Our herd is comprised of all registered purebred French Alpine does, almost all from Munchin Hill stock. We currently have 18 mature does, 4 doelings and two bucklings and 2 mature bucks. We are expecting about 40 kids for the 2020 kidding season but plan to keep only two or three doelings and maybe one or two bucklings. We’re taking orders for doe kids, buck kids as well as meat wethers. Call or email me for a chart of availability and prices. All but the few we will be keeping, need to be off the farm by early to mid March. I need the milk for cheesemaking and just don’t have the resources needed to raise that many babies well. We test annually and our herd has always tested negative for CAE, Johne’s disease and brucellosis. The goats are on a herbal worming program and we use antibiotics only as absolutely necessary. The girls are fed high protein hays – alfalfa, orchard grass/clover, and oat hay, a mixed whole grain ration during milkings, and free choice goat minerals and Icelandic Kelp as a supplement.
Munchin’ Hill Lilly is one of our two foundation does. She has been a steady contributor to the herd and faithfully gave us three babies each year. She is our “stealth” freshener having her kids when we have been watching her non stop and take a quick break to run into the house to get a drink of water. A solid milker, Lilly is the namesake for our Chevre cheese – Lilly’s Chevre. At 16 yrs of age, Lilly is spending out her remaining days in retirement – eagerly coming in nightly for her “treats” and keeping the younger does in check. I know she won’t be with us much longer, so I am savoring each day we have with her.
Behrmann Farm Patience is another of our older does who found her way into a special place in our hearts. She is in retirement as well, just hanging out and enjoying the sunshine most days.
Roeburn’s KVLW Anya – Anya is another top producer. She was also dry for the 2019 season, but we hope she will be back in production for the 2020 season.
Rainbow Colors Shanghi was a bit stretched milking enough milk to nourish her quads so we gave her this year off. We plan to breed her for the 2020 season.
Munchin Hill Carte Blanche is a sweet calm happy doe who steadily milks 14 or so pounds of sweet milk day after day. Healthy, happy and a joy to have in the herd. She is Dam to Cadillac – another wonderful producer who inherited her mother’s calm sweet disposition.
Munchin’ Hill Alouette and Munchin Hill Polly Vue joined us late 2013 and are 
both lovely additions to our herd. Polly Vue is an Alouette daughter. Sweet personalities and the picture of health. Both appraised 90 EEEV for in 2019 and both are wonderful producers. Polly Vue did not freshen this year, but came back into milk anyway so is producing this season. We are hopeful to get her bred and freshen for 2020 – we plan to retain a doeling if we are so blessed.
Mona Lisa, a beautiful tall, feminine doe out of Alouette is probably the prettiest doe in the herd.
Munchin’ Hill Passion found her way to Suave Groundhog farm with many stops along the way. She reportedly had a tough life but was nursed back to health at Lapaysanne Farm and is a powerful doe. She is the dam to Rhet Butler and Scarlett O’hara from the 2017 kidding season and Dam to our lovely milker Juliette. She remains strong and in beautiful condition,(appraised at 89 EEEV at 10 yrs of age!) though she is starting to show her age. Such a lovely member of our herd. Juliette takes after her mother and appraised 90 EEEE in 2018.
Licorice is a solid black doe. The last retained offspring of Kona – a Kava daughter, she was our only yearly retained from 2017 kidding season. Tall with lots of energy and vitality, she is playful and mischievous.
Passion’s doe Scarlet O’hara, is one of our younger milkers – still coming into her own. The only yearling freshener for 2019 was Lois Lane. Tall and feminine this doe is showing some real promise and we look forward to seeing how she milks in 2020 season.
Also joining us this season was Biscotti – a super productive and friendly doe who was born here in 2017, went to stay with one of my 4 kiddos for 2 years and then was gifted back when they could no longer keep her. She is a Nubian/Alpine cross and flounts her playful airplane ears! She is still settling in, but producing lovely milk and is a welcome addition.
We retained three herdmates to Lois in 2018 but kept them all as dry yearlings. Looking forward to seeing how the three settle and freshen this coming season. They include Velvet – a lovely doe granddaughter to Mona Lisa, Shortbread, a doeling out of Snickers and Toboggan – a Carte Blanche Daughter. We plan to breed all 4 of the doe kids from our 2019 crop – they include Andromeda, Anne Bolyn, Mercedes, and Ruby. So looks like the herd will have several younger milkers for the coming season –
After freshening we will assess strengths of all the does and make most of the kids and probably a couple of milkers available for sale in order to keep our milking herd at 12 or 13 for the coming 2020 production season.