Welcome to The Unfettered Acre!

Located on the Cumberland Plateau near Harriman, TN, The Unfettered Acre is home to a small herd of ADGA-registered Nigerian Dwarf goats. We are a budding performance herd focusing on quality over quantity, and producing the kind of animals we love to look into the pastures and see. We are proud to be members of the American Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Association (ANNDA), the American Goat Society (AGS), and are an ADGA Plus herd.

Upon deciding on Nigerian Dwarfs for our homestead, we were fortunate to find breeders in our area who focus on quality stock. As we researched their pedigrees, we learned more about the breed’s fascinating history, and have come to enjoy researching “Nigerian geneology” – learning about how the breed came to be and about the animals on which it was built and refined. We were very intrigued by how the lines that our goats brought to us fit into that picture. From there, we sought out other quality lines across the United States to complement, improve, and build our own foundation.

As we work to refine our goals, we are excited about what the future may hold. We strive to build a herd based on and proven through data. To this end, we started off small by enrolling our three milkers in DHIR (Dairy Herd Improvement Registry) in 2022. We made our first fledgling appearance in an ADGA/AGS sanctioned show (with just one goat!) in 2023. In 2024 our herd continues on DHIR, will attend a few shows, and is participating in ADGA Linear Appraisal.

At The Unfettered Acre we believe that data should also govern our management practices. Annual testing is performed for CAE and Johne’s Disease, and any abscesses are evaluated by our veterinarian for CL. Regular analysis of our water, soil, browse, and hay enable us to see a fuller picture of what resources are available to our goats, and to adjust our inputs accordingly. Tools such as mineral panels and regular fecal floatation allow us to build datasets that will, with enough data points, allow the health baseline for our herd to be well-understood. With enough time, we expect that the picture painted by these datasets to be able to be correlated to a certain extent with different individuals and/or genetic lines.

Although all that may seem like management is complicated for us – it’s not. Data actually lessens our management burden – it helps us identify potential issues before they become a problem. While it cannot predict the future, it helps us know about some of the issues we could see, so that we may be better prepared. No two goats are alike, and by collecting a body of data, we are able to tailor management decisions, ensuring each goat is in the best health he or she can be.

High-quality inputs, shelter from the rain and drafts, and preventative maintenance keep the general population healthy and happy. The most valuable management tool is the daily time spent in simple observation of the herd. In this way, we glean a great deal of insight into what is normal for each individual. It also does wonders for our own happiness.

It is our goal to continually improve our herd, and so each pairing is purposeful in pursuit of this goal. Breeding for improvement is a long game, and consistency takes time, planning, and a critical eye. There is always something that can be improved, but patience is key. Our priority is establishment of our own strong, consistent lines. This objective is the basis for the selection of our foundation stock.

We want to help ensure that the Nigerian Dwarf that is readily available is a true dairy animal. While we recognize the importance of the show ring, we choose to place our priority on DHIR while emphasizing correct conformation. We are not a big-name show herd, nor do we aspire to be. Therefore, we do not try to price our goats as if we are. A quality, productive animal should be within financial reach of a homesteader or family. After all, these are dairy animals. We strive to produce stock that will excel, whether in a show ring or providing for a family. It is imperative to us to have data to show our goats can meet these needs.

So come on in, and have a look around. We’re truly glad you found us. Check out our senior does, our fabulous (and extensive) collection of herdsires, up and coming first fresheners, and best of all, the upcoming kiddings. If you’re in the market, you’ll find what we currently have to offer on our sale page. Check back with us often, as this site is a work in progress. We truly feel that the best is yet to come – welcome to The Unfettered Acre!

Please be aware that ADGA production awards for does born after or enrolled in Dairy Herd Improvement Registry for the first time after 2021 are unable to be processed by ADGA’s Next Generation Software. However, we encourage the records to be viewed in the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB)’s WebConnect application, where all lactation and test data is publicly available.