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Bada Bing Farm A family run dairy in the heart of Lancaster County |
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Bada Bing Farm A family run dairy in the heart of Lancaster County |
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Show Quality Nubian, LaMancha, Saanen, and Experimental Dairy Goats |
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We reserve the right to select animals for our herd's needs. |
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Welcome to our Goat Dairy! This has been a life long dream of farming finally coming a reality! We made the leap from Hobby Farmer to Commercial Goat Dairy in the Spring of 2009. Why goats you ask? Why not? They are much easier to raise, more profitable, and we simply love them! On a worldwide basis, more people
drink the milk of goats than any other single animal. A dairy doe should
be milked in the same manner as a dairy cow, using good dairy hygiene.
Does may be milked by hand or machine. The milk requires the same
careful attention to cleanliness and cooling as any other milk.
How We Care and Raise Our Herd of Dairy Goats Over the several years that our herd has been in existence we have developed our own management methods and style. This management practice was developed after talking with several breeders with over 25 years of experience in raising dairy goats. Everyone seems to do it a little differently but we took in as much information as possible and developed a plan that works for us. This program helps us in raising the kind of does and bucks that we like. Please keep in mind that we live in a specific climate with the facilities and feeds that are here. We don't pretend to know everything and always listen to other reparable breeders' management practices for new and better ideas. We start with does and bucks that are healthy and in proper flesh - not too fat and never not too thin. We keep minerals, iodized salt and baking soda available free-choice for all of our animals. We offer kelp and brewer yeast and beet pulp at certain times of the year (the last six weeks of gestation, early lactation and during the breeding season. Clean fresh water is a must at all times. We use automatic waterers as this provides a constant source of clean fresh water. During colder months we use heated buckets, so that our herd always has access to fresh, clean, and warm (in the winter) water. Our barn is also cleaned out every 2 weeks throughout the year. All the bedding is removed down to the bare floor, sanitized with bleach water, allowed to dry and then rebedded with a good layer of straw down in the pens. We bed them heavier in the winter and lighter in the summer months. When needed, we will "add to" the bedding if it becomes wet but we never let it build up longer than two weeks. Our goats have 10 acres of pasture to roam and graze. The barn doors are always open allowing fresh air into the barn. In the winter we keep only one door open during the day for anyone who may want to go outside. During the winter though, the barn doors are closed at night. We clip our herd in the spring when the weather becomes warmer. They will also receive several baths throughout the warmer months. You will also find our does laying under the shaded loafing area enjoying the breeze from several agricultural size fans when the weather is hot and humid. We trim hooves every 6 weeks. The herd is wormed several times a year based on fecal examinations. All of our goats enjoy a good weekly brushing. All births are attended with navels and hooves being dipped in 7% iodine. We feed newborns either heat-treated goat or cow colostrum - 2 to 4 oz. for one or two feedings. After that kids are fed up to six times a day for the first week, then four times a day for a month, then three times a day for a month, then two times a day for between one and two months, and finally once a day until they are weaned at between five and seven months old. Most people wean them younger than we do, but this works for us. We disbud and tattoo our Saanens within the first week of birth. Nubians are disbudded and tattooed within two weeks of birth. We gradually increase the amount of milk fed from 2 to 4 oz per feeding to 8 oz. over the first week or so. The amount continues to increase until they are getting a little over a half gallon per day. They continue with that amount per day until they go to once a day feedings, when we only give them a quart. We begin offering a little grass hay and alfalfa hay after the first week. This too in increased as they begin to eat more of it. Initially you may have to remove old hay and offer fresh, as they won't finish it, but eventually you'll need to increase the quantity to around 2 or 3 lbs per kid per day. We have pasture for our kids, so after the pasture is green, we cut back on the hay as we feel that grazing is better for them. But there is always some offered. We feed a 20% protein grain to our lactating does and young stock. A 16% protein grain is offered to our bucks and dry does. This is what works best for us. It keep the does in good flesh while helping to maintain high lactation levels. We usually divide kids up into groups not larger than around eight head. We try to keep thinner or less aggressive eaters together and may hold them on more feedings and/or more milk if needed. We may include grain or sunflower seeds for the poorer does at times, as well. We don't keep bucks or wethers with doelings for longer than a couple of months as a rule, as they're too hard on them and tend to hog the food. Doelings can be bred at seven months of age or around 80 lbs. Most of ours can easily freshen at 12 to 16 months of age without any problem. As a general rule though, we usually don't breed them until they are a year old. Most of our does freshen for the first time as a 2 year old. In turn most of our bucklings here can settle does by the time they are five to seven months old. We use a herd management software program called Dairy Live and highly recommend it to others. This is an excellent management tool when you have more than just a few goats. It originally was designed for cattle dairymen but we adapted it to work for our dairy and meat goats. The program reminds us when it is time to trim a particular doe's hooves, vaccinate her, when she is due, when her heat cycle should come again, etc. I am able to keep individualized records on each animal. I can look up a doe and know exactly when and with what she was wormed with, how much I have spent on veterinary bills on her, how many kids she has had and how well each of them have milked. I can add detailed health records, exactly what happened and what we did to help her. I can also download the animal's picture into the program. It also keeps track of pedigrees, milk records (DHIA & DHIR compatible), and linear appraisal scores to mention a few. It gives me daily reminders of chores I need to do i.e. who needs vaccinated and with what today and who is due for hoof trimming. This has become a very valuable tool when trying to keep track of over 200 goats. Lastly...all of our animals are given lots of attention and affection every day. Please feel free to email us with any questions. If you would like to reserve an animal, email amis40@dejazzd.com for further information. Our "Name" in the goat world is important to us. We have been taken advantage of when we were newcomers. Although we will not point fingers or place blame on these breeders, we will not pass our "mistakes" onto you. We will not sell any animals without full disclosure including milking records, Linear Appraisal scores, and health history. If you have a question, please ask. If we don't have what you are looking for, we can point you in the direction of several reliable and responsible breeders who we trust. You will not get gossip, politics, half truths, and the alike when doing business with us. In addition, please keep in mind we will not sell any animal if we don't feel you can offer him/her a good home. All animals deserve the best possible care, attention, and living quarters...period. Thanks for visiting the herd...they love all the attention! Normal Goat Health:
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