By Sarah Pugh

Ahh, spring. The hush of a gentle breeze, the song of the robins... and the bleating of the baby goats.

The Beacon Hill Children's Farm opened in late February with the first few baby goats of the season, along with the usual assortment of other farm animals: chickens, ducks, alpacas, sheep, miniature horses and donkeys, rabbits, and of course Sweetie the pig.

Sweetie will be bred sometime this spring, and will produce a litter of piglets three months, three weeks, and three days after, assuming all goes well.

The goats, a mixed bag of African pygmy goats and Nigerian dwarf goats, have had their breeding staggered to insure a steady supply of new and exceptionally cute little baby goats (kids, if you want to be technically correct) all through the spring and early summer. Lynda Koenders, who runs the farm, says the dwarf breeds are far better as a child's first introduction to goats than the larger dairy breeds. They don't require a lot of space, and they are less intimidating.

Last year, the Farm had a bumper crop of goats - 75 kids in all. "There were a lot of triple and quad births," recalls Koenders. The higher than usual numbers resulted in the farm showcasing the goats in shifts, and staying open until 8 pm. Two shifts of goats meant more "running of the goats" - a highlight of any visit to the farm.

The goats are kept in a barn at the top of the hill on which the Children's Farm sits. When it's time to "run" them, the staff simply let them out - trusting the lines of onlookers to keep the goats on track to the petting area. But the running doesn't need to be forced, or even really encouraged all that much, as it turns out. "They just love it," smiles Koenders. "They love to play." It's most likely the highlight of the goats' day, as well.

The Children's Farm now has 60 nanny goats, and while some are too young to breed - Koenders won't breed them until they're two - that number of goats can produce a whole lot of kids, given the breeds' tendency for multiple births. Koenders claims it's not unheard of for a nanny to have six kids at a time, although with that many, humans do need to step in with a bottle now and then, and frequently one or more are born too small to survive.

As of late January, Koenders was still looking for a pregnant miniature horse and donkey to show at the Farm. Even though children are not permitted in the horse and donkey corral, they still love looking at the foals - and the mare and jenny (that's a female donkey) usually enjoy head scratches.

Koenders is also looking for a ram for breeding her rare Shetland sheep. They are a smaller breed, and are born without long tails, which spares the lambs the pain of tail-docking. But their small size makes it important to find a ram of a similar size, otherwise the ewes may have difficulty birthing.

Always eager to provide as much of a farm experience as possible, Koenders is also on the hunt for a suitable cow, and more chicken and duck breeds. "We want people to think they're coming to a friend's farm," she sums up.

Koenders is looking forward to the start of a new season at the Children's Farm. She loves seeing the children enjoying the animals and learning how to interact with them. But, she stresses, parental involvement is crucial - letting children run around in the petting area while parents stand outside and socialize isn't the best way to enjoy the Farm. The staff are minimal, but "they are the voices for the animals" - and those voices don't enjoy having to tell over-eager or aggressive children to back off. "You're part of it too" she tells parents. Children who don't play appropriately with the goats get two warnings, and if they need to be corrected again, they are asked to leave the petting area. Picking up the goats is not allowed, although if they voluntarily come to cuddle in your child's lap, that's just fine.

Koenders obviously cares deeply for the animals' welfare, but she also is passionate about giving city children an opportunity to experience farm animals. Children today have never been more divorced from the realities of farming but the Beacon Hill Children's Farm is an enjoyable way of getting to know the farm animals that used to be such a bigger part of our lives.

All photos by Barry Behnke