- Profile
- History
- About Goat
- Type of Goats
- Birth Process
Hay Dairies Pte Ltd is a small goat farm, with about 1,000 goats of mixed breed, producing milk for sale. The farm uses the latest milking, pasteurising, homogenising and bottling machines to produce very fresh goat's milk, which it sells directly to customers.
Hay Dairies serves a niche market in Singapore, providing an alternative to those who are allergic to cow's milk. The farm also welcome visits and excursions.
In 1920, Mr Hay Yak Tang came to Singapore at the age of 16 as a teacher of the Teochew language. Finding little interest in his profession, Mr Hay became a clerk for a hatchery instead, and later started his own hatchery.
Subsequently, he bought a 16-acre plantation in Punggol and started Yak Seng Hay Farm to rear ducks, chickens and some pigs, From there, he bred his own chickens as layers, and sold chicks from his own farm.
By the 1970, he had switched to pig farming. Breeders were imported from the US, and as the business expanded, eight of his eleven sons were in the day-to-day operations. In the next 10 years, Hay's farm held 20,00 pigs had over 30 workers, and become one of the biggest suppliers of pork to the local market.
In the early 80s, pig farming was phased out in Singapore, With help from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority - AVA(formerly known as the Primary Production Department - PPD), Hay Dairies developed goat farming as an alternative livelihood. The AVA gave the Hays contacts in the US, and with the import of the first batch of Alpine, Nubian, Toggenburg and Saanen goats, on the 32 December 1988, the Hay become goat farmers.
Goats belong to a family of animals called Caprines. They are called ruminants because they have a four-part stomach and chew their cud, like cows or deer. Goats are different in appearance from sheep because they have shorter tails, beards and hollow horns that are generally directed upwards. Goats are lively and curious creatures, and are kept as livestock, as well as, pets in certain parts of the world. There are about 440 million goats worldwide.
Goats are useful creatures. They are able to produce milk for consumption. Their milk can also be made into cheese, soap, beauty creams, lotions etc. Goats are also offered as religious sacrifices and their meat can be consumed. Their hides can be made into cashmere shawls, angora coats, leather, rugs etc. In some parts of the world, goats are kept as beasts of burden.
The goats at Hay Dairies belong to the family of goats known as Dairy Goats, which are domesticated and kept for milk production. They are usually not sold for consumption. There are 5 types for Dairy Goats: Alpine, Nubian, Saanen, Toggenburg and La Mancha. The goats at Hay Dairies are not pure breeds because they have been cross bred.
Alpine
Alpines can be almost any color except solid white and light brown with white markings. Their faces are generally dished or straight. They have erect and are a medium-large breed. They are popular with dairies due the amount of milk they produce.
Nubian
Nubains have very long, floppy ears and they can be any color. They have a convex nose and are one of the larger breeds of goats. Their milk tends to be higher in protein and butter fat than other breeds. They tend to be a little bit more stubborn than other dairy goats.
Saanen
Saanens are usually pure white. They usually have a large udder capacity and are popular with dairies due to the quantity of milk they produce.
Toggenburg
Toggenburgs are light brown and have white ears and lower legs. The side of the tail and two stripes down the face are also white. They have erect and are shortest among the breeds.
La Mancha
La Manchas have ears that are so small that it looks like they don't have ears at all! They can be of any color. They have a straight nose and are a small breed.
Here, we would like to share with you some pictures of the birth process taken at our very own farm!
