Ravenwood Ranch

Why Goats?
My first encounter with goat ownership was at age 11. I informed my parents I
was ready for "more responsibility" and needed a goat. This resulted in the
acquistion of a delightful (and slightly demonic) pygmy goat wether, Demetri. I
bottle fed him, slept in a sleeping bag in his pen and trained him to pull a sled and
cart. I was hooked for life and began raising pygmy goats. Now I own a
Savanna-based female meat production herd. We've gone to the goats! I love the
inquisitive, curious intelligence of goats. They are playful, affectionate and have
great senses of humours. A day without goats is like a day without sunshine.

Goats are an ideal livestock choice for many producers. Their small size means
reduced feed costs, less expensive handling facilities and ease of handling. They are
prolific producers with a short gestation and short interval from birth-puberty. They
often have 2-3 and even up to 4 offspring, quickly building your herd. They are
personable and curious by nature, bringing their owners hours of enjoyment. I
encourage you to visit the Alberta Goat Breeders Association for more information
about raising goats.

In 2005 our family was blessed with the birth of our son. I decided that I wanted to
stay home and raise my family, and started to look for an alternative career. Goats
were the perfect solution as I could easily and safely handle them on my own with
a little one in tow. I ended up purchasing a uniform, closed herd of twenty-five 3/4
Savanna 1/4 Boer first kidding does and a buck. In 2006 we purchased a registered
Boer buck, Gisler Stryker, to implement as part of our performance meat goat
crossbreeding program. We are very excited at what the future holds for the goats
of Ravenwood Ranch.

Why Savannas?
Savanna goats are relatively new in North America. The pure-white South African
breed has pigmented skin evident around the tail, mouth, nose, eyes and ears. They
are wonderful mothers, good milkers with high, tight udders and clean teats. They
have strong feet and legs essential for a long, productive life. They are a hardy,
adaptable breed. They kid easily, giving birth to 2-3 hardy, robust kids. They are
attentive mothers with adequate milk to rear their kids naturally on pasture. We
decided that this was the perfect breed with outstanding maternal characteristics
upon which to build our female herd.

Why Boers?
In 2006, we decided to add Boer genetics to our herd. We are very happy with the
maternal traits in our herd, yet we wanted to improve frame size and overall
"meatiness" of our animals. In the goat world you just cannot beat the Boer as a
terminal sire. We hope that our new buck will impart greater width through the
chest, longer length of body and greater spring of rib. We plan to retain our Boer x
Savanna 2008 doelings and cross them back to our primarily Savanna based buck
for the subsequent generation.

How Do We Do It?
Click for more information on How We Raise Our Goats.