We will have a limited number of herd shares available for 2025
What is a herd share?
There are many people that would love to own dairy animals in order to gain access to their own fresh, unprocessed milk supply. The average person though, may not possess the infrastructure or have the necessary time thats involved in raising livestock. Michigan law makes it illegal for farmers to sell and market unprocessed whole milk (commonly referred to as Raw Milk) and its products directly to consumers. When you become a herd share “Owner”, you are essentially buying/leasing a percentage of our herd. You pay monthly for care and boarding fee’s and then, because you are part owner, you get to enjoy the raw milk from your dairy goats!
Are herd shares legal?
Yes! In Michigan, the only thing we need to do is have a written agreement between the “agister” (The farm) and the “owner” (you).
Is drinking raw milk safe?
Depends on who you ask ;). Personally, we don’t think there is anything better for you than this rich, nutrient dense, gut biome enhancing super food. However, as with anything health related, we advise that you do your own research and make an educated decision for yourself!
What kind of goats do you own?
Waters Edge dairy herd is made up of award winning, pure bred, ADGA registered, Nigerian Dwarf goats. Nigerians are known for their sweet milk with high butterfat (cream) content.
Do you vaccinate / use antibiotics?
Some of our goats have been vaccinated, some have not. Moving forward we do not plan on vaccinating any of our goats. We believe that a proper diet and healthy living conditions combined with having a closely monitored herd leaves us with healthy animals. And though rare, we only use antibiotics IF NECESSARY. We try to do everything we can to fight infections naturally and prefer to use holistic methods whenever possible. IF by chance we do need to use antibiotics on any of our girls we will 1.) inform our owners 2.) follow all necessary milk withhold recommendations from the drug labels and our trusted local veterinarian.
What sort of testing do you perform?
A minimum of once a year, we test for a couple major diseases found in goat herds. CAE and Johnes. We also, milk test monthly to assess milk quality and both butterfat and protein percentage. Because we are around our girls everyday we can normally catch something “off” immediately.
How much does it cost?
Owners will pay a, one time, $50 per share to buy into the herd which includes a $10 non-refundable administrative fee. After that, the cost is $40 per share per month. The monthly cost of 1 share covers all boarding, feeding, daily care, and labor involved for milking a maximum of 1 gallon per week. If you decide to terminate your share we purchase it back from you for the original fee minus the $10 administrative fee. You can provide your own half gallon Ball jars or we can provide half gallon jars for you for $4/jar deposit. This comes out to $16/share that is refundable if your share is terminated and the jars are returned. If you break a jar, you can either bring new ones or we can provide you more at an extra cost of $5/jar.
Contact us for more info