What exactly does "heritage" mean when it comes to livestock?  Heritage livestock breeds are generally defined by the Livestock Conservancy as "...breeds of a bygone era, before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice. These breeds were carefully selected and bred over time to develop traits that made them well-adapted to the local environment and they thrived under farming practices and cultural conditions that are very different from those found in modern agriculture." Large scale industrial agriculture has whittled down the breeds of each animal that succeed in industrial conditions to a very few - perpetuating the genetics of heritage breeds can act as a safety net for genetic diversity, as well as providing people with livestock they can raise themselves, for their own family and/or community, that will thrive in their local environment.

Guernsey Goats

British Guernsey goats are the North American version of Golden Guernseys, a rare breed of goat developed in the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. We cannot import Golden Guernseys into North America, so British Guernseys are being developed here from imported embryos and semen. My Guernseys have proven to be excellent mothers, good milkers, and very docile and personable goats. You can read more about the herd on our Goatzz page.