Q&A with Kate - The Leap Farm goat dairy system

Leap Farm dairy system:

• Once a day milking (in the mornings)
• All kids kept with their mothers throughout the season (during the day)
• The mothers and kids are drafted apart in the evening, with all of them shedded at night on a composting hay floor (deep litter system) that provides heat (like an electric blanket)
• Kids are given a small amount of milk every morning (with a cuddle) for the first 6 weeks of life
• Kids naturally wean from their mothers over the course of the season
• The males and the females who lines aren't desirable for the milking herd are turned off the paddock when they reach a reasonable size and are sold for meat
• Milking (and cheese making) is seasonal - in late autumn/early winter, milking ceases for the season, and both the farmers and the girls get a 3 month break
• And so the cycle begins.

Questions and comments can be sent to Kate at thecuriousfarmer@gmail.com, or contact her through Instagram or Facebook @leapfarm