The spring baby goats have arrived at Carl Sandburg Home in Flat Rock
FLAT ROCK - While Hendersonville and the world await the babies from Charlotte the stingray, baby goats that make their annual spring appearance at Carl Sandburg Home's farm have arrived.
Carl Sandburg Home's staff got the baby goats from other farms, and this happens on occasion to keep the goats' bloodlines healthy on the farm, according to Carl Sandburg Home Superintendent Polly Angelakis. The two kids this year are both male Nubians, and their names are Bo (short for Bocephus) and Carl, which is a temporary name, Angelakis said.
"The temporary name of Carl will be changed to a permanent name through the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara Name the Goat Raffle, which will be online by May," she said.
Bo, who is a descendant of Lilian Sandburg's original goats, was born Feb. 28 at Rock N Holler Farm in Cedar Mountain, and Carl was born Feb. 14 on Foxwood Farm in Chuckey, Tennessee. The kids were brought to Connemara (the name of the Sandburgs' farm) two weeks ago, and for the first week, they were kept separate from the adult goats, Angelakis said.
"Because these bucks were born on other farms, they need to be quarantined for a period of up to seven days from the Sandburg does to ensure the buck kids do not have any serious illnesses that could be passed on to the rest of the herd," she said.
April 1 was the first day the kids were integrated with the adults, and so far, things have been going fine, Angelakis said. Jon Gorter, the head animal caretaker at Connemara, said the hope is to have the kids eventually breed with the farm's other Nubians in the fall.
More: Answer Man: When will the lake at Carl Sandburg Home be back to normal?
More: Carl Sandburg's granddaughter, Paula Steichen Polega, dies in Hendersonville at 80
"The plan is to bring in some new genetic material — both have good moms — and we want to pass on some of those genes to our herd, so that we have healthy offspring in the future," Gorter said. "They are growing well and gaining weight. They've got a big appetite, and they are a big hit with the visitors."
Gorter said in the short time he's been with the kids, he's noticed they have distinct personalities.
"They act out in different ways," he said. "Carl is a little more timid. He's a bigger goat, but he hides behind you if he's afraid of something. He'll take naps on your boots if you stay still for a while. Bo is a little more exploratory. Those are the main traits we've seen so far from them."
Shalyn Yost is a park ranger on the farm. While she helps take care of the animals, she also does more on the education side, she said.
"I'm one of the volunteer coordinators on the farm, so I help lead a lot of the groups that come in," she said. "My former job was with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Every park is different. This one is really interesting. It has a lot of fun history. I really do enjoy it here."
On April 2, a local camp had approximately 20 children who got to see the new baby goats and also interact with the adult goats, along with the six chickens and two cats on the farm. Yost said children in the groups she leads mostly have questions about the goats.
"If we have some especially older kids who are working on a history lesson, we have a lot of questions about our history," she said. "They ask why the goats are here and how old the farm is. It depends on the age group and what they are learning in school at the time of their visit."
The goat barn is free and open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. The visitor shuttle is free and runs daily. Shuttle times are posted in the main parking lot on Little River Road. The Sandburg Home, Visitor Center, and Park Store are open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. To make Sandburg Home house tour reservations, go to recreation.gov. More information is available at https://www.nps.gov/carl/index.htm.
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Carl Sandburg Home welcomes 2 baby goats to the herd
