Our Goats We have 100% American Alpine goats. All but 2 have been raised on our farm, by us. They all have names and distinct personalities (come visit and our 2 year old can tell you the line up!). We breed the adults in the fall, which gives us spring kids- 5 months later. For the 2011 season, we will be milking 12 goats. We practice intensive, rotational grazing which utilizes classic grass pasture with brush islands; this mix highlights the natural need for browse in a goats diet and reduces the dependency on hay during the spring and summer months. In contrast to cows and sheep, goats are browsers, rather than grazers, and cannot get all their necessary nutrients from a grass-only pasture. When give the choice, goats prefer browse plants, such as blackberry, roses, trees, ivy etc., which are more suited to their digestive system. Grass is consumed, but in a more limited and picky manner. We have established a rotational browsing system that incorporates the established high-quality grass pasture with edges and islands of brush (the native Nootka Rose, hawthorn, blackberry etc.) that can sustain the majority of the goats food needs for up to 8 months of the year. We have begun planting more brush islands within the pastures which include edible fruit trees surrounded by native berries and brush to further diversify our browse, natural habitat and food production.