Breeding For An Elegant Dairy Doe That Dances Like a Ballerina and Milks Like a Cow |
| Jim and Laura Whitlock and Family
Hersey Road, Sandown, New Hampshire 03873
Mail: P.O. Box 469, East Hampstead, New Hampshire 03826 |
LAST UPDATE--May 11th, 2008
THE PANSIES ARE PLANTED AND NEW BABIES ARE HERE!
See the 2008 Kidding Schedule for our "great expectations" and our Kids For Sale page for who's available...
WE ARE CONTINUING TO DOWNSIZE AS OUR KIDDING SEASON PROGRESSES
Check our Kidding Schedule for Upcoming Offerings of Senior Does
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| Dawnland FAL Wunderkind, Our Miracle Baby Girl |
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...Living on a farm which is one's own, far from the hectic, artificial conditions of the city--a farm where one gets directly from one's own soil what one needs to sustain life, with a garden in front, and a healthy ...family to contribute those small domestic joys...
THOMAS EDISON |
| Dawn Land Farm, the culmination of a lifetime worth of dreams and five years of hard work, is our eighty-acre piece of Heaven in the midst of rapidly expanding suburbia. Although most of our land is forested, 25% is wetland. Because of the habitat variety, we have an incredible array of wildlife on our property, including blue herons which nest on the snags in our spring-fed "Beaver Pond". We named our farm in honor of the native Abenaki who once populated this area. They were referred to as "People of the Dawn Land" to differentiate their members from more western counterparts in Vermont and New York. |
THE CREATURES, BIG AND SMALL
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| "Baby Picture" of Zoe, One of Our Anatolian Shepherd Livestock Guardians. Early Summer 2005 Photo. |
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You know something I don't know
You go places I can't go
You lift your head
when the breezes blow
To voices older than time
HOWL AT THE MOON--Cheryl Wheeler |
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| Emma and Zoe--these girls are worth their weight in gold! We have learned to trust their discriminating barks. At age five months, the sisters alerted us to the entanglement of one of our junior does in the electromesh fencing. At age six months, they signaled the "Great Buck Break-Out" that occurred when we inadequately secured new gate hardware (thankfully, the does were locked away). At age six-and-a-half months, they alerted us to a break in our fencing caused by windblown debris. At age seven months, they challenged the nocturnal coyotes that attempted to find a breach in our electric perimeter fencing. (After the coyote episode, Emma and Zoe were treated to the leftover breakfast bacon, which they heartily enjoyed.) Autumn 2005 Photo. |
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| Bo, Our Household Anatolian--Some things never change! He's bigger and his debris pile continues to grow, but he remains true to the gentle, tolerant, and loyal nature of his breed. Photos at ages two and ten months. |
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| Bo at Three Months. His Big Paws Gave a Hint of His Eventual Size, See Below! March 2006 Photo. |
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| Bo, The Gentle Giant. Photo at Age 18 Months. Summer 2007 Photo. |
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| A CANDID Photo of Bo, Taken on a Hot July Day in 2007. We Came in From the Barn to Find Him Perched on the Major Goatkeeper's Favorite Chair, Enjoying the AC! |
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| Bo, Our Snow Dog. Photo at Age Two Years, December 2007. |
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| Individual TLC is One of Our Goat Management Strategies! |
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NIGERIAN DWARF DAIRY GOATS.....Our beloved goats provide us with friendship, entertainment, low-cost therapy, and--most importantly--gift our family with their pure, sweet milk! We have been breeding Nigerians, with an emphasis upon both milk production and show conformation, since 2002. Our foundation stock included New England-based Stonewall Farm and Rosasharn lines, originating from breeders who shared our passion for structurally-sound, good-natured, and healthy, productive goats. We supplemented those original lines with quality goats from across the country and now the Dawn Land herd contains breeding animals from Buttin'Heads, Dragonfly Farm, Fairlea Farm, Flat Rocks Farm, Lost Valley, NC PromisedLand, Piddlin Acres, Rosasharn, and TX Twincreeks. Currently, we register our goats with the American Goat Society, although we hope to complete registry requirements for ADGA within the year.
A healthy Nigerian is a top priority with us and we approach herd biosecurity very seriously. Purchased goats come from farms that share our concerns about contagious disease and test regularly with negative results. New additions to our herd are quarantined, and blood-tested when indicated. As well, we do not offer breeding services. We are blessed to have a good working relationship with excellent caprine vets: for the past eight years, Wadleigh Falls Vet Clinic has provided the healthcare for our goats, which includes yearly rabies innoculations. Dr. Simon George, of the Deerfield Veterinary Clinic, also helps care for the Dawn Land herd. We are pleased to announce that our latest whole herd screening for CAE and Johnes Disease, utilizing the sensitive ELISA blood testing through WADDL, was negative on April 19th, 2006.
JAVA CHICKENS.......Javas are a heavy breed chicken. They lay brown eggs. Once the most populous farmstead chicken around the time of Abe Lincoln, they are now listed as critically endangered. We are working with breeding stock from the Garfield Farm Museum in Illinois in an attempt to "bring back" these beautiful and hardy birds.
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| FRENCH ANGORA RABBITS.....MEET GEORGE AND GRACIE! We have started with a neutered brother/sister pair of bunnies in December 2006. Although we are still learning about the care of their soft wool at this point, we do have aspirations for spinning and creating fiber art in the future. It's also interesting to note their individual personalities; George is a big "bombproof" ball of fluff while his sister is a bit more sensitive and cautious--they balance each other perfectly. And, not only are the bunnies our gentle pets; the regular grooming times they require provide a very Zen-like opportunity to meditate!
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| Georgie, Age One Year, Enjoys Some R & R In the Fall Sunshine. (His Inseparable Sister, Gracie, Was Hopping 'Round Back of the Igloo When The Photo Was Taken.) |
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MEDITERRANEAN MINIATURE DONKEYS.....A
trio of pets, they serve the same function as church bells in a city,
their timed brays reminding us of the day's passage from breakfast hay
to supper hay. The goats depend on their calls to remind us to show up
at the barn on time. Donkeys are very smart and very gentle, the
perfect trustworthy equine for a home with children.
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| Goat Kisses |
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CONTACT US AND COME VISIT OUR GOATS...
Located ten miles from the Haverhill, MA border, our "family friendly" farm welcomes visitors! Let us show you that miniature goats make great backyard pets and milkers. A properly cared for doe or fixed male (wether) is clean and odor-free. Nigerians are intelligent, curious, and friendly animals. Their small size is not frightening for children. For gardeners, their pelleted droppings are a great source of organic fertilizer. And, as home milkers, Nigerians are economical and produce an amazing amount of milk for their size. |
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| Java Hen Taking a Break |
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----------------------------------PICTURE OF THE WEEK-----------------------------------
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| Household Anatolian, Bo, caring for our "Wunderkind", a 1.2 pound miracle doeling who was born several days early and lay undiscovered under the barn bedding for at least four hours! This photo shows her at day two; on her fourth day of life, her front legs have straightened and she is now able to drink most of her milk from a bottle (10 cc's per feed). |
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| Day Six--Wunder Now Weighs 1/2 Ounce MORE Than the Can of Peaches Being Served For Supper! |
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All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
--CECIL FRANCIS ALEXANDER |
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| We Are Proud Members of the ALBC! |
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| Photo Courtesy of World Vision |
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| We support the World Vision Programs That Empower Farming Families in Third World Nations. For More Information, Click on the Logo. |
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We welcome all visitors to our web site, but ask that you not use any of its contents without our written permission. Thank you for understanding!
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