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My nanny takes care of the kids
by Fran Sharp |
| The official slogan at the Hey Farm could be “Bring the wife and kids,” because that’s what happens when it’s time to tend the goats. Visitors are frequent and welcome.
It’s the HEY Farm because Ernie Hay took his wife’s advice when it came time to name the meat goat operation. Ernie laughed and said his wife told him, “People will ride by and say- ‘hey, look at the goats,’ so why don’t we spell it h-e-y instead of h-a-y, like us.’ She was right, they do just that.”
Ernie and Lee Hay, goat producers for about three years now, hosted Alabama experts on goat farming from Tuskegee University, Auburn University, and the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) Department of Commodities and a crowd of more than 80 people wanting to know more about goats. “About half of the people here are already in the meat goat producing business,” Hay said as attendees lined up to feast on a variety of goat dishes during the lunch break.
Comments from eaters ranged from “good eating,” to “can I have the recipe,” which drew a big grin from Hay and the people who prepared the feast. Those in the audience who were “just interested in the business” took notice, too. |
Grandson Adam Hay, 16, talks a Boer goat into posing for a picture. Boers, known to be friendly as well as attractive, have a distinctive red head and white body. |
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They were gathered to become part of the Meat Goat and Sheep Producers with ALFA, Hay said. “And to educate each other about the meat goat business.”
To hear the Hays tell it, they got into the goat business accidentally. “We had an area covered with kudzu and so we fenced it and bought a few bush goats to clean it up,” says
Emie. “We noticed some Boer goats at an auction later. There was a definite difference in the quality of the animals and that got us to thinking.” |
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Eddie May (far left) and Dr. Ralph Noble (far right rear) congratulate the officers of the Meat Goat and Sheep Producers of Talladega County. From left are Ernie Hay, John Manning, Marty Yeager, Lee Hay and Jeff Chandler. Also pictured are speakers Carla Shoemaker and Perry Mobley at the rear.
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Once the Hays started going to sales and markets, they began culling their bush goats and concentrating on the Boers. Soon they bought more land for their goats and started crossing them with Nubians (milk goats) and
kikos, which produce better quality meat. Normally, their stock consists of about 40 nannies (females) and two billies (male breeders), but they are currently feeding about 85 goats. “We have one set of quads, four sets of triplets and can’t even count the number of twins,” Lee said. “The normal thing is to have twins.”
Hey goats are sold on the hoof at
$1.00 per pound to retail customers.
“Most customers who drop by want a young, 60-70 pound animal,” Ernie added. |
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When Hay processes a goat, he processes into burgers, sausage, stew, chili and uses it as a substitute for beef or pork in recipes. “We also cook or grill small steaks,” he said. |
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“There’s a need,” says Hay. “The United States imports 146,000 tons of goat meat per week and raises 2 million goats a year,” he added. “If we slaughtered every goat in America today, it would only be enough to feed a city the size of Atlanta for four months. We definitely need more producers.”
Hay said his customer base is beginning to grow in diversity due to the increased population of ethnic groups in the
southeastern United States. “Americans are about the only people worldwide who don’t eat goat on a regular basis, but a change is beginning to be seen in the Alabama market. Right now, Hispanics and other ethnic groups are our main customers, but |
Bill Stone and Cindy Swank
helped with the awarding of door prizes assisted by two young volunteers.
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that
will change as more and more customers are introduced to goat meat. It has
the advantages of being low fat and low cholesterol.” |
| The Hays raise full-blooded Boers as well as Boer crossed with Spanish, Kiko, and/or Nubian goats. Nannies will average 260-270 pounds and a full grown billy can go up to 400 pounds or more.
The ratio of land to goat is tailor-made for the small farmer. One acre of land will support 10 nannies and one billy will keep those nannies producing. The Hays use Great Pyrenees guard dogs to protect the goats from predators like coyotes and domestic dogs.
“Now I don’t want you to think you can go out and get a bunch of goats and turn ’em loose in the pasture and let them go,” Hay cautioned.
He said herd health is a matter of management and preventive measures. To keep worm problems at a minimum, goats have to be wormed more regularly than cows or horses and may be prone to parasites if forage is not kept to over four inches high. Pastures with both goats and cows are not a problem. Goats eat the tall stuff and cows eat the short. Goat feet must be trimmed on a regular basis to prevent foot rot. The animals must be fenced, but the right type of fencing must be used for goats and cattle allowing both to feed in the same pasture. This allows the grower two forms of meat to sell, which cuts down on maintenance of pastures.
In an overview on Goat Production Systems, as researched by Tuskegee’s Dr. Ralph Noble and Auburn’s Carla Shoemaker, topics ranged from feeding, disease prevention and medication, costs, headaches, and joys.
Dr. Noble has raised goats in Africa, Asia, the US and just about anywhere a goat could browse, he said. He is known as the official “goat guru” of Alabama. “We need a packing plant,” he told the group. “We need more numbers and more regions to accomplish that, but we are well on our way and the turnout today is very encouraging. Packing plants in Florida and Tennessee are making good money and buying Alabama goats. We get the pennies that are left after the plants’ profit. This is great forage territory and meat goats are a growing Southern industry. It’s the business for us.”
A joint study from Tuskegee and Auburn on Year Round Foraging for Goat Production concluded that the number one recommended method is year-round foraging of mimosa and bahaigrass in summer and ryegrass in winter. The number two choice is a feedlot system for 100 days. The worst production and quality of goats (producers lost money) was feeding bahaigrass only. The feedlot method was determined to be the more expensive of the two systems. “Fence an area of mimosa and supplement with ryegrass in the winter and you’ll produce a maximum herd of goats gaining one-sixth to one-fourth pound per day at the least cost per goat,” Shoemaker said.
A graduate student majoring in meat science and food safety, Shoemaker said goats are one of the more adaptable meat animals as far as the foods they prefer, “Try different stuff,” she urged. “Goats like honeysuckle, kudzu: anything deer will eat, goats will eat.” |
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Lee Hay’s goat directory:
Is that a nanny or a kid?
• A nanny is an adult female goat used for meat and
reproduction.
• A kid is a baby goat until about 10-12 months old.
• A wether is a male kid who has been castrated and
is used for meat.
• An uncastrated male goat may be raised as a billy
to be used or sold as a herd sire.
• Boer goats have red heads with white bodies.
• Nubian goats produce more milk, and crossed with
Boers, produce better moms.
• Kiko breed is parasite resistant and gives excellent
quality meat. |
The election of officers was monitored by Eddie May, Talladega County USDA District Conservationist. Officers of the Meat Goat and Sheep Producers of Talladega County are president, Lee Hay; first vice president, John Manning; second vice president, Marty Yeager; and treasurer, Jeff Chandler. Doyle Hall, Bill Jones and Cindy Swank awarded door prizes from Intervet and the Talladega County Cooperative.
For more information, call Ernie or Lee Hay at 256-378-6242.
Fran Sharp is a freelance writer from Alabaster. |
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