Rakkasan Ranch

Linear Appraisal: We really enjoyed Linear Appraisal. This was our first year doing it, and it was very educational. Basically, the goats were measured and appraised on a number scale using various categories of the goats body and traits the goat carries. It has helped us determine which buck to use and which doe, to bring out the traits we most want in our herd. Our does and bucks did very well at LA this year, especially considering their age! Their overall scores are as follows:                                                     General Appearance- Dairy Strength- Body- Mammary- Final score 4*M Bramblestone PAL Pearl Tea         V                             E                  V           ...

LaGrande, OR The Union County Fair was a great 2 ring ADGA sanctioned show. It was laid back, and different from any other show we had ever been to. I would recommend it to anyone in the Northwest. The show was held in the grass under tents, and we just hung around the tents with the amazing weather. The first ring was pretty awesome. The judge, Patricia Walker, gave our girls these scores: Pita: 5th in Class Ruby: 3rd in class Pearl: 1st in Class, Reserve Grand Champion, Best Udder in Breed The second ring judge was Dan Green and after judging the girls he said Pearl's udder was the best he had ever seen. That was a huge compliment to our Pearl. Here are his scores: Pita: 1st in Class Ruby: 2nd in Class Pearl: 1st in Class, GRAND CHAMPION !!!!, Best Udder of Breed , and she won the Champion Challenge !  (Pearl only needs one more Grand Champion leg to finish her as a Permanent Champion.) Pearl with her Grand Champion Ribbon Pearl winning Champion Challenge...

June was busy for us! We purchased three does and a buckling to add to our herd. Not just any does though... We were SO fortunate to be able to bring Pearl and Ruby's moms to our farm! Bramblestone Farm was kind enough to sell them to us, and it has been a very unique experience to watch the girls reunite with their mothers. There is something very special about animal familial bonds, and goats are social animals with beautiful family ties. We feel blessed to see them reunited and happy together.  SG *M AR Wildwind Farm R Bit 'O' Honey *D (Ruby's dam) (This is after milking, and the only photo not blurred) 3*M AR Old Mountain Farm Hot Tea 3*D (Pearl's dam) (Dry, she took a year off) We also bought Princess Buttercup, aka P.I.T.A. Can you guess what the acronym stands for? Well, she isn't all that bad, and she has a great attachment. She also milked over 4 lbs on her last test and she is only 2, so she will earn her milking star this year! We are h...

2016 Syringa Dairy Goat Show and Specialty Show, Boise, ID We had a great time at Syringa! This was a 4 ring show, with the first ring being the Specialty show! Pearl, our Senior doe, took Reserve Grand Champion in the Specialty Show, out of 79 does! Tahoma also took Reserve Grand Champion in the Specialty Show! This was great news to us, because Tahoma and Pearl have 4 doelings who did very well also, with Granny's Pearl taking Reserve Grand Champion Junior Doe! Apache, our other heard sire, took Reserve Grand Champion in one ring. (Many of the show photos didn't come out right, so here are before, during and after show photos. :)) Apache, Reserve Grand Champion Buck Apache, the judge favored his width, strength, and stature. Tahoma, Reserve Grand Champion Buck The judge liked his chiseled appearance, and dairy character.  Pearl in the Specialty show ring Pearl after winning Reserve Grand Champion Doe  in the Specialty Show Granny's Pear...

This is the best part of having Nigerian Dwarf Goats... Black Pearl and Minnie Pearl  Ain't Granny's Pearl is a great bouncer

Spring on a small farm is a busy time of year, and ours is no exception! We have baby chickens hatching, and our dairy goats are delivering kids and milking season has begun. This year we are preparing to produce cheese and butter with our milk.  We are starting with simple cheeses such as ricotta and mozzarella. Next will be brie and chèvre, and then more aged cheeses as we get more comfortable with the process. We will have chicks for sale after Valentines Day, all the way through May. Large Orpingtons, which are an amazing fryer chicken, pretty much the size of a small turkey, and are beautiful as a backyard chicken.We will have mostly blue and black chicks for sale but we have 5 different colored roosters. We still haven't decided what colors we are going to focus on. Blue Orpington Rooster  Orpingtons are very sweet and the roosters are surprisingly gentle considering their size. These birds are huge! The hens are heavy layers which is great for our egg selling bus...