Dual Purpose Goats
These goats are breeds and crosses other than Kinders or Miniature or Standard LaManchas. While I don't plan on expanding the mutt herd anytime soon, these are good goats! I typically cross these does back with Kinder bucks. They are recorded with the Dual Purpose Goat Project.
Hefty Goat Holler Farm Billie Jean
January 25, 2020
Breed - Kinder X Boer X Nubian
Sire - Mount Vernon Kinders Diamond Rio
Dam - Poppy (unregistered 3/4 Boer and 1/4 Nubian)
Poppy was *supposed* to be bred to Tigger, but she never came in heat in the fall...then I noticed she looked different. I went back and checked my book, and Rio had escaped one day. Apparently, Poppy was bred that day! Poppy gave birth to triplet doelings - you can read about it here. These three chunks were called "The Woos" because their voices sound like Poppy. Billie Jean hums like her, too.
I sold Maria to a friend but retained the other two. These girls have 2x2 clean teats like their dam. *update* DID. Billie Jean and Sherry now have only three teats - the extra teats simply disappeared - this blew my mind! I have a video explaining and showing their teats now on the farm page on Facebook.
Billie Jean is the slightly taller of the two does I kept. These girls have excellent muscling and bone. Billie Jeans hooves are better than Sherry's but I would like to see improvements in both - the toes grow fast while the heels do not. Billie Jean is a friendly girl! She kidded easily with twin bucklings this winter. Been a great dam and producing well. Unfortunately, their sire did nothing for udder attachments nor teat placement so that will be something to work on in future generations. Udder shown here pre-kidding.
Hefty Goat Holler Farm Sherry
January 25, 2020
Breed - Kinder X Boer X Nubian
Sire - Mount Vernon Kinders Diamond Rio
Dam - Poppy (unregistered 3/4 Boer and 1/4 Nubian)
Sherry is the slightly shorter but stockier sister to Billie Jean. Not quite as friendly as Billie Jean but still comes to visit.
She kidded with twin doelings this year. When she kidded (and she did so with almost comical ease - doelings literally fell out) she was quite suspicious of anyone or anything getting within a few yards of her. After a couple days, she settled down.
Very impressed with her production and how well she's retained her body condition while raising fat kids. Her udder is nearly identical to Billie Jean's, lacking lateral attachments, teat placement, and supple texture. But it is not hard to milk, though improved texture I think would make it much easier. Her hooves do require more trimming than Billie Jean's but they're big hooves, which I like. Udder is shown pre-kidding.
Hefty Goat Holler Farm Strawberry
April 1, 2020
Breed - Kinder X Boer X ?
Sire - Zachary's Champion Goats Tigger
Dam - Charlie (Boer cross)
Strawberry was one of the last kids born in 2020 and one of the only births I got to witness this year! She's lived with the Woo triplets her entire life and has earned the title of "Honorary Woo." She's more dairy than Charlie's first doeling, but has the heavier bone like Charlie. It looks like she has inherited her dam and sire's tight toes and good hooves, but could have straighter knees. Strawberry has inherited her dam's excellent parasite resistance!
Strawberry has 1x1 clean teats even though her dam had 2x2.
Strawberry is a funny girl with a very high voice that tickles me and is friendly.
Strawberry freshened for the first time with twin doelings in February '22. She's been an excellent mother! She's gotten a little thin nursing them but hasn't stopped getting in there and eating, which I love. Her udder still needs some better attachment and medial but the overall shape is much improved over her dam. Her teat size and orifice size are already nice for hand milking.
Hefty Goat Holler Farm Myna
February 6, 2021
Breed - Kinder X Dairy Cross
Sire - ZCG Tigger
Dam - Domino
Domino has been SO stingy with doelings. I said if she had one this year, I would keep her. Myna is a lovely, chunky girl! She's grown very well.
Myna likes my husband more than me but she isn't unfriendly. More reserved, like her dam. She's a vast improvement in conformation, especially in feet, and I am hopeful Tigger really improved attachments while retaining that ease of milking.
