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
acquisition 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. I began raising pygmy goats in 1992. I love the
inquisitive, curious intelligence of goats. They are playful, affectionate and have
great senses of humour. 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. Goat milk is renowned for its health benefits. Please take a
moment to check out this Goat Milk Comparison .

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. In 2007 ended up purchasing my foundation stock from Blue
Thunder Nubians, Shadow Vale Nubians and Linwood Nubians. I admire the quality
of stock these breeders are producing, as well as their excellent herd health status. I
hope to emulate such accomplishments in my own herd.

Why Nubians?
I have always admired the strength, grace and beauty of the Nubian breed. They
seem to possess an elegance and balance that sets them apart from other goats. I've
always been drawn to them, so it was a very easy decision when deciding which
dairy breed to go with. Their affectionate and personable personalities won me
over. I also love that they are the "components queens" of the goat world, much
like my rich Jersey cows.

Our Plans
Our goal is to raise show quality purebred Nubian breeding stock striving for ideal,
balanced, functional conformation with excellent health status, longevity and
production. We plan to utilize several tools to help us work towards our goals. The
first is the use of annual CAE and Johne's testing to ensure a negative status within
our herd. We maintain a CL-abcess free herd and cull heavily for health problems.
Secondly, we plan to have our animal assessed through type classification to
evaluate conformation and ideal dairy type in order to select superior breeding
stock. This will aid us in selecting breeding stock with functional conformation
necessary for a long, productive life with an emphasis on excellent mammaries and
strong, sound feet and legs. Thirdly, beginning in 2009 we plan to participate in 305
day milk testing so we have production records to ensure that we are also basing
our breeding decisions on the doe's performance in the milk barn. Lastly, we hope
to show our stock to gauge the success of our breeding program within the
industry. We realize these are lofty goals to start out with, but we are
wholeheartedly looking forward to the challenge.

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