OUR HERD GOALS + PHILOSOPHY

Goats are the main operation here at Hungry Fox. We spend a lot of time talking goat, doing goat, and dreaming goat. We've changed our approach, opinions, and practices many times along this journey. We've also had a wild variety of mentors along the way. The best mentor is not always one who teaches you WHAT to do, sometimes it is more valuable to learn what NOT to do.
Regardless of periodic changes to our management practices, our underlying ambitions revolve around 'the homestead goat.' We believe a homestead worthy goat is:

A natural mother, capable of raising her kids without intense human intervention. - All Mamas deserve love and support, and we've learned some hard lessons about when to intervene, but we aim for goats who enjoy raising their babies for us.
A good milk producer for her breed, age, and size. - We are not breeding for the highest milk output, we prefer to monitor the feed input to milk output ratio.
Has an udder that is comfortable for the human hand to milk. - I'm sure SOME day we'll buy a milk machine, but for now Lana does it all by hand!
Maintains body condition, coat condition, and parasite resistance easily without needing significantly different care from the rest of the herd. - Some goats are 'hard keepers' and that stretches the homestead budget too tightly.
Conforms well to their breed standard so that the goat is strong, healthy, and passing quality genetics. - We are not raising goats for the national ring here, but we do hope to produce quality that is worth adding to the gene pool.
Has a temperament conducive to being handled, existing peacefully within their herd, and is not overly pushy with humans. - We do not like being jumped on, but we sure do not like chasing goats to trim their hooves either.