est 2018
Our Vision
Our top priority is to raise happy, healthy goats. We are very selective about the goats we add to our herd, and make sure that they are all CAE, CL & Johnes free.
The Jubilation Farms herd was built on some of the most amazing and influential bloodlines in the Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goat breed. We are proud of our goats' heritage and lineage and hope to honor them through our breeding and care.
Herd Management
Feed Management
Our does receive a different diet depeding on whether they are pregnant, have recently kidded, are in milk, or are in between these stages.
Our milking does receive an increased ration with the addition of oats in their feed while on the milking stand.
We provide free choice minerals, baking soda, mineral blocks, fresh hay and water at all times. In addition to their grains, our goats receive a probiotic powder, black oil sunflower seeds, beet root pulp, and topped off with sweet hay. They love an occasional goody of licorice flavored treats. We will be adding other supplements as needed depending on each goat's dietary and condition needs.
Our bucks and wethers will begin a new feeding regimen this year to correct some nutritional deficits that we have noticed. Their feed will also have ammonium chloride added for their urinary tract health.
We have noticed that our goats have needed copper bolusing more often than the standard once a year protocol, so we have started implementing an as-needed routine.
General Care
Every day we spend time in the pastures observing and loving on our goats. This helps us to know their natural behaviors and routines so that we can see immediately if something is wrong.
We do regular hoof trimming on the stand so that we can give each goat an all over check. We also check Famacha levels twice monthly on our entire herd and make any adjustments needed based on color observations.
Our herd receives a yearly CD/T vaccination.
A month prior to their estimated kidding date, our does receive their CD/T shot. We also give them hoof trims and decrease their grain rations slowly.
Beginning about 10 days before their due dates we start checking tail ligaments to see how close they are to giving birth. We ramp up our routine checks to every couple of hours to note any behavior changes that may indicate kidding is near.
After kidding our does are immediately given warm molasses water for a quick energy boost, probiotic paste, Red Cell, and a vitamin B injection. We deworm and continue with the Red Cell and probiotic paste for a week after kidding.
Kid Management
We keep all kids on their dams unless bottle feeding is necessary. We begin separating the babies from the mommas overnight so that we can begin getting the mommas a solid milking routine.
We choose to disbud all our goats for various reasons, the biggest being that we have children on our farm and will not risk their safety. Goat kids are disbudded between 5-10 days old.
Once kids are weaned, they will be ready for home at approximately 10 weeks old. They will have been disbudded, tattooed, given coccidia prevention medication and dewormed, CD/T vaccinations and have had their first hoof trim.
We hold and cuddle all babies daily so that they are friendly and sociable. Sometimes we have babies who are more skittish for one reason or another, so they may take some extra time to warm up in their new homes. We have found that sitting quietly on the ground or on a palette daily helps them to settle in better. Once they are brave enough to begin nibbling your clothes or boots, they will soon warm up enough to be petted.
Meet Our Family
Jubilation Farms is a family owned and operated small farm. We believe that there's nothing better than the fresh, country air and being in nature. We are so thankful that God led us on this path with our children.
Each of us plays a vital role in the maintenance and success of our farm. Our children all have chores and responsibilities in the home and on the farm. We value their input and contributions.
Jason is responsible for the budget and helps with the day-to-day operations and maintaining equipment and buildings. He helps Sarah with wrangling goats as needed.
Sarah is in charge of the day-to-day goat herd management and care. She does all hoof trims, vaccinations, and health checks. Sarah and Jason go out daily to the fields in the late afternoon to do chores together and spend time with the herd.
We have been mentored by some amazing people in the field, and we are passionate about passing on that knowledge not only to our children, but to those who are new to goats.