HANDS ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES

GoatCamp™ is a wonderful opportunity to learn about goats, both in the classroom and hands-on experience working with my goats.

Here is a letter from Diane Keller, who interned at Onion Creek Ranch earlier this year to learn about raising goats. The intern positions for GoatCamp2009™ have been filled, but her letter gives testimony to what she learned in a short time at OCR and proves how much students can learn by attending GoatCamp™. Diane will be at GoatCamp™ in 2010; she is finishing up college courses this fall that interferes with her GoatCamp™ attendance in 2009.

Diane Keller
Yorktown, VA 23692

Dear Suzanne,
I wanted to thank you for allowing me the privilege of staying at Onion Creek Ranch as an Intern. As a newly found goat lover and one who is considering starting her own ranch, the experience I received while there has boosted my confidence that raising goats is something that I can do and will love.

The accomodations were more than relaxing, quiet, and peaceful. But the best part was being able to interact with the goats on a daily basis. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Junie who had just been born a few hours earlier. You soon realized that her mother June still had a kid inside her. Acting fast, you delivered her brother who didn't survive, but it provided a strong lesson to me that if you don't make sure all the kids are born, both the mom and the unborn kids will not survive.

On a bittersweet note, a mother had delivered out in a pasture, and when she was found, she was laying beside her one dead doeling. We brought her to the Vet Building and in a few hours she had adopted two orphaned doelings. They were glued to her and she was protective of them like they were her own. Amazing!

Working with the other three orphaned kids was by far my favorite part. Not only were they adorable and cute but I learned about when they were hungry, how they ate and how much, and how to bottle feed them, which was a fun and sticky challenge!

Working in the vet clinic's working pens, I had the chance to learn how to label and tag goats and on occasion to give them shots when medication was necessary. Something I never thought I'd do! Not only did I learn how to medicate but also the proper and safe way to handle the goats when administering care so not to injure them, myself, or those around me.

There is so much more I could write about but for anyone who's looking to get a first hand look and feel about these adorable goats and life on a ranch, this is a great opportunity and I highly suggest it! Thanks again for your generosity by opening your ranch and sharing your precious goats and your extensive knowledge of them with me. It's a memory I'll never forget.

Sincerely,
Diane Keller
Yorktown, Virginia

Contact Suzanne Gasparotto at
325-344-5775 for prices and availability.