April 23, 2009 - In 2007, Doug and Jordana George purchased a small ranch near the Hill Country town of Wimberley. With the purchase, they also inherited a cow and her calf, a donkey and a barn cat.
Over the last two years, Fallen Oak Ranch has added a number of animals to the farm including goats, chickens, pigs and rabbits. In addition, the George's have been working on various improvements that have been needed on the ranch and have made some sales.
"We haven't had a lot of money to put into it, so it's been very slow going, but we try to pay everything as we go," Jordana said. "We've added more and more animals. We've sold both beef cattle and goats, so we are actually getting a little income in. We are not even close to breaking even, but we are actually getting some sales there."
Sales of produce, she said, got off to a "very rocky start" last year because of the drought.
"This year, we are trying to approach it expecting drought and if it isn't, then hopefully things will do even better, but we are doing a lot more in the way of mulching and water conservation."
One of their animal projects that has done well is their rabbitry, which they started in 2003. George Workshop Rabbitry is located on the ranch and their breeding program focuses on type, conformation and temperament. They provide quality rabbits for show, breeding, pets and 4-H projects, as well as meat rabbits. The Georges are members of the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) and Texas Rabbit Breeders Association, and George Workshop is a registered rabbitry with the ARBA.
According to Jordana, they started their rabbit program with a pair of Dutch rabbits.
"Now, we probably have about 50. We've changed breeds. One breed we've always kept is Mini Satins, which is a new breed, but we have a lot of Netherland Dwarves, Holland Lops and French Lops. We have New Zealands. I couldn't even tell you who my favorites are. They are all really great," she said.
Over the recent years, rabbit sales have "really taken off," she added.
"We have been very fortunate with that. I think maybe with the economy, a lot of people are turning to rabbits as an alternative. That where they might have gotten a dog before, or a cat or a larger animal, now they are looking for pet rabbits because they are much less expensive."
Once a purchase is made, Jordana said help is always available. Each buyer receives a "Bunny User Guide" and care is provided after the sale. They also offer rabbit and cavy breeder resources, as well as a return policy. Through their business, the Georges try to raise awareness of rabbits and encourage people to get them neutered. That extra care is the least they can do for an animal that has become a "pretty good business."
"The rabbits not only pay for themselves, but a lot of times they pay for feed for everyone else too, which is a good thing," she said. "So that helps a lot."
Another farm animal that has brought in "a little income" at Fallen Oak Ranch are the Tennessee Fainting Goats. The goats, she said, "are a very special breed."
"They are an All-American goat breed. Around 1850, a guy came down out of the mountains of Tennessee (and) came into town with this weird herd of goats that would fall over every time they got startled."
The goats, she said, are also known as the Myotonic goat.
"It means that their fight or flight syndrome gets mixed up so they just freeze up and their muscles stiffen up and they faint. It isn't a true faint, it is just a stiffening of the muscles. They are an excellent meat goat because of that muscle stiffening."
Along with their purebred line of Tennessee Fainting Goats, the ranch also has Boer-Fainting goat cross meat goats.
"They are excellent meat goats because it really has the best muscle quality of both breeds."
According to Jordana, because of all the care that is needed by all of the animals, life on the ranch has been a "great learning experience" for her two teenage sons.
"There's a lot they are learning about responsibility and life."
When it comes to the type of care the animals receive, Jordana said they ranch with "gentleness and kindness."
"It takes a little longer, but we get the animals to do what we need them to do. They are all bucket trained. They will come for treats. We just try to keep it small and what we can handle."
For more information about Fallen Oak Ranch, visit www. fallenoakranch.com .
