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Welcome to our website. Wisdom's Way Alpines is a herd of dairy goats built upon the renowned Sodium Oaks and Shahena'ko bloodlines, primarily through Iroquois KC (Thanks to the work and insight of Carmen Ellis) and the use of artificial insemination, as well as incorporating some Olentangy animals. These herds are all highly interrelated, making for consistency in type and style. The emphasis in our breeding program is on structurally correct does that can hold up for years of production, with strong feet and legs and well attached udders. I breed for a utilitarian animal- a doe that milks well and easily under average conditions- as well as seeking high quality in conformation and udders. While I value the showring for the information and feedback gleaned from the judges, I view success in the ring more as a yardstick by which to measure my goals for the herd than as an end in itself.
~Management and more~ Just 60 miles from the Canadian border, our area often experiences severe winters, so the goats must be able to weather the winter well. Herd management, while not strictly organic, is based on sustainable agriculture. Medications, including antibiotics, are used only when necessary, not on a routine basis. CAE prevention means different things to different people. To me, it means eradication of the disease from the herd and strict quarantine of infected animals until this is acheived.The herd is tested at least once a year; test results are available upon request. Kids being retained in the herd, born to does that have repeatedly tested negative, are raised with their mothers. Kids can be raised on heat treated colostrum and pasteurized milk if so requested and reserved before birth.There has never been an abcess either in the herd or on this land, and the herd is essentially closed to prevent disease transmission. The Sodium Oaks and Shahena'ko animals epitomize, to me, what the ideal dairy doe should look like. With this in mind, the breeding program focuses almost entirely on these lines, either directly or through other herds who used them heavily. I truly believe that A.I. is one of the best tools we have for genetic improvement and access to the greatest bucks and bloodlines in the breed. For the last two or three years, my goal has been to improve the rear leg set- I wanted a lot of space between the hocks and a high, wide rear udder between them. Our senior herd sire, Iroquois KC Reflex, has done this for us while maintaining the type of dairy character that I prefer. Our next goals: longer, smoother, tighter foreudder attachments, stronger pasterns, and wider chests. |
Wisdom's Way Alpines
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