Early Dawn’s Hope is a small farm located in Northern Kentucky where I raise dairy goats, chickens and honey bees. My focus is on raising healthy and productive animals in the most natural way practical. I currently raise Purebred Nubians and Nubian/Kinder crosses. I hope to add Purebred Kinders soon.
All goats not born on my farm have been purchase from herds tested clean for CAE and CL. I generally maintain a closed herd.
I am working on building a farm website, but until that is complete, feel free to message me here about possible animals or products for sale.
Good nutrition and herbs are the mainstays of my management practices. I use herbs and essential oils to maintenance herd health, resorting to chemical treatments only in emergencies.
My original goats have all been vaccinated by their previous farms; but, for the past three years, I have not vaccinated any kids born on my farm.
I practice rotational grazing and my herd relies primarily on forage during the warm months. The pastures have never been sprayed or treated with chemicals. I feed locally sourced grass hay and occasionally alfalfa during cold months. My grain is sourced from a local feed mill. I only feed grain to does when they are in milk.
My goats have constant access to a palette of 20 individual loose minerals so they can choose what their bodies need. I have only recently switched to this method from a premixed 'goat mineral', but I have already seen so much improvement that I will never go back!
My kids are usually dam raised. I find that this is best for the goats' health and personalities. I interact with the herd several times a day and handle the kids often so they are still friendly and used to humans.
I prefer to disbud most of my does for safety reasons, but I do have some horned goats in my herd. I am happy to leave a kid with horns if that is the buyer's preference.
I do castrate any bucks that I feel would not be an improvement to someone's breeding program. I use a burdizzo for castrations as I think it is the best option for the goats.
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Parasite Protocol: I use herbal dewormer twice per month as a preventative or as needed on all my goats. I regularly check FAMANCHA scores and body condition. I do keep conventional dewormers on hand for emergency situations, but these are rarely needed.
Vaccination Protocols: Partial Vaccinations
