We spend time with the goats and the hogs multiple times throughout the day....every day. Their happiness, safety, and health is the most important concern we have. Our most outstanding and productive goats and hogs stay here in our breeding herds, never leaving Many Rocks. This is NOT a factory-mentality farm. We do NOT take our animals to commercial livestock auctions where they would be bought and sold to meat packers and to other individuals who might not care all that much where they end up or what their living situation (if they survive) turns out to be.

Our goat herd is rotationally grazed through ten different fields containing grass, clover, and a variety of native vegetation. Goats love to dine on weeds making them ideal caretakers of the grasses that also grow here for their consumption. Our livestock has free access to pasture (and shelter) 24 hours a day. During the heat of the summer, it is not unusual to find the goats out enjoying the pasture during the night. Seeing the herd roaming the hillside on a moonlight night is a beautiful sight to behold.

Biosecurity and a Closed Herd: Our herds have been established for a good number of years now. They are free of infectious and genetic diseases. We do not purchase and bring livestock onto the farm from other farms or from livestock auctions that could bring diseases onto the farm (hence a 'closed' herd). When we visit other places with livestock, we wear shoes that are never worn into our pastures or into our barn areas to prevent tracking any unwanted organisms back to our herds. When an animal leaves the farm, it does not come back to rejoin the herd. This also prevents disease-causing organisms from entering the herd.

Use of Medications: On a rare occasion, a goat might become injured or ill. An animal is NEVER allowed to suffer. Under the guidance of our veterinarian, we administer the appropriate pain-relief medications, antibiotics, or worming medications to quickly return the animal to good health. We believe in good record keeping, so if an animal has received treatment, it is never used for meat or milk product until more than ample time (determined from laboratory data) has passed to completely clear the medication from the tissues.

Pest Control: Keeping livestock attracts flies. It's just a fact of life. We keep the fly populations extremely low using USDA-approved fly predator wasps. These tiny gnat-sized burrowing wasps are nocturnal. They do not bite or sting humans or animals . They provide 100% safe control of fly populations by laying their eggs in the fly pupae that have developed in the ground. The young developing wasps consume the fly in the pupae. Approximately 7 - 10 adult parasitic wasps emerge from the destroyed fly pupae to go off to repeat the cycle. The parasitic wasps do not survive our cold winters so new ones are planted around the barns every spring. With thanks to Mother Nature, we have NEVER needed to use chemicals to control fly populations!

Weed Control: We raise goats....nuff said!

Conservation and Preservation: Here at Many Rocks we have gone to great lengths to protect the watershed. Buffers for the Little Antietam Creek headwaters that originate here at the farm have been fenced off to prevent any contamination from livestock or human traffic. Our wetlands around the springs and stream head  have been returned to a natural state with native hardwood plantings. Local wildlife and bird populations benefit with the opportunity to live and reproduce in natural food-rich areas without outside interference. This is one of the ways we try to give back to the land.

Located on the side of a mountain in western Maryland, our farm is secluded, peaceful, and quiet. Many visitors have commented that our goats and pigs are the calmest and most contented farm animals they have ever seen.

Our livestock are used to hearing their humans speak in calm and comforting voices. They know they will not be chased, teased, or frightened by loud noises or rapid movements. We try to do the same things every day and always in the same way. An easygoing routine is very comforting to livestock (and to people, too!). When we do routine healthcare (vaccinations, hoof trimming, etc.) handling equipment designed specifically for goats is used so the animal is comfortable and not being harshly restrained. A favorite treat is offered to eat during care so they quickly learn that being in close contact with us is actually a pretty nice experience. It's these small things that make the biggest difference in the overall vitality and health of our herd.

A goat is not as efficient as a cow in converting low quality feedstuffs into energy. In a goat's natural habitat it prefers to browse rather than to graze. In addition to grass, goats love weeds, woody vines, shrubs, and leaves on trees. Their natural diet is diverse and is usually more nutrient dense than what the average farm pasture has to offer. We have learned it is necessary to sometimes supplement our goats' diet, particularly during times of drought or when the females are nursing kids. This keeps our herd on a high and healthy nutritional plain. We use small amounts of locally-grown barley and some soy to ensure our herd is vigorous and healthy at all times of the year. Wise monitoring and careful supplementation, when needed, keeps the goats in great condition. Exceptional health translates to high-quality products for our customers!

We have Maremma livestock guardian dogs that stay with the herd at all times. The Maremma breed has been documented for over 2000 years in the northern mountains of Italy. They were historically used to protect sheep and goats from predators, including bears and wolves. There is strong evidence to suggest that the Maremma is one of the canine breeds used to originally develop the Great Pyrenees. Our Maremmas' parents were imported directly from Italy. These dogs were born and raised in a goat herd. Our loyal and courageous guardian dogs provide ideal protection against any predators that may be lurking outside the boundaries of the farm. We can rest easy knowing the herd is safe.