Thank
you for taking the time to look over our LaMancha Dairy Goats.
We are very excited about the changes that the herd has gone
through in 2007 and are looking forward to the future. At the
end of May, Megan and her dad came to Texas and helped move the
goats and myself to California. Just eleven days later, we had
the herd linear appraised and a few weeks later, we headed for
the National Show in Wyoming. The girls have been such great
troopers through all of these changes and gave me their best,
and I am very proud of them. I have worked hard in developing my herd
to produce productive and stylish animals that will function over a
long productive lifetime. I hope that you can see the
consistency and the style that I am breeding for when looking at
each one of my animals. They continue to make me very proud!
I
have been raising dairy goats for 26 years. When I was five
years old, my parents owned a sheep ranch and our sheep herder
had a goat as a pet. That goat (crossbred Nubian with LOTS of
spots) would follow me everywhere as long as I had her favorite
treat in my pockets, dog food! My parents promised that when I
started 4-H, I could get one goat. They followed through with
their promise and I got one Saanen type doeling when I started
4-H. That was the only time we had only one goat on our farm.
From there we grew to have over 100 goats and then scaled back
when I got serious about breeding and showing goats on a
National level. I owe a great deal to my parents and their
dedication that they had to me and my animals. They were the
primary caregivers when I went through college and the first
seven years working in Texas as a teacher. I have been very
lucky to have my family and friends that have supported and
guided me on this grand dairy goat adventure.
My
herd has transformed from a small area hobby herd into a National
Show herd. As I show more, the more aware I am of different
bloodlines and am willing to try different things. I am a strong
believer in line breeding and know that it takes time and
patience when working with bloodlines. I always hope that
I am going to find the perfect combination! I still love the
challenge of reading new pedigrees each breeding season!
My
herd has been on standard DHIA test and has had several does win
top ten honors in the LaMancha breed. Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Sara
Ann in 2003 and Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Marissa in 2005! At the
2006 National Show I was spellbound when I had the 1st place
Milking Yearling LaMancha with 1st Udder, Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids
Nikki (Marissa's daughter) and the 4th place Two Year-Old,
Heart-Mt.-Carter-Kids Chula (who was also the 2006 AGS National
Champion) and the 3rd place Four Year-Old with Willow Run Nostra
Sumatra. At the 2007 ADGA Nationals, I was ecstatic to have
received the 1st place Junior Best Three award. The group of
does really reflect the consistent type that I am striving for
in my breeding program.
I
take great pride in the management of my animals. The focus is
on providing a stress free, relaxing
environment for my animals so they can be as productive as they
genetically can be. I take every preventative measure when it
comes to protecting my herd from CAE and other diseases.
I
raise all my kids on heat-treated colostrum for the first 48 hours
and then gradually move them onto pasteurized milk until they
reach five months of age. All of my does are fed the best alfalfa hay
and pellets in the area and are on a high calorie grain mix when
they are milking. I follow a regular worming schedule and am
always evaluating the health of my does.
I
had an amazing thing happen to me on August 4, 2007 - I married
my soulmate and best friend -Megan Tredway Carter. I am currently working in
Clearlake, CA as a Kindergarten teacher.
This will be my 13th year teaching and it is probably
the most challenging that I have ever had. My students, parents and
teammates are incredible! I have also renewed my two year ADGA
Judges License. Between being newly married, school, judging, basic management of the
animals, I am always busy! That is the way I like it!
If
you are interested in one of our animals or would like to place a
reservation on a kid, please feel free to email or call us.
We are always looking
for someone to “talk goats” with. We will make a commitment to
update this site with new information when it seems pertinent. We hope you enjoy your visit!
