Goat herd expands again

This week we added 11 new Nigerian Dwarf milking goats to the herd. These girls are all in various stages of milk production and pregnancy. They also came quite a ways to enjoy life here at Little Sprouts.

We needed more Nigerians because recently our milking Mini Nubians increased through births .... bringing milk production up. While this is welcome... it presented a problem. We are committed to maintaining the quality of our milk through mixing these two breeds in a magic proportion to create a volume of milk that is rich, creamy, and flavorful. With more minis milking we realized we would need more Dwarfs for the winter milk to stay up to our standards. So...

The new girls are in various stages.... some milking, some pregnant, some very pregnant. The stages match the needs over the next 6 months to maintain that magic ratio. It wasn't easy! Brenda spent hours each night for days finding trusted breeders and farms that had high quality goats at the right stages. What a project! Fortunately we are now done... we should be able to continue indefinitately with the herd as it is through natural cycles of birth.

Another aspect of the project is genetics. Brenda tracked the potential goat's lineage in order to provide as broad a genetic base as possible. This helps the herd in many ways and through several upcoming generaations. A Broad genetic base creates a robust herd, able to withstand health issues, give birth easier, better dispositions, etc.

I applaud Brenda for her efforts on this project. Her meticulous attention to details was well worth it, and her persistence has given us a goat herd that is healthy, good producers of high quality milk with a steady supply all year, and maintained a balance of two breeds so that the milk we offer is unbelievably creamy, rich, and tasty.  She has produced something truly unique in this herd... and now is finished.

If you are local but haven't tried Little Sprouts goat milk.... contact us. We still have a few slots left on the herd share. The milk is very different from storebought goat milk... most people can't believe it is truly goat milk.