Welcome to Blissberry

 G6S Normal   ~   DNA Typed

 2016 ADGA National Show Premier Nubian Breeder

2016 ADGA National Show Premier Nubian Exhibitor

Home of the 2016 ADGA National Show Premier Nubian Sire:
SGCH ++*B Kastdemur's Most Wanted

Thank you for your interest in our herd of Purebred Nubian (and a few Oberhasli!) Dairy Goats. We maintain a select, productive herd on our 80 acre farm in Alexandria, Minnesota. We're located on a beautiful section of land with rolling hills, silver maples and large ponds. It's hot and humid in the summer, bitterly cold and snowy in the winter but we love it here!  In early 2012 Dan Louie moved his lovely Butte Creek's Oberhasli herd to the farm.  In 2014 we formed a partnership with the Obers and they now carry the Blissberry herd name.

I began raising and breeding dairy goats shortly after receiving a Saanen doe as a wedding gift. Although she is no longer with us, it didn't take long for her to instill a true love for these amazing creatures. Our focus has always been to breed elegant, balanced animals that are strong in general appearance with well attached mammary systems who also have the ability to produce offspring as good as or better than themselves in those areas. In addition to correct type, we select for long, level lactations with high components, good health and easy going, friendly dispositions.

Our entire herd has been enrolled in DHIR testing for the past eighteen years and we are very pleased to have had all of our mature does earn their milking stars. We also have quite a few animals that have milked over 3,000# and have some who have received breed leader recognition in past years. The majority of our does milk a full 305 day lactation.  We don't dry them up after show season (After all, they are DAIRY goats!); they milk through our hot summers and cold winters!  We have participated in the Linear Appraisal program every year since we began breeding dairy goats.  We currently have a total of twenty animals residing in the herd with final scores of EX90 or above.  You'll also find several of our animals listed on the Elite Sire/Dam lists, the Young Sire Development Program and included in the ADGA Superior Genetics Program.  Our herd is shown on a local and state level as well as most ADGA National Shows regardless of distance!  We've always felt that dairy goats can truly do it all, milk, show, appraise well and reproduce themselves... we like to think that our girls are proving it can be done!

Herd health and management has always been a top priority for us. Our animals are fed premium dairy quality alfalfa, as well as home grown grass and oat hay, in addition to a 16% dairy ration. We also offer loose minerals, sodium bicarbonate, Diamond V yeast and sea kelp free choice. Our animals are dewormed twice a year, vaccinated against clostridium perfringens Types C & D, tetanus and Pasteurella for pneumonia, given supplemental copper boluses and BoSe regularly as a source of selenium.  We completed whole herd G6S testing in May 2013 and maintain a completely G6S Normal herd.  Our entire mature herd is DNA typed and parent verified whenever possible.  During kidding season, we monitor expectant does with the use of several barn cameras installed throughout the doe barn. We attend all births and promptly remove kids as soon as they are born. Our kids are raised on a strict CAE prevention program and penned separately from the adult goats. We give our babies lots of individual attention and as a result, buyers often comment how friendly and well-adjusted our kids are!  As a prevention for coccidiosis, di-methox is periodically added to the kids’ free choice pasteurized milk. As the kids and their appetite grow, we incorporate Land O’ Lakes Doe’s Match goat milk replacer into our free choice pasteurized milk feeding program.  The herd is also protected by our loyal team of Great Pyrenees Livestock Guardian Dogs, Walt, Skyler, Brienne and Arya.

We are forever grateful to all of you who have believed in our breeding program.  We've had a pretty remarkable past several years and what makes it even more incredible is the never wavering support, encouragement and love from our beautiful, generous, amazing friends and fellow breeders in this wonderful world of dairy goats!  THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

We hope that you will take a few moments to become better acquainted with our herd, and as always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us!

Sara Koehn-Walberg
Daniel Louie

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Last Updated: 04 August 2017