Flat Aggie on a Goat Dairy in Wisconsin

Flat Aggie here reporting to you about my adventure here at Paradise Found Farms. Located in the beautiful rolling hills of Wisconsin, is a small 180 acre beef and dairy goat farm. The Bradley family consists of Cyrus, Brenda, and their three young children. Cyrus began the adventure of milking goats in 2009.

 

When I arrived,it was very calm and peaceful with not much happening but that all changed. I got to spend a large amount of time delivering lots of kids. (That's what baby goats are call.) 

In my short visit with the Bradley family, they have over 60 babies born.

They said it's very normal for goats to have twins. Once the babies are born, they are bottle fed milk replacer for 8 weeks.

The Bradley family breeds their goats seasonally and kid them in during some of the coldest weather. Their milking herd of 100 consist of Alpine, LaMancha, Saanen (pronounced "saw-nun"), Toggenburg, and a little Nubian. The Bradley's milk is sent to Belmont, WI, where it is made in to many different types of goat cheese.

In the summer months, the goats are rotationally grazed. They have 10 different paddocks set up. Each paddock is divided by electric fences. During the winter, the goats are fed free choice hay and also get some grain.

In March, they will be start calving. They just started a small herd of beef cattle last year. Their beef cows raise a calf until fall when they sell the calf. They also raise a few dairy steers, but have yet to get any this year.

The Bradley family has a Facebook farm page called Paradise Found Farms LLC.