DVM SAVANNAS
Judy and I proudly acquired our first Savannas—a fullblood buckling along with two fullblood doelings—in the year 2017 from the esteemed Beckstead Farms. Regrettably, only one of the doelings, identified as F89A, managed to survive the rigorous DNA purge. Remarkably, she has become the cornerstone of our operation and continues to be instrumental in our herd’s success today, as over 60% of our does can trace their lineage to her exceptional and prolific production.
Our impressive sire battery features our homegrown Expresso, a son of England Crane Creek CCS 00337, who is crossed over a Coody doe. Additionally, we have Rut Waldo L21, as well as multiple Superior Savannas project direct sons of renowned sires such as JCS 55 Zeus, NJW Green 36, Amoreart's Z-Kronos Lil 12, SH Powerstroke, EOES E23 Cochise, and WW E05.
We are proud to manage a herd of over 75 fullblood does, along with their kids and the yearling doelings. These animals enjoy the liberty of free-ranging without any fence constraints, equipped with GPS devices for tracking their movements for about 8 months of the year. They return to a secure lot at our headquarters each night for vital predator protection. On an average day, they travel an impressive distance of 4 to 6 miles in search of forage. It is important to note that they do not receive any additional dietary supplements aside from salt and fresh water.
During the colder winter months, we ensure that the does have free access to high-quality large grass bales, providing them with the nourishment they require until the kidding season in April. At that time, we supplement their diet with protein and grain as needed to support their nutritional requirements. The kids are nurtured with an alfalfa grain pellet alongside free-choice grass hay until the market time arrives in January, or they transition to green grass in the case of replacement does in the following month of April.
