Recently we biosecurity tested our goats and we just got the results back from the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory We tested for CAE (Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis)  which all of our goats tested negative for. Also we tested for Johne’s Disease and you guessed it they were all negative. And lastly we tested for CL (Caseous Lymphadenitis) which again everyone tested negative for. We are very proud to keep a clean herd! 

The very last thing I would like to mention is that we pregnancy tested Starla (our AMAZING mini Nubian doe) and she came back positive which is good in this case because we sold the

Pumpkin is an IrishMudd Jenny (AKKPS 17340)

Born April 2, 2021 she farrowed for the first time to 6 live double wattled piglets. We sadly lost one of her piglets.

Sire is Hinkle Homestead RU 6 - Rolland Schitt (AKKPS 15959)

Their litter born on September 23rd 2022 has a COI (coefficient of inbreeding) of 10.9%. We aim for 12.5% and below for all of our livestock.

Moira Rose (AKKPS 17226) is a Looney Kunes Farm Wilsons Gina she was born on 4/17/2021. Moira is not wattled but both sire and her dam were double wattled. She farrowed for the first time September 17th unassisted. She had 4 boars and 2 gilts. Moira’s image is at the bottom of this blog.

The sire of Moira’s litter is Hinkle Homestead Ru 6 - Rolland Schitt AKKPS 15959

Their litter born on September 17, 2022 has a COI (coefficient of inbreeding) of 7%

Gilt 1 (above image and below Image): Is considered High White, no wattles, and a 5-6 teat line. Moira’s mini registered price $450 (Pending)

    Sorry we haven’t posted in a while; we’ve been busy  So today I’m gonna give you an update. Let’s start with the Bucks: Jimmy, Broseph, Plark, Dutton, and Little Boy aka  D K Schrute. Little boy is still for sale if you’re interested in buying him for $400. Next up is Nelly, she delivered her Baby boy, ‘Tiny boy’ (see the pattern) around 2 weeks ago. Reese and Laramie are hanging out together in the barn because Laramie broke her leg. See what happens here.  Onto the rest of the goats, Willow is currently for sale too she is $325 to take home. (You can also take Little boy and Willow as a breeding pair which is only $700).

**These two kids are unrelated and would make an excellent foundation to start your own line of mini-Nubians!  Package deal: Willow + Little Boy for $575**

Curious about mini-Nubians?  Maylee explains it all here.

2022 kidding was a whirlwind!  The mommas all did a great job and each has a healthy kid (or 2… or 3) by their side.  All our breeding goats are registered and tested negative for CL, CAE, and Johnes annually.  You can find extra details, pictures, and video links for dams and sires on Our Goats page.  I’ve listed a brief bio for each kid below as well as its status (available, pending, or retained).  I’ll do my best to keep this up-to-date.  If you’re interested in bringing home a Sweet Briar Farm goat please Contact Us.  

We love our goats dearly and feel responsible for finding them their best home.  We reserve the right to refuse

 Written-4-10-2022 

When it happened-4-9-2022

     A few hours after Phylis had her kids Starla couldn’t wait any longer. She was having mild contractions and then all the sudden she was pushing!  There was only one hoof so mom went in and freed the other hoof. After that Starla was able to push the big boy out! Then while she was licking off the first one she let out one little push and out slid a girl. Starla had a boy and a girl, which sadly we can’t keep but they will find their way into great hands I’m sure. The boy looks just like his uncle and the girl is literally Starla but little. I have temporarily named the boy Pablo, and the girl Karla, they are sweet but they, like their mom, are screamers. We are havi

Written-4-10-2022

When it happened-4-9-2022

     Phyllis the Nigerian Dwarf had her kids! It was only 7 days late. We noticed Phyllis was in early labor on Friday, she kept my parents up all night. Then in the morning I was sitting eating my pancakes at the table with everyone when I heard a scream from over the baby monitor, and I knew it must be Phylis so Eivin and I went outside to check on her. There was a baby bubble hanging out of her so I sent Eivin to get mom and dad but for those moments I was on my own I cleaned off the baby’s face and got its body wrapped in a towel, I knew she had more. By this time mom and dad took control, 2 of her kids were trying to get out at once and we had to pull one out and then the next. There were two g

Written 4-10-2022

When it happened-4-7-2022

     The day after fawn kidded Pam decided that she would go next she kept mom and dad awake all night but once the boys were at school that is when Pam started to push. It took about 30 minutes, then we could see the “bubble” of the baby goat, it was huge. The only reason Pam had a hard time was because he was humongous. Once he came out we could see that he looked just like Aries, the buck we bred Pam to. Then we saw a back foot, the second baby was a footling breech, but Pam didn’t have time to wait. She had to feed the first baby so she slid out the second one like it was nothing, and then she started to lick clean them off.  Pam had  buck we are calling Winston and a doe we are callin

Written-4-7-2022

When it happened-4-6-2022

       Fawn Delivered! Fawn has started the chain of births. Yesterday I went outside because dad heard a goat moaning on the monitor, and when I got outside I saw why, there was a beautiful little baby goat and PAM was standing over her. When I witnessed what happened I ran back inside and I told everyone Pam had a baby. I ran back out and saw a second one hanging out of Fawn. I ran back and told everyone that it was Fawn. I got a good look at  the second baby and realized it was stuck, it only had its head out. Pam had gotten the false idea and thought it was hers she was the one who cleaned the baby off. That didn’t stop Fawn, she has been a good mother to the little doeling. Who we

     4-2-2022

     We recently had many things happen on the farm and would love to tell you about them all! In our last post you saw Lacey Jay had her buckling on March 25th and he is still up for sale. Contact us to get on the baby goat list. Lacey’s kid is moonspotted and has super cool colors (in my opinion he would be a great herdsire) he can go as wether ($300) or buck ($400).  Thinking about getting your first goats?  Want to see this little guy?  Watch this video!

     Phyllis has still not had her babies and today is her due date. How many babies do you think she is going to have? Phyllis was bred

Lacey Jay delivered a colorful and charming little buckling on 3/23/22 to kickoff the Sweet Briar kidding season.  He has moonspots and is horned, but can be disbudded. If he weren’t related to most of our does we’d keep him ourselves.  Dam is Lacey Jay, a 7 year old ADGA purebred doe whom we purchased from a dear friend this winter.  Although Lacey Jay has never been milked, I am impressed that her udder and teats are in excellent working order at the age of 7.  Her 2020 daughter, Phyllis, is due on 4/2/22 and her pre-freshening udder looks awesome.  This kid’s sire,

Two of our gilts have delivered litters of healthy little oinkers in the last week or so.  Sally Jesse-Raphael, our Hereford (pictured) has 10 piglets sired by our Tamworth boar.  Rikki Lake, a Tamworth gilt, also has 10 babies out of the same Tamworth boar.  Piglets will be ready for their new homes at 6 weeks, which will be near the end of October.  All 3 parents have excellent gentle and friendly temperaments.  We put our first Hereford and Tamworth pigs in the freezer this summer… Oh my goodness, the pork is soooooo good!  Price is $100 each, males can be castrated upon request.  We ask for a $50 deposit to hold your piglets for you until weaning at 6 weeks.  The remainder of the balance will be due upon pickup.

See the little piggies

Mark your calendar: Pumpkins and piglets this Saturday from 10am - 2pm. Come see Sally’s new babies!

Pumpkin Season 2021 is here!  Stop by our self-serve farm stand between dawn and dusk to load up on all of your fall decorating needs!  We have lots of pumpkins of all sizes, including nice sized carving pumpkins for $2 and up.  In addition we have a large variety of gourds, white pumpkins, ornamental corn, squashes, and bunches of corn stalks.  Don’t forget to grab a bottle of Sweet Briar Honey while you’re here too!

We have 2 Mangalitsas ready for the butcher, all they need is a home in your freezer!  This will be some very special pork. Mangalitsas boast highly marbled red cuts of meat. They’re a fattier breed than commercial pork which imparts the incredible flavor. The fat of Mangalitsa pork is higher in omega-3 fatty acids than their grocery store counterparts.  Our pigs have a touch of Old Spot in their family tree which allowed us to grow them out slightly faster and larger than a purebred Mangalitsa.  Buyer pays $3/lb hanging weight plus butcher’s fees.  We estimate hanging weights around 260-300lbs. If interested please call (989)486-3317 or sweetbriarfarmllc@gmail.com.

We will no longer have eggs for sale regularly. I (Kelsey) have taken a new job off-farm and decided to pare back our laying flock as a result.  Scooping out the chicken coop is my least favorite chore!  Most of our hens are currently free ranging and living their best life at 105 Farms on 1859 Rau Rd here in West Branch where you can buy their eggs.  To learn more about our friends at 105 Farms click here: https://www.facebook.com/105farms

Pacione Poultry on Wangler rd also sells eggs.

We are now taking reservations for 2021 whole and half pigs, processed at a USDA certified butcher. Price is $3-$3.50/lb hanging weight plus butchering fees (typically runs ~$50 + $0.50/lb). We are aiming for hanging weights around 180-200lbs. This will not be your average pork! These pigs are fed very well on fresh veggies and fruits, hay, and a ration of local grains. Once the weather warms up they’ll be out on fresh pasture daily. We will have the first pig ready in June and 2 more in July. We plan to sell 3 of our heritage pigs this way, and 2 others we will sell by the cut from the farm. Send us a PM or call (989)486-3317 to reserve your Sweet Briar pork today.

Come pick up some of our honey!