JK Herd It All is a small, intentional livestock breeding and education project based in rural Wisconsin. We raise dairy goats and heritage poultry with a focus on functional structure, long-term productivity, and animals that are built to hold up in real life – not just photograph well.
We believe good animals come from good decisions made consistently over time. That means prioritizing sound structure and temperament, keeping records, participating in performance programs, and being honest about results. We don’t breed everything every year, and we don’t chase trends. Our goal is steady improvement and animals that are enjoyable to live with, manage, and rely on.
JK Herd It All grew slowly, from a shared long-term goal rather than a single defining moment. After years of moving from place to place during Ken’s time in the U.S. Navy, Ken met Jess in Illinois. Together, they relocated north to start a new life in Mishicot, Wisconsin.
Ken grew up raising horses in East Texas, while Jess was raised in the Chicago suburbs with a “small zoo’s” worth of pets. Both of us work full time in addition to raising our critters – Ken in nuclear operations training and Jess as a senior software engineer. Building JK Herd It All alongside our careers shaped our approach early on: systems had to be realistic, sustainable, and built to work in real life, not ideal conditions.
Jess manages the heritage poultry and goat programs; including evaluations, breeding decisions, and recordkeeping. Her transition from the Chicago suburbs to Wisconsin fuels her drive to understand the “why” behind every practice. With her background in software engineering, she brings a systems-driven approach to livestock management, focusing on how animals hold up across years, not just seasons.
Ken handles most of the heavy-lifting that comes with animal care, infrastructure, and logistics. He brings a practical, steady approach shaped by his background raising horses in East Texas. His professional work in nuclear operations training emphasizes the precision and planning required to translate ideas into workable, grounded systems.
We prioritize functional structure first. Strong feet and legs, correct frames, sound udders, and calm temperaments matter more to us than extremes. Across our dairy goat programs, we participate in milk testing (DHIR), linear appraisal, and genetic testing.
Our poultry programs follow the same philosophy, with an emphasis on durability, breed character, and long-term health rather than shortcuts. We breed with intention, not volume; therefore, availability is limited by design.
The name JK Herd It All reflects both our initials and our daily reality. You’ll see two primary herd names associated with our dairy goats:
If you’d like to learn more, here are a few good places to start:
If you have questions, messaging us on Facebook ↗ is the fastest way to get a response. We are notoriously bad at answering emails in a timely fashion, but we check our farm page regularly.