The Holistic Breeder Directory

Two Bears Farm & Apothecary

Sustainable, Regenerative, Holistic - For Accessible Food Sovereignty
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State/Province: North Carolina
City: Jacksonville
Category: Goats
Goat Breed:
  • Alpine
  • Nubian
  • LaMancha
Other Goat Breed: Experimental Crosses
Select Relevant Tags: browse, dairy, dam raised, hand milking, herbal, holistic, milk, non-gmo, organic, packing goat, pasture, raw milk, rotational grazing, and sustainable
Farm Attributes:
  • Herbal Medicine
  • Low or No Spray
  • Grazing or Browsing
  • Rotational Grazing
  • Health Testing
  • Performance Programs
  • Unaltered (no dehorning etc.)
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GOATS & OUR RAW MILK DAIRY HERDSHARE

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We started rearing goats in 2022 and started off our goat herd with twin-sister ‘experimental’ Alpine/LaMancha/Nubian cross doelings. Our goal was to start producing raw goat milk for our home-use as a family with special dietary needs and worried about food accessibility during the Pandemic and supply chain issues. We went with crosses instead of pure-bred goats for conformation for packing, increased health and disease/parasite resistance, and milk production for our needs. We are raising our herd with Holistic Herd Management practices and Regenerative Agriculture-based herd animal rotational management, supplementing with off-site chemical-free browse (low-impact land-clearing services), traditional ‘tree hay’, certified-organic on-site-grown hydroponic barley fodder and cover crops, certified-organic and non-gmo grain, and alfalfa/hay.

Our goal is to create a multi-purpose goat for the homesteader/hunter/rewilder: disease-resistant, friendly and people-oriented/pleasing with moderate (not excessive) milk production and a body conformation that is a blend of “milker” and “packer” for those who wish to train their goats for packing and have milk on and off the trail. These are not (necessarily) show goats, they are working goats.

Due to a late-season breeding, we are hoping to have kids and raw dairy/herdshare memberships available Summer 2023. Though our herd is currently unregistered, we are exploring ‘experimental’ registration options. We also teach classes locally and online on how to use Raw Milk in the home kitchen and how goats can help us become more self-sufficient and have a positive environmental impact.

**Watch for our updated listings in early 2023, follow us on Facebook for farm news, or e-mail us for availability.

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An herbalist-veterinary technician farming duo with a college-level degree background in Organic Farming, Regenerative Agriculture, and Permaculture Design, we raise our animals (and plants) as holistically and naturally as possible mimicking natural ecosystems and promoting low-impact, regenerative land management practices in tune with natural cycles. We do allow for conventional veterinary interventions when required for our animal’s livelihoods, otherwise we adhere to beliefs and practices of holistic, natural prevention and management of pests, disease and illness in garden and stable. We use no chemical sprays, herbicides, pesticides, or fungicides in our market garden, only plant organic seeds or organically-grown plant starts, and use low or no-till methods. We have our livestock on rotational pasture grazing and occasionally take our goat herd off-site for chemical-free browsing forage for low-impact land clearing, and supplement our quail, ducks, and goats with Certified-Organic Non-GMO grain feed and hay/alfalfa. Whenever possible we use whole-grain feeds instead of pellet or crumble feeds. Though we are not Halal or Organic-certified, we adhere to Halal and more-than-organic standards of animal rearing, butchering, and farm management.

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Please see our other listings for our heritage-breed ducks and quail.

Photos

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Farm Management

Ducks and quail do not receive vaccinations or medicated feeds. Our goats only receive medicated feed when required by veterinary direction, and receive partial vaccinations (currently only CD&T). Unless necessary for acute animal health, we rely on herbal dewormer regiments for all livestock. Our goat herd is tested yearly, and our milk is tested monthly. Sick animals are quarantined, and poorly-performing animals are culled from our breeding stock. In our quail we breed for good egg production and large meat birds for small-scale home meat production. In our ducks we breed for maintenance of heritage breed lines, good egg production, and friendliness. In our goats we breed for friendliness, parasite resistance, good milk production and conformation for packing. We also do not disbud our goats and our herd is horned. Bucklings can be castrated, but we do delayed castration for genito-urinary health.

Herbal (1)-Conventional (10) 1-10 Scale: 3

Parasite Protocol:
Unless necessary for acute animal well-being, we rely on herbal dewormer regiments and pasture-rotation to control parasite load for all livestock. We do periodic fecal tests on our goat herd to study parasite load, gut flora, resistance, response, and elimination in response to herbal dewormers, probiotics, and other holistic herd management practices. This information, including the herbal regiments given and considerations for human milk consumption during acute deworming, is available upon request. Any animals that must be treated with pharmaceutical medications such as antibiotics or chemical dewormers have their milk withheld from customer or Herdshare consumption.

Vaccination Protocols: Partial Vaccinations

Alterations:
  • Castrating