butting. Did you know goats have four stomach chambers? They also swallow their food, regurgitate it, then chew the cud thoroughly before swallowing it again. Crazy, huh?
If you get a chance, stop by and check them out. Just remember not to enter the grazing area, bring your pets or to feed the goats/sheep/dog. ☺
If you're interested in making your own chèvre, check out my blog post from a few years ago: Goaty Goodness
