The first goats to be added to Shady Oak Farm was in the spring of 2016. Knowing little about dairy goats, we kept it simple with 2 does. Fast forward a few years (and tons of research) later, and our herd has grown and evolved. Shady Oak has added goats from across the country (including states like Ohio, Tennessee and Washington) to create a foundation herd we are excited about.
We now understand what it is that we want to focus on in our breeding program and where we would like to see our herd go. Our goal is to carry on what the herds our foundation animals came from through the performance programs the American Dairy Goat Association has to offer, such as DHIR and LA. We still have progress to make and a lot more to learn, but fully enjoy this new found love of dairy goats.
Our goals are always evolving with the herd, but a few of our focuses are:
It is our goal to raise healthy, disease free goats with an emphasis on parasite resistance, easy kidding, and resilience. We understand that farming is already hard enough; why make it more difficult with high maintenance animals?
Because utilizing the milk from our dairy goats is one of our focuses here at Shady Oak, it is important that our goats reflect that. We specifically choose goats with pedigrees and lineage to produce a higher yield of quality milk.
Conformation is imperative when it comes to breeding stock. Not only is it important for the health and milk production of the animal, but it is necessary for breed improvement. Although we don’t show our goats, we do strive to breed quality animals not only on the production side, but in conformation as well.
Because we handle our goats on a daily basis, it is important that we have friendly and well mannered goats that behave on the milk stand and are less drama/maintenance. Also, the dynamic of the herd can be changed by a single animal and our goal to achieve a happy herd is dependent on that dynamic. This is why the personality of our goats is important. We like laid back, happy going animals at Shady Oak!
