WHITE CEDAR FARM, LLC
OUR DOES
We raise three main breeds of goats: Saanens, Alpines and Boers. We do cross the breeds in addition to purebreds of each. We like Saanens for their size and milk production, Alpines for higher butterfat content and color variety, and Boers for meat yield and muscling. We have 6 senior does and 2 junior does who will be bred fall oof 2014.
CARRIE- aka Bean Dairy Carolina. An American Saanen. A very tall and dominant doe and our best producer, peaking at 6 quarts a day.
MADDIE- aka Knotty Twine Im Madenia. Another American Saanen of Irish Valley bloodlines. Good producer and resident "chow hound"
Peppy- aka Irish Valley Ivtharb Trixie. Oldest and friendliest of our does and most prolific. A Saanen who has sets of twins and triplets
OKIE- aka 80 Green Acres Olive. Our "Yooper goat", a tough little gray chamoisee Alpine. Throws big singles and makes creamy milk.
SPOOKY- aka Saaga-Togg Soapy. Daughter of Peppy and half-Alpine. Good producer and named for her, um, lack of bravery.
GLIMMER- Our lone Angora and doubles as a conversation starter. 2 time Grand Champion Other Doe at Ogemaw Fair.
THE CHICKENS
At any given time, we have anywhere from 12-25 chickens. We've had a variety of breeds. We began with Plymouth Rocks and dominiques, then we tried Isa Browns. Then we were given a handsome partridge Cochin rooster that we named Fred Frye (long story). So then we wanted to raise Cochins and purchased some quality stock from a breeder downstate. Then we wanted to add some color to both flock and eggs, so we added some Easter Eggers. But they all turned out to be roosters. The following year, we tried Black Stars and Gold Laced Wyandottes. While this was going on, we had a few chicks hatched by our broody hen Shadow. Unfortunately, spring of 2012 a raccoon broke into our coop and killed 13 chickens. But since then, we have added some Bantam Old English Games, Partridge Rocks, some hatchery Delawares that look more like Columbian Rocks, raised some broilers and Shadow has hatched and brooded a Cochin hen, and several Barred Rock-Easter Egger crosses. In spring of 2013, one of the girls brought home an Australorp cockerel chick named Whinny that her 5th grade class hatched out in an incubator. He had a crooked leg and limped, but he grew out of it and is now large and glossy black. We like to let the chickens free range our land as much as possible. They are happier and healthier, but as added benefits, they eat less commercial feed (they love bugs and grass in season), keep the number of insects and snakes down, and also loosen up the waste hay and manure in the goat pens and sheds so that it's easier for us to clean up. Oh, and they lay lovely brown eggs too.
