Rakkasan Ranch

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...

Our back yard is beautiful in the morning! Here is a picture of our girls. Pearl Tea is the white one, and Lakota is gold with white. They are both sweet girls, with their own personalities. We are hoping for little ones to be bouncing around in the spring! Fun times! We have barred rock and americana chickens. Today we got our first dozen! It started with one, and has gradually increased every day. It has been so cool collecting eggs. The kids are so excited every time we find them. For the most part, they are laying in their nesting boxes, but a few of them have their favorite spots around the property. Two of the girls lay right by the kitchen window, and one of them lays in the goat barn! Funny birds!