Our Breeding Program

Our breeding program focuses on four core traits that we believe are essential for productive, practical meat goats raised under real pasture conditions:

• Parasite Resistance
• Consistent Productivity
• Maternal Ability
• Growth

Parasite Resistance

Parasite resistance is a cornerstone of our program. We actively monitor parasite pressure in the herd through routine fecal egg count testing conducted throughout the grazing season. These tests allow us to measure parasite load at the individual animal level and identify natural differences in resistance and resilience within the herd.

Rather than relying on single measurements, we analyze trends across multiple sampling periods. This allows us to identify animals that consistently maintain low parasite burdens while remaining productive and in good body condition.

To monitor pasture conditions efficiently, we also track a group of sentinel animals throughout the year. These animals are sampled more frequently and provide an early indication of changing parasite pressure in the environment.

Chemical dewormers are used strategically and sparingly. By minimizing routine whole-herd treatments, we help reduce the development of dewormer-resistant parasites while allowing naturally resistant animals to be identified and selected for breeding.

Animals that repeatedly demonstrate strong natural resistance and require minimal intervention are prioritized in our breeding program.

Consistent Productivity

We place strong emphasis on does that reliably produce and raise kids year after year. Consistency matters as much as performance. Our goal is to develop animals that maintain productivity across multiple seasons under practical management conditions.

Maternal Ability

Strong maternal traits are critical to the success of any commercial goat operation. We select for does that kid easily, produce adequate milk, raise healthy kids, and maintain good body condition while doing so.

Growth

Growth performance remains an important component of our selection process. We track kid performance using average daily gain (ADG) and weaning weights, and we analyze this data to evaluate the productivity of our breeding does. By monitoring how well kids grow and perform prior to weaning, we are able to identify does that consistently produce fast-growing, healthy offspring.

By selecting across these four traits simultaneously, we aim to build a herd that is both productive and resilient—capable of thriving under pasture-based management with minimal intervention.