about our herd

Thank you for your interest in our herd. We have been raising goats since 1973. They are wonderful, practical, loving, entertaining and occasionally even exasperating animals, that have brought us many lasting friendships over the years.

Loretta was given her first doe (a grade alpine) shortly before her daughter Carrie was born. The herd grew and continued to provide milk for the family for the next several years. They moved with the family from Virginia to West Virginia, where, a few years later, Carrie joined 4-H and decided to use her dairy goats as a project. From there, we developed a serious interest in competition. Although we do not attend very many shows a year, we have shown consistently since that time. In an effort to improve our stock, Carrie became an ADGA licensed judge, and we began participating in the Linear Appraisal system every other year, and DHIA as funding has allowed.

Carrie recently relocated to Seattle, Washington, with her family leaving Loretta in charge of the day-to-day workings of the farm. Loretta has retired  as a chiropractic assistant. We reduced the herd at this time, and plan to maintain a smaller herd in the future.

The does have 365 day a year access to pasture and mixed grass hay. They are fed grain once a day when dry.  They are grained twice a day and given alfalfa hay when in milk. They are trained to an electric fence, and live with their guard dogs, King and Jack, who have been raised with goats since they were puppies. The does are milked both with an electric milking machine and by hand. We dry treat all does in the fall to insure a low bacterial count in the spring. The entire herd is certified and accredited. We are CAE free. We test for CAE in both West Virginia and at the Washington State Labs for more accurate results. We have never had an abscess.

The kids are removed from their dams at birth and raised separately. They receive CDT vaccinations and Selenium-E gel at the time of disbudding, and booster injections later. They are given Deccox medication in their milk and medicated grain to prevent coccidiosis.

We have used excess milk for a variety of purposes over the years; raising calves, lambs, and pigs, making cheese for our family, soap making and supplying our local veterinarians when needed.