In 2016, my family and I moved to our dream property in Haubstadt, Indiana.
I’ve imagined my life on a farm since I was a little girl, when I would visit my grandparents’ small farm where they raised Jersey steers as dairy beef for our extended family. Seeing this lifestyle from a young age nurtured a passion in me for homesteading and being as self-reliant as possible. As our family began deciding how to expand our own farm, I was most excited about the addition of animals. Although my husband and kids were on board, I took the lead given my Bachelors degree in veterinary technology from Purdue University and my years of experience in mixed animal practice.
At first, it seemed that the natural choice for a dairy animal would be a Jersey cow, given my nostalgic ties to the breed. But there were a few roadblocks that made me question if they were the best fit. My husband was not a fan of taking such a big leap to caring for cows—including the yearly calf, finding a bull for breeding each year, and adequate pasture space for a cow and calf duo.
While I had to agree with the issues he raised, I was not willing to give up on my dream of daily fresh raw milk. I set out to find a goat breed that would check all of the boxes without the hassle that deterred us from cows.
After much research, the Nigerian Dwarf seemed to be a perfect fit for our family. I landed on this breed for a few reasons. First, their small size meant they would need less space and feed. I loved the fact that my children could easily manage them and show in 4-H. Finally, the milk they produce is known for being tastily close to cow’s milk. Given these convincing reasons, my amazing hubby agreed to taking the step towards making our dream a reality by starting Hope Hill Farm.
We brought our first does home in Spring 2017 and haven’t looked back since.
We were blessed to start our herd with excellent genetics. Our four foundation does came from the Agape’s Prize herd and lines from Fairland Farm. What began as a way to bring milk to our farm has evolved into much more: a performance herd and a passion for showing our goats. We’ve now grown our herd to about twenty animals—with plans to keep our herd small and manageable for our busy family of ten.
We participate in 4-H, ADGA shows, Indiana State Fair (4-H and open), linear appraisal, and one-day milk testing. Over the years, we’ve learned so much about genetics, correct conformation, and milk production, and we are committed to continuing to grow our knowledge of the breed.
We’re on a mission to produce excellent, healthy animals as we strive to improve the breed, and we’re passionate about contributing productive animals to the dairy goat industry. As breeders, our main goal is to help other herds improve their quality by adding top-performing goats.
Our family’s busy schedule has kept us from attending as many shows as we’d like, but we always do well when we make it to the show ring. Our girls continue to impress us–both in the ring and in the pail–with the results of our hard work.
If you're interested in our herd and being placed on a reservation list for a Nigerian Dwarf Kid from Hope Hill Farm, please contact us below.
Herdbook FAQs
We dam raise on our farm. I enjoy watching our goats be mothers and witnessing the relationship that they have with their kids. Our experience has proven that kids grow well and have fewer health problems when they are raised and fed by their dams. We have not experienced any teat or udder damage to our does due to dam raising, and they have performed well in the show ring–even while nursing kids. We are also a very busy family, and this works best with our schedule and my current milking routine. Kids are weaned at 8 weeks of age.
There may be instances in which we offer a supplemental bottle to multiples or a struggling kid, but generally our animals receive all milk from their dam. We do not routinely offer bottle kids for sale, but there may be instances where this could happen.
Yes! All of our kids are handled at birth, as well as several times a day–every single day–after that. We have many human kids who love spending time with our caprine kids! While each kid has its own personality (with some more innately friendly and others with more standoffish personalities), our kids are very well socialized and generally love people. We regularly have past buyers comment on how friendly our kids are.
We wean at 8 weeks when they are eating hay and grain well. They will be ready to leave the farm at that time. About two weeks before they are ready to leave, we will set up a pickup time with the buyer. Please see the sales policy page for more important pick up information.
Yes! We test either yearly or biyearly for CAE. We have never had a positive test on our farm. For a copy of our latest test results, please email me at hopehillfarm1@gmail.com.
We have not routinely tested for CL or Johne’s due to our low risk factor and the questionable accuracy of these blood tests.
We currently vaccinate all of our kids for CDT at 4 and 8 weeks. Our adult does are vaccinated for CDT 1 month before kidding.
All kids are disbudded between the ages of 7-14 days. I am diligent and appropriately aggressive in my disbudding method, but I make no guarantees about animals being free from scurs as an adult. If you want a horned animal, you must tell me within the first week after birth, and the animal must be paid for in full before it is a week old.
I do not deworm on a schedule. Due to the resistance of parasites to current dewormers on the market, I feel very strongly about not giving dewormers that may be unnecessary.
Being an RVT (registered veterinary technologist), I have been trained to interpret fecal exams. I run fecal tests routinely on my herd and only treat for parasites as needed and on an individual basis. My goal is to breed animals for parasite resistance.
Yes. I will provide an accurate record of all medications and procedures that have been done for each kid. Unless other arrangements or requests have been made, all kids will be disbudded, up to date on CDT, and on coccidia prevention when they leave Hope Hill Farm.
Absolutely! Although I don’t claim to be an expert, I have several years of experience with these animals, as well as a veterinary background. We want everyone to have success with animals we sell. I am happy to answer questions and will try to point you to trusted resources for further information.
We drink our goat’s milk raw. It is delicious and healthy in its raw state. I also freeze dozens of gallons of raw milk for my soap business.
We sell extra milk on a first come, first served basis. Our milking season is approximately April through October or November. Availability of milk will be more likely in the earlier months. Please email me at hopehillfarm1@gmail.com for availability and current price per gallon. Buyer must provide their own clean containers and pick up at the farm.
To stay in accordance with Indiana state law, all milk sold is labeled as pet food.
Yes! We are a 4-H family and appreciate what 4-H promotes in our youth. We are proud to support families in 4-H. If you provide proof that you are registered for goats in 4-H, we will happily give you a $50 discount for every kid you purchase from Hope Hill Farm.
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