Goat Websites

In addition to having great goat supplies, both Hoegger Supply Co. and Caprine Supply have fantastic articles and information on goat care. I have ordered items from both companies and was very pleased with their products.

Sunnydale Farm is a Nigerian Dwarf hobby farm located in Pomfret, CT. She's got a nice herd, and has been an indispensible resource for this first time goat owner. I am very happy with my two little goats, Sabine and Griffin.

American Goat Society is a general club for goat owners and breeders. They have shows that include Nigerian Dwarfs.

In 2005 the American Dairy Goat Association expanded registration to include Nigerian Dwarfs. Hurray for more recognition for this great little breed!

New England Nigerian Dwarf Association is our local breed club. The website is a great resource for finding the local shows, and members have all be very friendly and helpful.

For Spring 2010 I placed an order with My Pet Chicken for an assortment of 15 total chickens. What attracted me to them was their low minimum order, their wide variety of breeds available, and their encouragement in ordering several different breeds to find what I liked. I did have to wait a little longer for my order than most people would, but I did order SIX different varieties! The postal service will deliver my little bundles of fluff in the first week of June, so I'll update with how the mail order bird adventure went then!

Murray McMurray Hatchery sells quite an assortment of birds, including chickens, ducks, and guineas. They not only carry a huge variety, but also have great information about different breeds, so their website will be very helpful in identifying the "Assorted Pullets" I got from Tractor Supply once they get a little bigger. The only problem with McMurray is they have a 25 chick minimum since they arrive in the mail and need to keep warm. I have not personally ordered from this company, but they are one of the more popular ones.

New and experienced chicken keepers alike will find helpful information at Backyard Chickens. Sign up for the monthly newsletter and you'll enjoy an e-mail treat filled with stories and LOTS of coop photos.

The Guinea Fowl Breeders Association website will provide you with information on guinea hens, a cool bird that will work double time on controlling the tick population. Another site with a good general overview to Guineas (along with great information on ticks and Lyme Disease) is Lyme Disease in Pennsylvania.

Miniature Horse Websites

There are two main breed registries for miniature horses, American Miniature Horse Association and American Miniature Horse Registry. I've been told that while both are valid registries, AMHA is the more popular (around here at least) because the requirements for registration are more strict and this is the club that sanctions most of the shows local to our area.

New England Miniature Horse Society is an AMHA scantioned club for mini enthusiasts living in Region 1.

Misc. Farm Related Websites

Need a barn? Look no further than Kloter Farms! Talk about easy... we looked online, but really needed to see their sheds in person. After walking around a little, we went inside and talked to a salesman, who asked us questions and helped us tailor the barn to our needs. We put a deposit down and got information to take to our town hall for permits. After those went through, we paid for a third of the barn and was here in about a month, when we paid the remainder. A good solution for a little hobby farm like us!

Now that your barn is set up, how about some fencing? Our portable electric fences from Premier One are GREAT for moving all of our critters through the different areas they can graze. Early spring we set one up right off the main pasture to let the horses gradually adjust to being back on lush grass (the llamas loved it, too!). Throughout the summer, both to cut down on mowing and give the ladies a change of scenery, we rotate the goats to different pasture spots. It's super easy to set up, just netting attached to posts that have a little spiked end to stick into the ground. A portable battery inside a plastic case rests on a metal post that grounds the current. Attach two clamps, one to the ground stake and one to the fence, and you've got an instant enclosure! Sometimes goat kids will run through the mesh, but once they get bigger even Griffin the Houdini Goat doesn't get out!

Also Go Check Out...

The Frog Blog is a blog that I set up to share stories of life on my little "farm". Bear with me, though... I'm still trying to figure out how to use it!

Graphic designer and talented artist Kyle Peacock created the fabulous Dancing Frog Farm logo seen at the top of each page.

crispART is at it again... part blog, part art gallery. Now that they've moved to Maui, you can expect more tropical themed adventures!