Happy Egg Farm
At Happy Egg Farm in Hickory, North Carolina, we raise Mini Lamancha dairy goats. We register our goats with the Miniature Dairy Goat Association (MDGA) using the herd name Happy Egg and the Tattoo HAPP.
Mini Lamanchas are the result of breeding a male Nigerian Dwarf goat with a female Lamancha goat. We like “mini manchas” because they have a very good temperament with our human kids, and are a nice manageable size. Once in milk, a doe reliably produces a quart of milk in the morning and another in the evening. Sometimes we get a little more, though we don’t usually try to maximize production. One or two goats provides plenty of milk for our family, and due to state laws we aren’t able to sell any extra milk that we produce. We value the goats on our farm as vegetation managers and entertainers, in addition to their dairy capabilities.
The goats on our farm are handled daily and are tame like pets. We aim to kid in the spring, ideally from March through June. That helps get the kidding dates into slightly warmer weather. We do not usually milk all of the goats that are in milk, because that would produce more than we would need. Instead we select one or two does and milk each one once per day in the morning. The dams raise the kids, so for the first several weeks, the kids get all of the milk. Then when it’s time for us to start milking, we separate the mothers from the kids each evening. We milk in the morning, then reunite them after milking. Milk from Lamanchas (including our minis) has a high butterfat percentage. For our own use we make cheese, yogurt, butter, custard, eggnog, and more. Goat milk is useful for crafts like soap making, and for supplementing feed for other animals.
Mini Lamanchas are productive members of a homestead, whether for milking, keeping fence lines clear, or just for pets! Depending on your needs and budget, we can supply registered goats, wethers, or quality pets. We have over three dozen goats, odds are good we have the right goat for you!
Here are a few of our featured goats that are available, with details below the chart:
Spring 2024 Goats for Sale
| Goat | Status | DOB | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sycamore | Mature Buck – F3 Gopher Ears | 3/9/2020 | $300 |
| Finn | Mature Buck, F5 Gopher Ears | 5/21/2020 | $200 |
| Rusty | Wether | 4/15/2021 | $150 |
| Linden | Wether | 4/8/2022 | $150 |
| Banana Bread | Mature Buck – F4 Gopher Ears | 3/7/2023 | $200 |
Sycamore
Sycamore was the star of our 2021 kidding season and is sire to 14 of our goats. We like his conformation and compact size as an F3. But from a genetic diversity standpoint, he’s valiantly served his purpose at our farm and is ready to come work for you. As long as we have him, he’s also available for stud service.
Rusty Rusty is a mostly-black wether. The most recent photos are first:
He was born on 4/15/2021 to one of our most hardy and independent does, Oriole. The sire was Sycamore, our F3 born in 2020 who is also for sale. He has fairly long fur like his mother. He is nice and short and was castrated at the end of August 2022.
Linden
Linden is a wether from the spring 2022 kidding session. He is one of the most pretty colors of any of our goats for the season, but he has elf ears which make him ineligible for further breeding. He was surgically castrated in August 2022. He’ll make a great pet, or vegetation management technician. Based on our experience with other mini-mancha wethers, we expect him to mature to be around 2 feet tall at the withers (not to be confused with the wethers) and he’ll be able to clear brush up to a height of around 4 feet.
Banana Bread
This little buddy is Apple Blossom’s single 2023 buckling, born on 3/7/2023. F4 with Gopher ears, this little buckling has what looks to be a sturdy front end. He’s disbudded and ready to come to your farm, or available for stud services.
Speaking of stud service, we currently have several bucks available. Coordinate with us before kidding season so that we can have a plan, and a discussion about herd management and disease testing. Once your doe is in standing heat, bring her by for a visit. If she’s ready, it will take about 5 minutes in the driveway. The fee is $50, which trust me, is a much better option than keeping a stinky buck around during the rut season!
We’re still waiting for the spring 2021 crop to mature so that we can study their conformation and traits, to decide who we are going to keep. We have a very promising little F3 cream buckling (Starlight) that is polled, and a black and tan F4 named Toto.
Dusty as a yearling:
Toto
as a yearling:
We also have our old standbys including Raincrow and Finn. 2022 has brought us a few new bucklings to be excited about too, with six so far and one more does yet to kid!
Raincrow:
Finn:
