22 Jun 2018

The Not-Lonely Goatherd

From Country Life, 9:38 pm on 22 June 2018

Each of the nearly 100 goats at Everbrook Dairy Goats in Tapawera has a name. Tracy Hay's hand-raised kids include Tinkerbell, Treasure, Tambourine and Truffle.

"They're completely focused on me," says the self-confessed 'goatie'.

The goats are either Saanens – a white dairy breed developed in the Saanen Valley of southwest Switzerland – or sables, a goat similar to a Saanen but with a coloured hide.  

Tracy was relieved when her goat milking operation passed its first farm dairy audit recently with flying colours.

She can now supply milk for further processing and has started deliveries to Marlborough Sounds company Cranky Goat for cheese-making.

Most of Tracy's girls produce between four and five litres a day but a few can do as much as eight on a once-a-day milking schedule.

Making money from the milk helps, but it's not Tracy's main motivation.

"I breed goats, that's what my passion is, but to breed a good-quality goat I end up with a whole lot of milk, and 'cause it's just me, I need to sell that milk to pay for their feed and upkeep.'

Tracy's beloved goats are due to deliver their next set of Everbrook kids from early August.