Goat Farming A Year-Round Operation
AUTUMN PROVIDES A ‘SLOW TIME’ BEFORE BABY GOATS ARRIVE
What started as a 4-H project for Melissa Jackson’s son has turned into a fullfledged goat business. As the weather sends signs of changing, Melissa and her husband, Jared, are busy getting goats ready for
the next season.
What started as a 4-H project for Melissa Jackson’s son has turned into a full-fledged goat business.
As the weather sends signs of changing, Melissa and her husband, Jared, are busy getting goats ready for the next season.
Other farmers may be cutting or baling hay, but the Jacksons — who head up Jackson’s Royal Farm in Anderson — are in the midst of goat breeding season. The Registered Nigerian Dwarf Goat business is a year-round endeavor.
“We do selective breeding and also artificial insemination to bring in genetics that we feel will work well with our program,” Melissa said.
In a few months, around January or February, the Jacksons will be busy with kidding season, when all the baby goats arrive.
Melissa keeps track of all the goat breeding, timing and other statistics, so she knows exactly when a certain goat will deliver. She will take that goat up to the kidding barn, where nature will take care of things.
The fall is somewhat of a slower season for the farmers, if there ever is a slower time. While it’s breeding time now, the Jacksons will become very busy this winter when all the new babies arrive.
The Jacksons bottle-feed all the baby goats. Melissa also milks 305 days a year.
“There’s always something that needs to be done,” she says. “We make what we have work.”
The Jacksons got started in 2008 with Nigerian Dwarf goats. They wanted to secure a 4-H project for their son. They first considered getting a cow. Melissa grew up around dairy cattle and was familiar with that type of farming, but their son wasn’t too keen on that idea.
They turned to considering getting a goat and the spark was lit.
Today, they have 65 head. Last year, they had 70 kids born. Some are kept back for the farm, while others are sold.
The Jacksons sell the goats throughout the United States. Melissa said one goat was sent to Oregon, while another was sent to Washington. Most are mainly sold in the area.
“We sell our babies throughout the United States by (buyers picking them up on the farm), ground transporters and even by airplane.”
Having baby goats arrive in the winter actually gives them time to build a robust immune system. In the spring, there are parasitux worms and a variety of different diseases, mainly due to the ground being wet. The goats that arrive in the winter have time to build an immunity to those springtime conditions and issues, she said.
The Jacksons are building their breed and thus, market their operation as the reputation grows. Along with selling goats, they also sell the male goats’ semen to others who wish to pursue artificial insemination.
Melissa records a great deal of information about their goats. A certified appraiser scores each goat. There are tests that are conducted, and information sent to a university.
“It’s about building a herd that’s successful,” she said. “It’s proving your genetics work.”
She and her husband have learned a lot through trial and error. Now that their reputation is beginning to grow, the two are determined to further market their line.
All their goats are registered through the American Dairy Goat Association. The Nigerian Dwarf breed has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years and now is one of the top breeds in the association, she said.
The Jacksons are resourceful and utilize everything they can. In fact, they feed their pigs and cattle goat milk and Melissa uses the extra goat milk for some creativity.
“Since fall is not as busy on the farm and we are not milking as many goats and bottle feeding baby goats, I use the milk to make goat milk soap and goat milk lotion as a side hobby.”
“The girls can put out a lot of milk for their size,” she said, adding a female can produce a half-gallon of milk each day.
As the leaves start to dry out a bit and a few fall here and there, Melissa enjoys the “slower” days leading into a cooler season. She knows that, in a few months, it will be the busy time of the year.
“It’s fun but it’s a lot of work,” she said. “I love the goats.”
For information, visit www. jacksonsroyalfarm.com or follow them on Facebook.
“Since fall is not as busy on the farm and we are not milking as many goats … I use the milk to make goat milk soap and goat milk lotion as a side hobby.”
Melissa Jackson