Paprika is a curious, outgoing young doe who was born on the ranch on March 2, 2019. She comes from one of our oldest and most adored lineages on the farm; Paprika’s grandmother, Allspice, was one of the three original goats that Jack and Michelle purchased for the herd back in 2015!
One thing we have noticed through the generations of does that have been born on the ranch is that many quirky personality characteristics pass from mother to daughter, and this is especially true of all of Allspice’s progeny.
(Stepladder Creamery co-owner Jack Rudolph entertaining Paprika’s grandmother, Allspice, with his fancy hat.)
One odd characteristic that has passed down through the generations only shows up during birthing season on the ranch; Allspice had a tendency to paw and dig incessantly during labor and all her descendants seem to share the same propensity.
While digging is a common sign of labor in goats, Allspice and her progeny seem to take it to another level and often dig deep furrows into the soil while in labor (luckily for us, this makes it very easy to tell when they are about to deliver!).
They also all seem to share Allspice’s sassy and dominant personality, which has led us to fondly refer to this family as the “spice girls”! Their familial tenacity tends to propel them to vie for positions of royalty within the Stepladder goat herd; Allspice was our first “herd queen” and all her daughters and granddaughters now share the rule of the herd.
Luckily for us, her spicy personality doesn’t prevent her from being a loving human companion - although her genetics encourage her to be very commanding with the other goats in the herd, she is very gentle and mild mannered with her doting human caretakers and loves getting scratched behind her tiny Lamancha ears!
We now have four of Allspice’s daughters and three of her granddaughters in our milking herd, including Paprika’s mom, Vanilla, and her daughter, Curry.
Part of the reason we adore this lineage so much and choose to populate our herd with so many “Spice Girls” is because they are some of our most productive milkers in the herd. Paprika’s mom, cousins, and aunts have long been some of our best milkers, and now Paprika is right up there with the best of them.
(Paprika out in the pasture. Her daughter, Curry is the goat to her right [#96]. See the family resemblance?)
Although Paprika is only three years old this March, she has already skyrocketed to becoming one of the best milkers in the entire herd! Last summer she was producing a whopping 1.7 gallons of milk per day on average and this coming year she will likely produce even more!
Because of Paprika’s winning personality and impressive milking prowess, this year we decided to attempt to add a full-blooded sister to our herd. Therefore, in October of 2021, we paired her mom Vanilla with her dad Steve once again - fingers crossed for another doe as wonderful as Paprika!
(Paprika’s sire Steve (L) and dam (R) Vanilla - see any resemblance!?)
This kidding season, Paprika gave birth to 2 HUGE baby bucks on April 3, 2023. One of her kids was 11.5 lbs and the other was 10.2 lbs - way to go, Paprika!
Below are a few photos of Paprika a few weeks before giving birth. As you can see, she's quite bolbous - makes sense given the weight of her 2 kids!
We are excited to see what next year holds in store for her and we look forward to enjoying her company for many years to come! Who knows - maybe she will become our next herd queen?!
(Smooth Criminal - the father of Paprika’s brood)
You can support this little lady and her herdmates by sponsoring her on our website. We will keep you up to date on all the major happenings in her life - including her upcoming birth - and use the funds generated to contribute to the continued wellness and pampering of this lovely creature!
(Paprika poses for the camera in the fading light of dusk on the ranch.)
