Our Story
Our farm began in 2006 with a couple of friendly dairy goats mostly kept as pets and all around good entertainment. Along the way, we bred these dairy does to Boer bucks and each year, retained some of their offspring for future breeding stock. By 2016 we had expanded our herd considerably and had many productive foundation does. These does kidded with ease, were good mothers and raised fast growing kids, however, parasite tolerance was their weak point.
In early 2016 we began our search for a new Boer buck to add to our breeding program when we stumbled upon the Savanna breed of goat. We had never herd of Savannas before, so we did some research and learned that they are a field hardy, low maintenance breed that have a higher parasite tolerance than the Boer. As you can imagine, we were very intrigued! So, we set out to find a Savanna goat producer and see for ourselves if this was a fit for us. We found a producer within driving distance and spent the day admiring the goats and educating ourselves. By the end of the day, we were sold! So, we purchased our first registered Savanna buck to cross with our existing dairy/Boer does. Later in 2016 we purchased a couple of registered 75% Savanna does and then our first registered fullblood Savanna does.
In late 2017 we had our first crop of Savanna cross & fullblood kids and we loved what we saw! The does kidded with ease, the babies were up and nursing minutes after birth, and best of all, they did it on their own. As the year went on, we quickly realized how the Savanna genetics added muscle to the kids, better mothering from the does, and less maintenance for us overall…we were hooked, Savannas were the way to go!
Today, our breeding herd has grown to approximately 30 goats which includes 24 does and 2 bucks on average. Of those 24 does, currently only 4 do not have Savanna genetics. These 4 are left over from our dairy/Boer herd and still continue to produce powerful kids when bred to our Savanna bucks. We exclusively use 100% fullblood Savanna bucks for breeding. These herd numbers do vary depending on time of year, culling and sales.
Why Savannas?
The Savanna breed has benefited us and our farm in many ways. We both work fulltime jobs off the farm and during kidding season we expect our does to kid unassisted, get the kids cleaned-up, and get them nursing without assistance. It is a great feeling to come home from a long day at work and find happy kids with full bellies hanging out with their proud mothers! We also expect that the does will raise their kids without our assistance. NO bottle babies! Adding Savannas to our herd has definitely increased the occurrence of these expectations.
We worm our goats based on the FAMACHA scoring system, and while we do not claim that we never have to worm a goat, we do worm less often now. When we do have to worm a goat, they tend to rebound more quickly than before we added Savanna genetics to our herd. We attribute this reduction to worming and quicker rebound to the Savanna’s higher tolerance to parasites and overall field hardiness.
While there is no bulletproof breed of goat, we have found Savannas to work very well for us. We have seen many improvements in our overall herd health and kidding successes, all with lower maintenance and feed inputs on our part.
Herd Goals
Our goal is to provide productive, low maintenance, breeding stock for today’s meat goat producer. Our percentage and fullblood Savanna breeding stock is registered with their DNA on file with UC Davis. With that said, we offer the option of both commercial and registered stock, depending on the needs of the producer.
We focus on three main areas for our herd development, these are listed in no particular order as they are all equally important to us.
First area of focus: To produce fast growing kids that reach market weight on minimal feed inputs. Although all of our does are expected to raise fast growing kids, the dairy genetics in the background of some of our original dairy/Boer does have shown to be helpful in adding pounds to their kids. These genes continue to shine in does that are only 12% dairy. We weigh our kids at birth and weaning to calculate Average Daily Gain (ADG). We cull the kids that do not meet our ADG expectations.
Second area of focus: We expect our goats to maintain their health and condition with as little human intervention as possible. We vaccinate annually, trim hooves and worm as needed. If a goat needs wormed on a regular basis, that animal will be culled from the herd as they do not meet our standards of parasite tolerance. We will not jeopardize the health of the entire herd for one goat, nor do we want to pass along undesirable traits in future offspring.
Third area of focus: We expect our does to raise their kids on their own. With that said, we understand that sometimes there are circumstances that require us to step in and help. However, if we find ourselves raising a doe’s kid for her, she will be culled from the herd before the next breeding season. We believe that being in the business of animal husbandry means that we are here to assist mother nature, not do the job for her. By holding our expectations of the herd high, we feel confident that we are able to offer productive, low maintenance, breeding stock to our customers.
Feeding and Kidding Practices
Twelve months of the year, our goats have free choice access to protein tubs, loose mineral, and sodium bicarbonate.
During the summer months, we utilize rotational grazing practices, offer 1st cutting grass/clover hay and feed a limited amount of grain, once daily. The primary purpose of feeding grain during the summer is to help us identify possible health issues within the herd. For example: If a goat does not show interest in eating grain on a particular day, it may be an indication that there is a potential health issue. This animal would then be evaluated and further monitored for any other signs or symptoms of poor health. This practice is not our only tool for monitoring herd health, however, we have found it to be a relatively reliable way of catching issues before they become major problems.
In the winter months, we move the does to their respective winter pastures and feed 2nd or 3rd cutting grass/clover hay depending on their kidding status. Our does generally kid between December 1st and March 1st. At one month prior to kidding, we increase the amount of grain given to the does to help with their nutritional needs during the final trimester and kidding process.
We prefer to kid in the winter months because we’ve found that winter born kids tend to be hardier and healthier for the remainder of their life. This time of year also provides limited parasite issues due to the freezing temperatures. In addition, winter kidding allows us to sell lower percentage bucklings and select doelings to local 4-H and FFA members. Although it is not our main focus, it is a good market for these goats and we do enjoy the ability to share our love of raising goats with the local youth and help them to succeed in what we believe to be a rewarding endeavor.
Thank You!
We want to thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about our farm and the Savanna goats we raise! Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding our goats for sale, or general information regarding the Savanna breed.
Sincerely,
C&M Farm Savanna Goats, LLC
Courtney & Mark Hoffmaster
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