ANIMALS OF THE FARM AND SANCTUARY
NORRIS
When your vet calls at 11AM on a Friday morning and says, "Hey, we need a place to work on this half dead two day old cow, can we bring him to your place?" The answer is never no. Although the conversation slowly changed to, "Can you guys keep him?"
After weeks of being bottle fed, administering medicine, a plasma transfusion, and way too many cow patties in the house, Norris finally began to get better.
Now Norris the Red Poll Cow is almost one year old, and a whopping 500lbs, and is as playful as can be! He enjoys roaming around the farm on days that we are closed, and we are currently working on a massive pasture for him!
FLEETWOOD(the killer llama)
When you have this many animals, you learn that some animals are simply not the nicest. A male llama with berserk syndrome is one of those animals.
Fleetwood is an adorable looking, aggressive acting llama we've had since 2019. "Berserk Llama Syndrome" causes excessive aggressiveness in llamas, and is brought on by an overexposure to people at a young age- causing the llama to see humans as equals and try to challenge them.
Click here if you want to see Fleetwood in action!
FREYA
Freya is a Belgium Malinois and Jason’s side kick. Her purpose is to look cute and lure customers to our tent when we are at the farmer's market, bark at falling leaves, and make sure the other dogs do not get too close to her favorite people.
CHLOE
Chloe originally came to the farm to help with herding the goats, unfortunately we treated her like a pet and raised her a bit to closely with the goats and other farm animals, so she is now just as much a couch potato as the other dogs! She enjoys sleeping most days, but does make sure to practice herding the cats every morning.
TIKA
She was given to us as a puppy from a bad situation and is good at absolutely nothing besides laying in the sun, eating, and keeping HER chair warm. Occasionally she barks at falling leaves.
BELLA
Bella is the queen of the farm. She is #1 and knows it! She is a chihuahua mix and spends the days harassing all the other animals, including ones that are much bigger than her. She is also the most vicious animal on the farm! Steer clear of those choppers!
LIVESTOCK
GUARDIAN DOGS
Lucy, Zane, Panda, Rue, & Alaska
Farming is never easy and when you speak to a new farmer you often hear about issues with predation and trouble dealing with wildlife. When we initially started we wanted to skip all of that. We wanted to live WITH nature and did not want to have to kill the wildlife to keep our animals safe. Starting with Lucy and Zane, we selected breeds of dogs known for their guardian qualities. Great pyrenes, maremma, and karakachan mixes are what our “pack” of livestock guardian dogs consist of. These dogs live outdoors year round (except for Lucy who is the only one who enjoys the house) and protect the goats and other animals from any predators by barking. Because of this, the wildlife stays away and we do not have to trap, kill, or poison anything to prevent it from harming our stock.
Be sure to checkout our video on livestock guardian dogs here!
THE FARM CATS
Rosey, Dorothy, Klaus, Mowgli, Bagheera, Wasi, Dany, Diego, Pepper, Tiki, Twilight, Sage, Finn, & Dill.
Never being cat people, these 13 cats were NEVER intended, BUT what's a farm without cats! These “meow meows” as we call them all came from different places and are all rounded up annually for shots and health checks. They love catching mice and rats, and leaving them on the screen porch for us and greeting guests on farm days. They were all raised indoors for the first few weeks before we introduced them to a pet flap and allowed them access to the great outdoors. This encourages them to stay close to home and keeps them very friendly.
BULLSEYE,
PREACHER & DEACON
These guys all came from friends of ours and are spoiled rotten good for nothing love bugs! Bullseye is a miniature horse and Preacher and Deacon are miniature donkeys. Miniature donkeys are known for their aggressiveness to canine species that should not be in their enclosure, and it's no different with Preacher. Previously, we would have to close our chicken coop every night to make sure foxes would not sneak in for a quick snack. Ever since a friend gifted us Preacher, our chickens have been able to enjoy predator free life, never having to be locked inside a coop.
ALPACAS
MJ, EJ, MADONNA, SHAKIRA, SLOTH, TINY TIM, QUEENE ANNE, AND PRINCESS LEIA(
As you have probably noticed by now if you have read all of the above information, we love animals! So why not get some alpacas, and two of the alpacas(Madonna and Shakira) were pregnant when we got them.Fast forward 11 months, and MJ and EJ are born!
These guys are fiber animals and their fiber (hair) is available in the Farm Store. Click here to watch our Alpacas at the Farm Video!
TORTOISES
Tyrian, Kenan, Darth Maul, & Star
Tyrian and Kenan are both male sulcatta tortoises. These two boys will get very large (above 200lbs) and are grazers living off a diet of hay and minimal fruits and veggies. They both came to the farm when their former owners were no longer able to care for them. These guys are originally from Africa and love the hot sunny days, but need a warm shelter throughout winter.
Star and Darth Maul are both redfoot tortoises and were found roaming in downtown Columbia and were surrendered to an animal rescue prior to coming to the farm. They originate in South America and live off fruits and grass and also have a warm shelter for the South Carolina winter. To learn more about the tortoises and their care check out one of our favorite youtube channels (Kamp Kenan) and our Building a Tortoise Shelter Video as well! For more info on tortoises, visit our Animal Care Page.
ZABOO AND CLEO
Zaboo and Cleo are kinkajous that came to us through a rescue organization. They were living in deplorable conditions, but are now happy and healthy in their oversized aviary.
Click here to watch our Meet Zaboo video!
SHER KHAN
Sher Khan is a ball python that lives inside of our Farm Store and serves as an animal ambassador that educates guests on snakes and their care.
BOOMER & DUNDEE
These two were some of the first animals to come to the farm. We found Boomer and Dundee as chicks looking for a new home when we first moved to the farm. They are the second largest birds in the world, smaller only than ostriches and are from Australia. Emus lay eggs in the US in the winter months and they are dark green. The male sits on the eggs until they hatch and then raises the young. Considering these two are brother and sister, we remove all of the eggs as they are laid and sell them in the Farm Store for food and or art. If you visit the farm, you will be greeted by these two as you walk down the driveway.
POT BELLY PIGS
Once upon a time, two guys named Josh and Jason went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a vacation with their friends. While on vacation, they came upon someone selling a “mini” pig and couldn’t leave it there to add to the large population of pet pigs that “got too big” and had to be re-homed. This was the start of what would soon become Goat Daddy’s Farm. Although the person selling this pig insisted she was 8 weeks old, it was soon found out she was less than a week old. Cutting the vacation short, this girl finally began eating yogurt and formula and was nursed back to health. That one pig, Petunia, is the reason why our farm is here. She now has three friends that have been added over time: Hampton, Buddha, Ty-Lee, Mai, June, Zuzu, and Jack. These guys are pets and will live the rest of their lives here with us enjoying luxury and lots of treats!
TOPH AND Z
Never have I ever seen two better friends! Toph(on the left) is a blind Juliana pig, we took her in when a breeder couldn't care for her because of her visual impairment. Due to the her size, lack of sight, and innocence to the hardships of the world, we couldn't put her in with the other pigs because they could bully her. That's when Z enters the scene! Z is a Koonie Koonie pig(a breed from New Zealand, hence the name), who is blind in her left eye. We took her into our animal family to provide some company for Toph, and they've been best of friends ever since!
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
OLD SPOT HOGS
After six years of raising Old Spot Hogs for meat, we decided that hog farming wasn't for us. While we no longer have meat hogs on the farm, we have two pet Old Spot Hogs, Fezzik and Tulip!
These guys weigh anywhere from 600-900lbs, and are an extremely docile breed of hog. Fezzik and Tulip will live out the rest of their life in a hardwood forest pen, foraging for grubs, acorns, and anything else they can find in their free time!
Click here to learn more about these amazing animals and where they come from. For more info on hogs, visit our animal care page.
DOES, FEMALE GOATS,
& MILKING GOATS
Our herd of milkers consist of Nubian goats, which are a large breed of goat known by their floppy ears, and Nigerian dwarf goats known for their small size. Both breeds are famous for having high butterfat content and amazing milk. The high butterfat in the milk makes the BEST cheeses and tastes similar to a sweetened cow’s milk. Our girls are all named, and most were born on the farm. The ladies spend their days lounging on their elevated beds and wandering around their wooded pen looking for the most perfect leaves to eat!
HERD SIRES, BUCKS
& BOY GOATS
The first thing you need to start a dairy goat farm is goats. Girls of course are the ones that get milked, but a boy is required to seal the deal. The health of the future herd relies on the genetics of the father just as much as the mother. Our herd sires as they are called in the goat world are picked from the best herds available across the country from Massachusetts to Georgia.
For more info on goats, check our our Animal Care Page.
MIKO, RIKA, JOPLIN,
& BARETTA
These three parrots are probably the loudest animals at Goat Daddy’s. Miko, Rika, and Joplin are all blue and gold macaws. These parrots all came from homes where they could no longer be kept. They all live outside in heated aviaries year round, excluding extreme cold temperatures and hurricanes. These birds do not make good pets and I strongly discourage anyone from breeding or keeping these animals. They are best suited for living in the wild and no bird cage is big enough for them. They have been with us for years and will be with us the rest of their lives. For more information about our parrots, check out our Animal Care Page or our YouTube Channel!
Baretta (the white umbrella cockatoo pictured) was with us for 10 wonderful years, but she sadly passed in 2020. Fly high Baretta, I wish you were never in a cage and were always a free bird, but I hope we gave you a happy life while you were with us.
SMALL AVIARY BIRDS
Quail, diamond doves, parakeets, and red and gold pheasants, make up the menagerie inside of our small parrot aviary. Keeping parrots with other species can often times be tragic and must be done with much caution. We use this large aviary to house multiple species and make sure to have multiple waterers and feeding areas.
The birds in this area all came from homes where they could no longer be kept. Just because these birds are small does not mean that they do not need much space. These species need room to fly, a specialized diet, and shallow dishes to bathe in.
LAYING HENS
WARNING: CHICKENS ARE A GATEWAY ANIMAL!
Our flock of laying hens are made up of novagen, lavender orpingtons, barred rocks, and black stars. Our hens eat a diet of non gmo grains, fly larvae out of the horse and donkey poo, frogs, lizards, the occasional snake, and LOTS of bugs! Our hens are NEVER confined and fly in and out of their pen daily. Our eggs are collected daily and available for purchase inside of the Farm Store.