La Ferme Récréative Caza is above all a family farm that includes small diversified farms that complement each other perfectly. Each new breeding introduced to us has been rationally and judiciously chosen for its beneficial contribution.
It was in 2011, with the arrival of our 2ndsecond child, that we fell in love with this magnificent little farm located in Saint-Stanislas-de-Champlain. It was then for us a second home where it was good to enjoy nature with our children and where we could recharge our batteries.
In 2013, with the imminent arrival of our 3rd child, we knew that city life no longer suited us. So we decided to make our second home our main place of life. This new life would also allow us to carry out a coveted project; raise animals!
We now had to choose what type of breeding would suit us! Our first choice was the alpaca. At the time, we weren’t sure we would be able to make butcher’s meat. The alpaca therefore turned out to be a good avenue. The transformation of the fiber interested us, it was also a beautiful harmless, hypoallergenic, and rustic animal whose breeding seemed rather simple. We now know that simple does not mean easy and hassle-free.
Rabbits were then added, first for the pleasure of the children but we were also attracted by the quality of its meat and its prolificacy. Over time, we moved away from traditional meat rabbits to surround ourselves with Rex Standard rabbits. In addition to offering the most pleasant company and an exceptional quality of flesh, they have a less allergenic and soft fur like velvet, which would allow us to adorn some of our finished alpaca products.
Thinking about the breed of dog we were going to breed was probably the most difficult. We first determined the desired characteristics: good family dog, not too allergenic, who would be protective of his environment, who could live with other animals, who would bark little, who would like to work and who could stay close to us when the execution of our various tasks without having to be attached. Our final choice is stopped on the English Shepherd.
Adding cashmere goats is probably our most emotional decision. We found them so beautiful with their playful character, although they were allergenic and rather coarse between them. These goats would still provide us with superb cashmere to harvest each year, some milk to produce handmade soaps and, over time, we also discovered that goat meat is a low-fat red meat with a fine taste, refined and delicate.
Our next project should see the light of day in 2017. We are preparing to establish a nourishing forest where different varieties of fruits, perennial vegetables and other herbs will coexist. If all goes well, we will add a few beehives over the years.