September 19, 2024
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Sterling farm with rarest goat breed in world adds to herd

There are some new kids on the block at a rural Sterling farm that’s home to some of the rarest goats in the world

By Rusty Schrader
“To be able to make a difference in a critically endangered breed,” is how Abby Sweeney explained the decision to bring the rare Arapawa goats to their Sterling farm. The couple hopes to be able to breed and donate the goats to zoos.

“To be able to make a difference in a critically endangered breed,” is how Abby Sweeney explained the decision to bring the rare Arapawa goats to their Sterling farm. The couple hopes to be able to breed and donate the goats to zoos. (Alex T. Paschal - apaschal@shawm/credit)

STERLING — A local family has a few more mouths to feed, and a few more little hooves to frolic on their farm.

Abby Sweeney and her husband, Shawn, recently welcomed twin Arapawas to their growing family at Happy Little Hooves Farm, the 3-acre spread on Freeport Road outside of Sterling that they’ve owned for about 5 years. The two little tykes are the latest addition to their happy little herd: They also recently acquired two Arapawa doelings, and they’re expecting more to join their family.

That’s good news for one of the rarest goat breeds in the world, and it’s good news for the Sweeneys’ mission of getting the goat off the Livestock Conservancy’s critically endangered list.

“We’re excited for the newest additions and upcoming births as we work to conserve this rare heritage breed,” Abby said in an e-mail to Sauk Valley Media.

The lone breeders of the goats in Illinois, Happy Little Hooves first brought the Arapawas to their farm last year, when six of them joined about 3 dozen other goats from various breeds on their farm.

The Arapawa is a medium-sized goat, predominately black, brown and white. Does (adult females) weigh between 60 and 80 pounds and bucks (adult males) weigh up to 125 pounds. They’re not aggressive goats, and they become attached to their goat family and human keepers. The breed is named for the Arapawa Island near New Zealand, which was the goats’ home for centuries. They thrived there until the 1970s, when the New Zealand Forest Service decided the goats were damaging the native forest and the herd had to be culled.

Today, there are only about an estimated 500 or 600 of them worldwide.

The new members of the family join Legacy, Evolution, Magnolia (“Maggie”), Lucy, Finn and Buster. Lucy delivered the doeling and buckling in January, and the Sweeneys’ oldest doe, Maggie, birthed two goats earlier this month.

More info

Online: happylittlehoovesfarm.com or find Happy Little Hooves on Facebook

Farm tours are available at Happy Little Hooves. The tours are free, but donations are welcome, with money going toward the goats’ care and feeding. Call 309-230-7176 or e-mail happylittlehoovesfarm@gmail.com for more information.

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