Fall has given way to winter here in central Pennsylvania, and with that the breeding season has come and gone.  Here at Pure American Naturals we employ a short, 4-6 week breeding period to ensure that our lovely matriarchs are kidding, or giving birth, during the verdant month of April. With its gentler weather, green grass and sunshine, April breathes new life into all members of the farm. The main goal of Pure American Naturals is to maintain a sustainable symbiosis between the herd and the land on which it grazes.  By maintaining a short window of breeding opportunity, we are creating natural selection for high reproductive efficiency and ease of management.  And we are able to reduce the strain placed on the handlers during kidding time by reducing the number of nights they have to monitor the moms, so that mothers can give birth safely and the kids can be assisted, if necessary, in getting their first meals of colostrum and in staying  warm in the nursery.

In the two weeks prior to being introduced to their intended suitors, each doe, or female goat, is given a pre-breeding diet of increased grains, in addition to the nutrient rich Alfalfa hay and mixed pasture forage she enjoys. This improved nutritional plane tends to improve overall productivity and has even increased the rate of twinning in some herds.  Each step in the process is taken with a keen eye towards sustainability; we want our herd to remain happy and healthy as they bring new life to the farm, in turn they can put their energy towards growing the luscious locks of fiber that our partners have come to know and appreciate. Furthermore, by maintaining a high level of breeding efficiency, we are reducing the amount of stress placed on the does by the exuberant advances of the breeding bucks, which also benefit by not being allowed to wear themselves out chasing the ladies!