New babies have arrived -- and they're adorable!
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Welcome to Took a Leap Farm.
We are a small goat dairy farm (and soon, creamery!) located in the far northern reaches of Maine. It's still early days for us -- we're just about to mark our first anniversary with our herd of Nigerian dwarf goats and our inaugural spring with kids born on-farm! With the milk from this year's fresheners, we'll be making -- and selling -- some of our fresh cheeses, including a feta that will make you swear off the grocery store variety forever. Exciting times, to be sure...
When we "took the leap" and moved from the Chicago 'burbs to rural northern Maine in 2003, our dream was to build a small herd of goats for dairying. But then life -- jobs, travel, and the like -- interceded. Now, nine years later, the time is right...we've revisited this idea, and we're moving forward. Although we like to jump into things with both feet, we're trying to take a measured approach to all of this, starting sort-of slowly and allowing ourselves time to learn, grow, and even change course if this doesn't end up being the right direction for us. Of course, we're moving a little faster than we expected, with eighteen goats now in residence.
Smaller than most goats, Nigerian dwarf goats are easy to handle, sweet-natured, and require less space than their larger counterparts. They make wonderful easy-care pets and are an ideal livestock choice for hobby farmers. And if you're interested in a supply of fresh milk, you don't need to look any further...although Nigerians produce less volume, their milk is high in butterfat and lacks any "goaty" flavor.
When we "took the leap" and moved from the Chicago 'burbs to rural northern Maine in 2003, our dream was to build a small herd of goats for dairying. But then life -- jobs, travel, and the like -- interceded. Now, nine years later, the time is right...we've revisited this idea, and we're moving forward. Although we like to jump into things with both feet, we're trying to take a measured approach to all of this, starting sort-of slowly and allowing ourselves time to learn, grow, and even change course if this doesn't end up being the right direction for us. Of course, we're moving a little faster than we expected, with eighteen goats now in residence.
Smaller than most goats, Nigerian dwarf goats are easy to handle, sweet-natured, and require less space than their larger counterparts. They make wonderful easy-care pets and are an ideal livestock choice for hobby farmers. And if you're interested in a supply of fresh milk, you don't need to look any further...although Nigerians produce less volume, their milk is high in butterfat and lacks any "goaty" flavor.
Last year, with four fresh does, Rob had lots of milk with which to practice his skills in the fromage department...we've built up a small repertoire of cheeses that we've been proud to share with friends and look forward to selling this summer. Of course, we've also quietly set aside some of the science experiments gone awry...but that's the fun of learning. And we've found that there's nothing like rich, sweet milk -- direct from the source -- in our morning coffee!
Kathryn wanted a donkey, so we've added Aggie (aka "Putty Nose"), a Mammoth/standard cross, to the mix. Rumor has it that donkeys make great guard animals...which is good, since our dogs, Reza and Martha, are abject failures at this particular task! (The jury is still out on Aggie, but we love her anyway. Everyone should have a donkey!). |  |
In addition to the goats, we have fourteen chickens that lay an amazing array of eggs -- in all shades of brown, as well as blue and green! And in the house, we have a great gang of cats and dogs who keep us company when we're not hard at work in the barn. And hard work it is...we often say that we've never worked harder, but have never had more fun. The relationships we have with our animals, our friends, and one another make for a truly fantastic life!
We're certain that many adventures -- and misadventures -- await us as we leap in this new direction. We invite you to watch this space as we figure things out! And if you have questions, advice, or just want to say "hey", shoot us a message!