The KnSFarm Goat

I had a few people ask me what exactly am I striving for with my goats, and I also made a post on a new forum I've been frequenting, introducing my goats, when I realized: I've never fully explained my goals.

It may (or may not honestly) surprise people that I do not breed for an already established breed. I think this is becoming more clear as I have begun to branch out from just Nigerian Dwarf goats as I introduce different breeds and lines.

So what IS my ultimate goal in breeding? Because I'm not just breeding willy nilly, even if it seems that way!

What I am striving for is what I consider, the ultimate backyard goat. A goat who exhibits all of these qualities:

• Sturdiness
• Worm Resistance
• Hardiness
• EASY Keepers
  
• Good Hooves
• Small but not "Miniature"
• Well Formed, easily milked udders that stand up to milking each year
• The ability to milk out a reasonable amount each day for an extended period
• Easy to settle (get pregnant)
• Easy to kid
• Ability to RAISE those kids
• Easy to handle

So as you can see, that's quite a goal! Sure, there are breeds out there that have most of these qualities. Some goats might have them all. But so often when purebreds are bred "up" for show, they become more delicate in the race to have the best show goat. Certainly not everywhere and certainly not in every breed. But it happens.

I want to mold my herd into the "poor man's" dairy goat. If that makes any sense at all.

I set this goal with my herd queen in mind. She is the epitome of what I want in a goat. She rarely needs deworming, is never sick. She is a super easy keeper. She is not full sized, but is not on the small side either. She is "deep" and has a well attached easily milked udder that has held up VERY well through each kidding and through each milking cycle. She settles (gets pregnant) super easily, kids like it's no problem, and is a great mother. And she is highly intelligent, and very much MY girl. Despite coming to me wild as can be, she has become a highly affectionate and friendly goat. These are ALL the attributes I want to develop!

To continue working towards the goal, I have culled relentlessly through the years, only keeping goats that meet most of my criteria, and bringing in bucks that I feel can add what I am looking for.

Breeding to a meat buck this year was a calculated risk. I want to bring some heft into the smaller lines, without sacrificing the milk. I suppose in a year or so, if I produce any doelings that make the grade for keeping, I will find out.

To add more milk in, I also bred a few goats back to Blizzard, who exhibits some of the best milk lines I've seen in Nigerian Dwarves.

Surprisingly, the kidding I am looking forward to most is out of a doe that isn't even mine. Her name is June. She is out of my very own Hope and by Roadhouse, one of the best bucks I've leased throughout the years. She was bred to Blizzard and will be returning to our farm to kid. (Her owner is getting married around the same time!) I have been promised the first doeling out of her, so I can hardly wait to see if she settled, and what she will produce. A real powerhouse breeding. If there is more than one doeling, I may even have to purchase the others! And it would be pretty hard even to pass up a well formed buckling out of this combination.

I suppose we'll see what happens! Stay tuned . . . kids are expected March - April.