Summer 2024

BREEDING PLANS!

We have posted our tentative breeding schedule for 2025 kiddings! Take a look. 👀 If all goes as planned, we’ll start breeding around October 15th & freshen 4 does next year; one of them will be a first freshener training to the milking routine.

We’ll primarily be using our new young polled buck from Tua Farms in Washington. His dam won reserve champion 🏆this year and is an impressive milker with a very nice udder!Hoping for some added milking power with these kids, and some nice conformation improvements as well.

We will plan to retain some doe kids if we’re blessed with any, so speak up quick if you’re hoping for a doeling reservation. Don’t forget there’s a 10% discount for being on the waitlist or making a reservation, and there’s no obligation until kids are born.

Find out more about goat pricing and reservations on the for sale page under the sales policy.

RAW MILK

This month we decided to go ahead and have the required testing done to legally sell and share our raw milk with others. Selling milk is not our goal and never has been, but we had a neighbor and some others ask about trying goat’s milk so we figured it would be worth the trouble to have it done and let others experience the amazing goodness of fresh goat milk.

So, if you’re considering getting dairy goats, but would like to try goat milk first, reach out to me, we may have enough to share. Our milk has not been licensed, permitted, certified, packaged, labeled, or inspected per any official regulations and we do not milk in a sterile environment. We wash udders with warm, mildly soapy water, hand milk into clean buckets, lightly strain through coffee filters and store in glass 2 qt jars, cooling immediately in an ice water bath. Milk is best consumed within a week.

We also use the jars 🫙 to serve the milk using a wide-mouth pour and store pitcher lid from Mason Jar Lifestlye and we recommend them!

Blood tests

Brucellosis blood testing on the milking does was performed August 1st, all negative(see below).

Brucellosis testing is required by MT law to sell or share raw milk, which is the only reason we tested.

July DHIA Results

Ah, milk testing. We would hope to begin testing much earlier in lactations, but this year has been a whirlwind…as was last year. Our does are already having strong heat cycles and the bucks are getting rutty and smelly. We should have left milk testing off the table this year, but at least we’ll have some record of their lactations I guess.

Life with goats

Management of the herd has been challenging this year with all of life’s fullness. I try hard to avoid overwhelm with our goat herd, which is why we have small numbers.

But, we’re no less passionate about our few goats; we’re proud of our small herd and the genetics we’re building and we try to give them every chance to live up to their best potential, trying different management practices to see what works best for us and what helps the goats thrive.

It’s a lot of work, and though I enjoy every minute of it, I can’t let it cut into my family priorities which it often tries to. 🏠

Herd Photos

One of our goals this year was to take quality photos of all the adult goats, clipped and set up to look their best, and with udders full during peak lactation to show them off.

So far, Flapper is the only clipped goat this year, and we got some “okay” photos but nothing like we had hoped.

Since we haven’t really shown our goats, they are not good leaders and will not stand still for pictures. They just haven’t been trained in being set up or posed, which I regret. They’re great when it comes to the milking routine, because that’s all they know. There just never has been the need for leading them much so we never have.

If you’re reading this and you have goat training all figured out, please send your advice over! I think what it all comes down to is lots of time and patience, and time is one thing I’m short on. There’s also something to be said for genetic temperament. Another reason I’m excited about our new herd sire, he is very sweet so far.

We made a fair attempt this summer at walking the milking does each day before or after milking to get them to lead and learn to walk beside us and stop to pose. It was disasterous and I don’t think they learned anything, even after a few weeks of trying this, they were still obstinate and dragging us across the lawn! 😭TRAIN THEM YOUNG!🐐

Milk Stars ⭐️

We still have not heard from ADGA about Flapper’s milk star earned in 2021-2022.

I have submitted all the info to them and have a support ticket as well. Just waiting.

Goats Sold

Sunny went to a new home as a milking yearling with Rainy as a companion.

That’s all for the summer update!

Thanks for your interest in our farm and goats. Please reach out to me at anytime with questions or just to chat about goats. 😊

Rebekah

@aspenleafdairygoats

“To God be the glory”