Goats in South Dakota on Dagley Ranch - Dagley Family Raises Goats

The Dagley

GOATS

These goats live in South Dakota on a cattle ranch managed by the Dagley family.

Goats are very complementary to cattle, as they prefer to eat the leafy spurge, buck brush, thistles, Yellow Dock, etc. that the cows prefer to leave behind.

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Our Goal

Here at Dagley Ranch we are working towards building a herd of hardy, dual purpose goats.

I want to raise goats with a size and frame big enough to satisfy the meat goat market, and yet make sure the does produce enough milk to nourish my family throughout the year.

Caring for them naturally is important to me because, not only do I want my goats to live a happy life out on pasture with sunshine and fresh prairie air, but I also want my family to have the best.

I believe that how I care for my animals affects what kind of milk and meat they provide. I don’t want to feed my family milk or meat from a goat that was pumped full of shots, given high doses of dewormer every month, and fed GMO grains in confinement their whole lives.

How We Got Started

We started with purebred Nubians around 2011, but had trouble with them being hardy enough to thrive over our South Dakota winters.

So, in 2017 we introduced a little bit of Nigerian Dwarf and Togginburg into the herd.

In 2018 we bought a Boer Nubian cross buck with the hopes of getting more meat on our goats.

Then in 2019 we added a registered Kiko buck and doe to our herd.

We practice rotational grazing to help control parasites naturally, but we are always looking for more natural solutions.

Kiko goats are known for their hardiness, fast growth, parasite resistance, and for being able to survive with very little input from the producer.

Today we have several registered Kiko goats, as well as a few Nubians, and so hardy crosses. So, from milk goat, to meat goat, to hardy and dual purpose, we have something for everyone!