KiTri Farms is an Everett, Ontario-based family farm run by the mother-and-daughter team of Trish and Trinity. The venture started nine years ago as a way to harness their love of alpacas.
“We were drawn to their cuteness, of course!” the duo explain via email. “But we also learned they had very calm temperaments, which we thought would be fantastic first additions to a farm!”
From those early alpaca roots, KiTri Farms grew to include dwarf pygmy goats, calico sheep and a range of peacocks, ducks and emus, many rescues and re-homed animals.
We spoke to Trish and Trinity about the mischievous nature of their goats and how their animals helped them get through early COVID-19 lockdowns. We also got to touch on the importance of Carl the peacock to the farm.
The Alpaca Effect
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“Our farm started nine years ago with just four female alpacas that needed a new home because they could not be bred due to complications,” recall Trish and Trinity as they look back on the origin of KiTri Farms.
“We brought them to our farm to live out the rest of their lives. And that’s how our hobby farm started!”
Read more: Get to know adorable alpacas!
Taking Stock of the Resident Animals
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Today, KiTri Farms homes a veritable smorgasbord of animals. The list of residents currently includes 40 chickens, 19 goats, seven sheep, and three each apiece of ducks, emus, donkeys and miniature pigs.
“We said we would only stick with our alpacas nine years ago. [But] when an animal needed a home or a friend for companionship, our farm family slowly grew,” they say.
When Goats Get Mischievous
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Trish and Trinity immediately hold up their goats as the most mischievous members of KiTri Farms.
“They have us constantly keeping an eye on them to make sure no one is getting into trouble! They jump over fencing, some will open gates by themselves and they are constantly trying to find weak spots in our fences. The grass is always greener on the other side in goat world!”
They add that one of the farm’s early goats actually came to them with the name Trouble. Trouble subsequently proceeded to teach the other goats how to jump over fences.
Read more: Goats and chickens make a dynamic duo when pastured together.
The Legacy of Carl the Peacock
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One of the stars of KiTri Farms is a peacock named Carl. He came to join the ranks after Trish and Trinity checked out a bird livestock sale and noticed “an adult peacock jammed into a tiny cage.”
Naturally, they scooped Carl up and added him to the farm.
“We had no idea how personable and comical peacocks were until we had them free-roaming around our property,” they say. “Carl’s great-grandkids are now the extremely friendly and curious peacocks that roam around our property today, causing mischief and laughs.
“They are very social birds and love being around people.”
Animals Help to Alleviate Feelings Of Isolation
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“Through COVID, we realized just how fortunate we are to be able to experience the life we are living,” say Trish and Trinity.
“Through the tough times of isolation and lockdowns, we depended so much on our animals’ affection to get us through it. Looking back at that time now solidifies that being able to experience their unconditional love is the most rewarding part of having our family hobby farm.”
They also recently added limited private visits to KiTri Farms in an effort to “help share the healing qualities of animals and nature, just as we experience daily.”
Follow KiTri Frams at Instagram.
