Tunkhannock High School’s two new kids let out excited cries as they saw visitors last week. The baby Nigerian Dwarf goats sucked milk from their bottles and frolicked in the morning sun.
The kids, named Ben and Jerry, will soon join the flock of chickens in the school’s courtyard.
“It has been a pretty big attention getter, and kids are thrilled with them,” teacher Rob Gustin said. “There's a lot of excitement around them, and everybody wants to help.”
Gustin advises the school’s FFA club — part of the national organization formerly known as Future Farmers of America. As the club in Tunkhannock gains interest — a trend among clubs nationwide — students are eager to help care for the goats.
“Not many schools in the area ever do something like this, or have the FFA experience of this,” senior Chris Fitch said.
After students started to care for the egg-laying flock in the fall, Assistant Principal Brittany Wood wondered what animals could be next. She thought caring for goats would provide some important lessons for students.
Ben is almost four weeks, and Jerry is almost six weeks. They’re too young to be alone at night, so Wood takes the goats home after school. They stay in her house, sometimes snuggling on the couch and fitting in with her own kids, dogs and cats. Ben and Jerry also use training pads meant for puppies.
“They like to snuggle, which is, you know, very enjoyable for my children,” Wood said. “They'll lay on the couch and sleep. They'll find a little spot in a corner somewhere and curl up together and nap.”
At school, Ben and Jerry stay under heating lamps in an outdoor enclosure. When they get bigger, they’ll alternate between two outdoor courtyards, where they’ll be visible from hallways and classrooms. Last week, they visited classrooms in the district’s primary center.
“They've really brought a lot of smiles and just fun to the district,” Wood said.
For now, students feed the goats milk from a bottle, and they’ve started to transition to grains. The goats will be size of small Labrador Retrievers when fully grown.
“I think it is really cool that we have the opportunities to have them here at the school, especially with how active we are with the FFA and taking care of them,” senior Keegan Franko said. “I know a lot of kids love just seeing.”
The goats may not be the final addition to the growing school farmyard. Students mentioned adding a cow, sheep, alpacas — or an ostrich.
“There's been some ideas thrown around, but I don't know,” Wood said, laughing. “You never know what's going to pop up.”
