Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Welcome!
About Us
Whimsy Oak Dairy Goats is located in Southwest Georgia.
I was first introduced to goats (Nubians, LaMancha crosses, and Boers) via my grandparents’ farm in the Ozarks around 2001. In early 2015, I started my own farm with a couple of Nubians, added a LaMancha buck and two more Nubians later that year, and then in 2016 we added another
Whimsy Oak Dairy Goats is located in Southwest Georgia.
I was first introduced to goats (Nubians, LaMancha crosses, and Boers) via my grandparents’ farm in the Ozarks around 2001. In early 2015, I started my own farm with a couple of Nubians, added a LaMancha buck and two more Nubians later that year, and then in 2016 we added another LaMancha doeling. We were so pleased with our LaManchas that we decided to phase out our Nubian herd and transition to LaManchas.
In 2018, we started participating in DHI and had goats scored at our first linear appraisal session. We also attended our first show, the Georgia National Fair ADGA sanctioned Open Dairy Goat Show in Perry. We have continued DHI, LA, and showing since that year!
2019 brought big changes. After using SG +*B Lucky*Star’s ME Henning to sire a few kids, we purchased him as a co-own and also brought in another Lucky Star buck sired by *B Rockin- CB KWY Jiangxi. These bucks had a major impact on the direction of our herd.
We also became ADGA Plus members in 2019 and started the process of DNA/casein typing our herd. 2025 will be our 11th year with goats, our 10th kidding season, our 8th year participating in DHI, LA, and shows, and our 6th year as ADGA Plus members! We have learned and grown so much on this journey, and we strive for quality in everything we do from disease testing to breeding for quality conformation and milk production. We value ethics and good management on our farm and are excited to see what the future holds!
Our Goals
Our herd is still very young and we’re in the process of developing type and consistency, but in 2019 we sold over half of our animals to reduce numbers and narrow our herd down to our best and favorite does as well as reduce damlines in an effort to reach consistency faster.
Our breeding goals for the past couple of years have been to im
Our herd is still very young and we’re in the process of developing type and consistency, but in 2019 we sold over half of our animals to reduce numbers and narrow our herd down to our best and favorite does as well as reduce damlines in an effort to reach consistency faster.
Our breeding goals for the past couple of years have been to improve front ends and increase bone and strength to create strong, powerful yet still dairy animals with sound structure that can support high milk production. We have been very pleased to see improvements in these areas. We also really love truly “wedge” shaped animals with spring of rib and depth of barrel and sharp withers. Our other goal has been to increase milk production, with much more focus on longer, more level lactations and increasing components vs simply flashes in the pail. We would like animals that can milk through with ease, and while we firmly believe in providing quality care and nutrition, we particularly select for animals that are productive without requiring more maintenance than is reasonable even in our subtropical climate that is hot and humid the majority of the year (i.e. we like animals that can perform well and remain healthy in closer to commercial settings). Does must meet our requirements for temperament as well.
While production is given highest value here, longevity is vital and we still select for sound conformation and also select for feet, legs, shoulder assemblies, and correct udder structure in addition to our above goals. Most of our does have received nice compliments regarding toplines and width and levelness of rump as well. While we are working on improvements, we have condensed our genetics and are learning what we like to work with, in hopes of developing even stronger consistency over the coming years.
Our main damline consists of Sweet Song CP Under the Sea (Ariel) and her progeny. So far she’s had five daughters as well as numerous granddaughters and great-granddaughters to freshen with well attached mammary systems like her own; they and other does from our herd often win best udder or score E mammaries at appraisal.
We also have one other very small but promising damline developed from Sweet Song PT Lilybet, a beautiful Tweed Navigator granddaughter with one of the best udders and steadiest production in the herd. As we move forward, we will be looking to develop and cross our damlines.
We also added two new herdsires in 2019: SG +*B Lucky*Star’s ME Henning and *B Lucky*Star’s RJ Lights-Up! With these boys we hope to improve bone and strength, add more milk as well as a more level lactation curve, and improve front ends as well as many other qualities the Lucky Star herd brings to the table. In 2021, we brought in Rustic Wood’s OK Akia to continue working with these genetics and work further toward our goals. 2023 brought more big blessings with the addition of *Rockin-CB JA Platinum, son of the 2024 ADGA National Champion (SGCH Rockin-CB Katana EX94) and maternal grandson of the first LaMancha and third goat ever to score EX95! We’ve been blessed to additionally use outside bucks with tremendous genetics.
Herd Management
Herd Management
We try to practice sustainability on our farm and value good management for prevention; however, our animals are treated with medications as needed and vaccinated against relevant conditions for our farm. We do try to follow best practice and avoid the over use of antibiotics and dewormers. We work with our local livestock vet and maintai
We try to practice sustainability on our farm and value good management for prevention; however, our animals are treated with medications as needed and vaccinated against relevant conditions for our farm. We do try to follow best practice and avoid the over use of antibiotics and dewormers. We work with our local livestock vet and maintain a relationship with their practice.
Our entire herd is disease tested annually and vaccinated against enteroxemia and tetanus as well as against staph aureus and viral and bacterial respiratory illnesses. We also give BoSe (selenium supplement) and copper boluses once or twice yearly.
Kids are raised on a coccidiosis prevention program until well grown as we find coccidiosis to be a problem in our humid southeast. We also have some pasture.
We give loose minerals with plenty of copper and zinc as well as access to quality hay 24/7. We feed an adequate amount of a 16+% concentrate mix to milkers and roughly 16% grain mix to bucks not in rut, kids, and dry does twice daily based on milk production, body condition, and growth stage. We are finding we like body condition, growth, and production best when we feed the best quality hay we can find - usually free choice ryegrass or oat hay along with plenty of alfalfa and/or perennial peanut hay. We do not feed many supplements - just hay, grain, and loose minerals and adding in BlueLite when it’s very hot and humid or during times of stress - keeping it simple without cutting corners.
We try to stay up to date on the best evidence based practices, including deworming protocols. Our goats are only dewormed as needed here based on body condition, FAMACHA scores, fecals, and other signs.
In addition, we have a team of LGDs to protect our goats from predators. Our goal is to allow our animals to reach their full genetic potential through the best (non-micro) management we can give them!
Our Herd
Herd Management
ARIEL DAMLINE
I. Esmeralda- daughter (reference)
A. JuneBug (reference)
1. LoveBug
a. KatyDid
b. Luna
c. LadyBug
B. Gypsy (reference)
C. Tillie
II. Epiphany - daughter
A. Bombshell
1. Echo
B. Eureka (reference)
1. Shazam (reference)
2. Hurrah
C. Encore
III. Avaris - daughter (reference)
A. Aravis (reference)
B. Fire-Flower (reference)
IV. Belle (Wildest Dreams) - daughter
A. Bea (A Million Dreams) (reference)
B. Alora
V. Moana (Heart of Te Fiti) - daughter
VI. Hula Pi - daughter (reference)
LILYBET DAMLINE
I. Kitten - daughter (reference)
A. Fawn
BLOSSOM DAMLINE(reference)
I. Jasmine- daughter (reference)
A. Jade (reference)
1. Jessamine (reference)
Why LaManchas
We absolutely love our quirky, even-tempered LaManchas and their progress as the only American-developed dairy goat breed, so we have dedicated a page entirely to their history and facts about the breed!
Here are some facts about our favorite breed, gathered from data from the American Dairy Goat Association website:
- In 2019, the average L
We absolutely love our quirky, even-tempered LaManchas and their progress as the only American-developed dairy goat breed, so we have dedicated a page entirely to their history and facts about the breed!
Here are some facts about our favorite breed, gathered from data from the American Dairy Goat Association website:
- In 2019, the average LaMancha doe on milk test produced 2,298 pounds of milk in 275-305 days, beat out only by the Saanen, Sable, and Alpine. (https://adga.org/knowledgebase/breed-averages/) The LaMancha is considered a medium sized breed and is often smaller than these other standard breeds as well!
- In 2019, the average LaMancha doe on milk test produced an average of 3.7% butterfat. The Nigerian Dwarf (a miniature breed) and the Nubian are well known to be the highest butterfat producers; however, the LaMancha has earned the recognition of having both high milk and butterfat production! The LaMancha was third in protein and butterfat percentage after the Nigerian Dwarf and the Nubian (3.2%). (https://adga.org/knowledgebase/breed-averages/)
- ADGA's description of the LaMancha is as follows: The LaMancha goat was developed in the U.S.A. It has excellent dairy temperament and is an all-around sturdy animal that can withstand a great deal of hardship and still produce. Through official testing this breed has established itself in milk production with high butterfat.
The LaMancha face is straight with the ears being the distinctive breed characteristic. There are two types of LaMancha ears. In does one type of ear has no advantage over the other.
*The “gopher ear” is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of one inch (2.54 cm) but preferably nonexistent and with very little or no cartilage. The end of the ear must be turned up or down. This is the only type of ear which will make bucks eligible for registration.
*The “elf ear” is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of two inches (5.08 cm) is allowed, the end of the ear must be turned up or turned down and cartilage shaping the small ear is allowed.
The ear is to be measured with a rigid measure placed firmly against the head at the base of the ear that is neither pulled nor stretched. Natural folds and creases of the ear are to be unaltered during measurement. Any color or combination of colors is acceptable with no preferences. The hair is short, fine and glossy. (http://adga.org/breed-standards/)
If you're curious about how this American-developed breed came into existance, check out this article:
"The Tale of the Ear" from Quixote Lamanchas.
For New Goat Owners
Getting into dairy goats can involve a huge learning curve. We want our buyers to be successful and the goats we sell to live long, happy lives, so we created a “crash course” page with information that can help!