A little bit about us
We have had a long history of raising dairy goats of many breeds. After a tragic house fire in 2010, we got out of the goat business for awhile. We are slowly getting back into raising goats!
After owning almost every breed of dairy goats, we have decided to breed two breeds of dairy goats - Saanens and Nigerian Dwarves. I only have ever owned two Saanens before these, but enjoyed them very much. We used to have a nice herd of Nigerians, and Robin and Brad loved them, so I bought Robin a bred doe for her 2013 Birthday/Christmas present! :-)
The Saanens are docile and level headed where my Nubians (primary standard breed before) were stubborn and hot headed! Although I loved my Nubians and all the colors they came in and their ears, I decided that the Saanen was a more practical choice for the farm, at first!! Saanens are a good choice for any young 4-H members wanting to get into dairy goats. Every one of them I have been around is sweet and docile, easy to handle and a joy to be around! They are not the most colorful breed, but they definitely have a grace about them that no other breed seems to carry. They are good milkers and an overall hardy breed!
We have introduced some really nice goats into our herd to start our Saanen herd off! And what a good start this is!! I bought two dry yearlings, two doe kids and a buck kid from Fel-In-Luv Farm, these are beautiful animals that will definitely be a great start for our show herd! Two other members of the herd were bought from Cedar Creak Saanens in York, PA! They made the trip one month before they were due to kid. Both kidded with twin bucks. Later in the fall we went to Spring Mills, PA to Penns View Diary goats to bring home Breezy! For a start all 8 of my current herd members are wonderful and I can't wait for what the future will bring for them!
Nigerians have a habit of having a mind of their own, more so than any breed other than Nubians! Nigis only stand around 20" at the withers for does and 24" for bucks. They are great pets, some are awesome milkers! Nigerians take special fencing - the kids can get out of nearly every kind up until they are several months old! I want to thank Lucky Hearts Dairy goats for letting me purchase our start back into Nigerians! :-) We will breeding the Nigerians just like our Saanens, for show and milk quality! It's hard to get it through Robin's head that, yes while they are adorable and cute and friendly they really do need to have a purpose on the farm!
My breeding program for the dairy girls isn't just going to focus on show traits but milk production as well in both breeds. Being a small herd I can't have one doe that is super in the show ring, but not so much in the milk pail and one that is super in the milk pail but body structure wise isn't a match for anything in the show ring, they are going to have to be able to pull their weight in the milk pail and be competitive in the ring at the same time.
Rabbits have been a fairly new adventure, but unfortunately I'm not having a whole lot of luck. We have pretty much started over this year, with just pretty much pets.
Even as a little girl dogs were a big part of my life. Only ever having one before I was 7, and having him stolen from me when my family lived in Virginia for a time. Goldie was
My 2nd dog, which I didn't get until I was 15. She was a free puppy in a box at a store. She has been with us for nearly 9 years, and has watched over every kidding since she came home!! She started showing her age and passed over the rainbow bridge Sept. 2013 she will surely be missed for all future kidding seasons!
After owning almost every breed of dairy goats, we have decided to breed two breeds of dairy goats - Saanens and Nigerian Dwarves. I only have ever owned two Saanens before these, but enjoyed them very much. We used to have a nice herd of Nigerians, and Robin and Brad loved them, so I bought Robin a bred doe for her 2013 Birthday/Christmas present! :-)
The Saanens are docile and level headed where my Nubians (primary standard breed before) were stubborn and hot headed! Although I loved my Nubians and all the colors they came in and their ears, I decided that the Saanen was a more practical choice for the farm, at first!! Saanens are a good choice for any young 4-H members wanting to get into dairy goats. Every one of them I have been around is sweet and docile, easy to handle and a joy to be around! They are not the most colorful breed, but they definitely have a grace about them that no other breed seems to carry. They are good milkers and an overall hardy breed!
We have introduced some really nice goats into our herd to start our Saanen herd off! And what a good start this is!! I bought two dry yearlings, two doe kids and a buck kid from Fel-In-Luv Farm, these are beautiful animals that will definitely be a great start for our show herd! Two other members of the herd were bought from Cedar Creak Saanens in York, PA! They made the trip one month before they were due to kid. Both kidded with twin bucks. Later in the fall we went to Spring Mills, PA to Penns View Diary goats to bring home Breezy! For a start all 8 of my current herd members are wonderful and I can't wait for what the future will bring for them!
Nigerians have a habit of having a mind of their own, more so than any breed other than Nubians! Nigis only stand around 20" at the withers for does and 24" for bucks. They are great pets, some are awesome milkers! Nigerians take special fencing - the kids can get out of nearly every kind up until they are several months old! I want to thank Lucky Hearts Dairy goats for letting me purchase our start back into Nigerians! :-) We will breeding the Nigerians just like our Saanens, for show and milk quality! It's hard to get it through Robin's head that, yes while they are adorable and cute and friendly they really do need to have a purpose on the farm!
My breeding program for the dairy girls isn't just going to focus on show traits but milk production as well in both breeds. Being a small herd I can't have one doe that is super in the show ring, but not so much in the milk pail and one that is super in the milk pail but body structure wise isn't a match for anything in the show ring, they are going to have to be able to pull their weight in the milk pail and be competitive in the ring at the same time.
Rabbits have been a fairly new adventure, but unfortunately I'm not having a whole lot of luck. We have pretty much started over this year, with just pretty much pets.
Even as a little girl dogs were a big part of my life. Only ever having one before I was 7, and having him stolen from me when my family lived in Virginia for a time. Goldie was
My 2nd dog, which I didn't get until I was 15. She was a free puppy in a box at a store. She has been with us for nearly 9 years, and has watched over every kidding since she came home!! She started showing her age and passed over the rainbow bridge Sept. 2013 she will surely be missed for all future kidding seasons!
A short story my grandmother wrote for the Feb. 2014 Central West Virginia Goat Club's Newsletter
EarthStone Hollow Farm is 112 acres of Almost Heaven,
located on the Gilmer/Lewis County border.
Most of our farm is woodland, with a few open areas here and there. Ken and I bought the farm in 1981, after it
had been timbered. The place was a mess
but there were a lot of possibilities!
It took years of clean up and planning to get here but finally, in 1997,
we arrived with our two granddaughters in tow.
(We left their parents to sell a house, pack up and move the
“stuff”). We camped out in a camper for
a year, as we began building a house.
The girls first came into contact with goats at our neighbors’ farm. We took them to a county fair where they saw a goat show and by the time they were old enough for 4-H, Linda was determined to have goats. The first 3 goats were mixed breeds sired by a Nubian buck. One of those, Robin’s brown doe named Rosie, had more kids than any other goat we have ever had.
After our house burned in 2010, Linda sold the goats we had as we were too busy to care for them properly. But last year, Linda couldn’t stand it anymore! She wanted goats. She decided this herd would be Saanans, because she decided they would be the easiest to handle. (According to Robin, that isn’t true. Robin thinks these white monsters are out to get her.) Robin and little brother Brad wanted “colored goats”, too. So, Linda got more than just Saanans First came Latte, a little Boer doe. Next came Cocoa, a beautiful little cocoa colored Nigerian Dwarf. And then Pearl, a black Nigerian Dwarf All the senior does are bred to have kids this year.
Kids are due beginning next week and Linda is pacing the floor. She can’t wait. Robin knows this is going to be more work for HER, as Linda works full time, but Brad is determined to help with all this. He will, too. He takes care of the chickens and rabbits, as he is now in 4-H and is doing projects with chickens, rabbits and goats this year. He loves animals.
Linda makes goat milk lotion, I make cheese for us when we have extra milk, and this year we just may try making soap. We say that every year and never seem to get around to it. The other thing we would love to be able to do is make butter, but we don’t have a cream separator. Along with all this, we are going to try to build another house this summer. Our living quarters have been “temporary” for 3 ½ years and that’s long enough for “temporary.” Plants are started for the garden, materials are gathered up for a new house, and hopefully we can “get ‘er done.”
Karen Pennebaker, EarthStone Hollow Farm.
How did the farm get it’s name? The terrain. The hills here are rocky, the garden is full of rocks, and the farm spreads through a deep hollow.
The girls first came into contact with goats at our neighbors’ farm. We took them to a county fair where they saw a goat show and by the time they were old enough for 4-H, Linda was determined to have goats. The first 3 goats were mixed breeds sired by a Nubian buck. One of those, Robin’s brown doe named Rosie, had more kids than any other goat we have ever had.
After our house burned in 2010, Linda sold the goats we had as we were too busy to care for them properly. But last year, Linda couldn’t stand it anymore! She wanted goats. She decided this herd would be Saanans, because she decided they would be the easiest to handle. (According to Robin, that isn’t true. Robin thinks these white monsters are out to get her.) Robin and little brother Brad wanted “colored goats”, too. So, Linda got more than just Saanans First came Latte, a little Boer doe. Next came Cocoa, a beautiful little cocoa colored Nigerian Dwarf. And then Pearl, a black Nigerian Dwarf All the senior does are bred to have kids this year.
Kids are due beginning next week and Linda is pacing the floor. She can’t wait. Robin knows this is going to be more work for HER, as Linda works full time, but Brad is determined to help with all this. He will, too. He takes care of the chickens and rabbits, as he is now in 4-H and is doing projects with chickens, rabbits and goats this year. He loves animals.
Linda makes goat milk lotion, I make cheese for us when we have extra milk, and this year we just may try making soap. We say that every year and never seem to get around to it. The other thing we would love to be able to do is make butter, but we don’t have a cream separator. Along with all this, we are going to try to build another house this summer. Our living quarters have been “temporary” for 3 ½ years and that’s long enough for “temporary.” Plants are started for the garden, materials are gathered up for a new house, and hopefully we can “get ‘er done.”
Karen Pennebaker, EarthStone Hollow Farm.
How did the farm get it’s name? The terrain. The hills here are rocky, the garden is full of rocks, and the farm spreads through a deep hollow.