When we first began looking into purchasing goats, we did our due diligence in researching the type of goat we wanted to own.  We quickly agreed that Nigerian Dwarf Goats (NDGs) was our one and only choice.  NDGs are a healthy, small, fine-boned, and proportionately built breed with docile, loving, wonderfully social personalities which makes them attractive and easy to manage-It also makes them so easy to love.  And from a dairy perspective, they can be great producers of milk for their size and their milk has the highest butterfat content of dairy goats.

Admittedly, our first two does were chosen based on emotion more than evaluation for building a breeding herd, because initially we had just intended to have two goats for pets. But, it didn’t take long for us to fall head over heels for our goats and quickly we had a change of heart.  That change of heart occurred when we both came to the realization that we each held a deeply felt calling that God wanted to place the animals on our farm for us to be His stewards.  Having a farm wasn’t just for recreation, but for His plan and purpose in our lives and the lives of the animals we brought in.

It soon came to pass that we also found that we weren’t just being called to be good stewards of our animals, but also to all of the people that we came in contact with because of our farm.  We realized that in addition to this great responsibility, we were equally greatly blessed in this calling.  That is why in the doorway of the barn, inscribed in the cement floor we share our faith in  God’s blessing, “The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”  Deuteronomy 28:8.  

Once we decided to begin a breeding program, we knew that as good stewards it wasn’t just enough to well care for the general well-being of our herd and flocks.  It was natural for us to love and well care for our animals.  With our goats, the goal is to continue to improve the genetics of our herd, in an effort to join force with other goat owners in improving the sustainability of the breed. Initially, conformation was our primary focus.  We knew that good milk production requires the necessary dairy characteristics of good conformation.  We begin adding the best bucks and does that we could afford, focusing on their breeding lineage and presence of milk stars in their pedigree.  We looked at our does conformation and how they could be improved upon, and bred them with the buck we felt would best improve upon those characteristics. We had some very good successes, and some not what was expected incidences in our breedings, which we learned from and took into consideration for future breedings. The next step in our breeding program was to begin evaluating milk production in our herd.  Our current focus includes both improvement of conformation and production.  Overall, we can say that developed a breeding program where the progeny of our goats have continued to show general and consistent improvements in genotype and phenotype as a result of our breedings.

We now have begun a new and important stage in our breeding program, bringing Superior Genetics into our herd.  According to the ADGA,  for a goat to be ranked for “Superior Genetics (SG), the animal must be in the top 15% (85^th percentile ranking or higher) of their breed according to the Production/Type Index (PTI) ranking at least once during the life of the animal. To qualify, the ranking may be just in one area (PTI 2:1 or PTI 1:2) or in both areas.”

Our first step was to purchase semen from a Superior Genetics ranked buck and have our three top does artifically inseminated.  Unfortunately, not one of the inseminations resulted in pregnancy.  In spring 2020, we made the difficult decision to sell two of our four original breeding bucks, with the focus on learning and using AI more in our herd.  We recognized that this would allow us access to many Superior Genetic bucks, and allows us to have more genetic diversity.  We anticipate having three of our does undergoing AI again in the fall, praying for better success.

By early summer of the same year, we began thinking that the doe kid we retained needed another doe her size as a companion and we began our research going through the ADGA Superior Genetics list of Does and Bucks.  As I began our research, there were several farms listed and surprisingly many that I had not heard of.  Of all the bucks and does listed from the various farms, it was the name Sinai Thunder that somehow spoke to me.  When I went to the Sinai Thunder website and began reading about the farm and seeing their herd of incredible goats I quickly contacted them.  After multiple correspondence with the awesome Jill Maple-owner of Sinai Thunder farm, I realized that it was definitely a God intervention that led us to her.  Thus began a path of circumstances which led us to the precious family of the Gary’s of Old Rugged Cross Dairy Goats at her recommendation and the purchase of a Sinai Thunder buckling from two Superior Genetic parents and a heritage of multiple Superior Genetic, Permanent Grand Champions, with Linear Appraisals of 90 and above.  Purchasing a buck was not even a consideration, when we were looking for a doeling.  We didn’t get our doeling yet, instead we are looking forward with great anticipation to the does our new Sinai Thunder buck will produce in our herd.

As we continue to evolve, it is important for us to continue to improve upon our herd using appropriate animal husbandry.  It is our goal to improve upon the exceptional qualities of health, form, and dairy production and to breed out those characteristics that do not support health, strength, and appropriate conformation.  As we introduce new bloodlines into our herd, we will continue to maintain that focus.  Currently, we are working to improve udders, widening escutcheons, flattening out rumps, and continue to build upon our herd’s production.

Biosecurity is essential for our herd’s health.  We maintain a closed-herd and any new animal that is brought in, must come from a CAE/CL negative herd.  Each of our adult goats have been blood-tested by the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab (WADDL) annually and as of March 2020, our herd remains negative for Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) and Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL).  Louisiana has been designated a Brucellosis free state since July 2000. Each of our goats annually receive their CDT (Clostridium Perfringens Type C&D and Tetanus) vaccinations.  As part of our efforts in biosecurity, if you come from a farm that already owns goats or you have visited other goat farms, we will request that you allow us to spray a disinfectant on the bottom of your shoes.