A Decade at Whimsical Pines Farm

A decade ago, I began researching dairy goat breeds and goat care. I joined groups online to learn as much as I could. I chose Nigerian Dwarfs because their size makes them easy to manage, and their milk is significantly higher in butterfat content compared to other dairy goat breeds. In 2016, we brought home our first three Nigerian Dwarf does and one buck. I joined the American Dairy Goat Association and the American Goat Society. The majority of my herd is double registered now.

We retained does born on our farm. Every couple of years, we bought a new buck. I looked for bucks with impressive bloodlines to improve genetics.

Kidding season is always an exciting time on a farm. Kid watch is stressful, especially those 2 a.m. kiddings. My daughters sat at the barn for hours during the day, willing the does to kid. I planned breeding so I always had a due date. Usually, first-freshener does kid a few days late, and older does can kid a few days early. They rarely kid on their actual due date, so when they do, it's a surprise too.

After all the kiddings were finished for the year, the excitement continued. New goat kids are adorable, full of energy and mischief. My daughters spent hours in the pasture, baby goats running up their backs and standing on their shoulders. Later in the afternoon, the kids were all worn out. Little goats slept at their feet, across their legs, and in their laps.

Things slow down on the farm during winter. After evening chores are finished, I spend an extra few minutes in the peace of the barn. The noise dissipates after everyone settles down. I listen to the soft sounds of goats pulling hay and chewing. It feels like home, a place I belong.

By 2020, I had a waiting list. People inquired about the availability of goats in the background of pictures of the ones I had for sale. If the goat they were interested in wasn't for sale, they asked to be put on a waiting list for one of her kids. My doelings sold for $350, and bucklings sold for $300. I invested $300–$400 for each goat I bought to build my herd. My prices were firm.

I continued to learn. At times, the anxiety was intense. I have cussed and cried as I poured blood, sweat, and tears into this goat herd. Goat kids need tattooing, CD&T vaccines, and disbudding (dehorning). I had to learn how to give shots, draw blood for biosecurity testing, and tattoo. I did not have the confidence to even try to disbud one kid. I found someone in the farming community to do the disbudding for me. I've had to pull stuck kids during difficult deliveries. Every delivery is a highly emotional experience, whether from fear or happiness. Twice, I have driven a doe to the vet for a C-section, heart racing and anxiety gripping me as I gripped the steering wheel.

In 2022, things began to change. There was little interest in the goat kids I had for sale. Eventually, I had to start dropping prices. $200 for a double-registered kid. That was the going price for an unregistered doe. So I cut back on breeding. Some years, there were no breedings. I noticed breeders who had decades to build their herd names continued breeding as if business had not slowed. This year, I'm questioning whether it's worth renewing my memberships with ADGA and AGS. I think I might try selling unregistered goats.

Goats will always have a place at Whimsical Pines Farm, but in the future, they may be strictly pets. I believe this farm, this goat herd, is the greatest gift we have given to our daughters. My daughters have experienced, work, birth, nurturing a sick animal back to health, and the sadness of death. Regardless of my success at farming, farming was a successful parenting choice.