Life as a Main Ridge Dairy goat is pretty fabulous. Living a life on such a beautiful farm with paddocks that go as far as the eye can see is simply incredible. Our goats all have names and are treated with great care and respect. They really are the heroes of our Main Ridge Dairy business.
So, what’s a typical day look like for them.
After a peaceful night’s sleep on a bed of comfy straw, it’s daybreak and time to get up and start the day. After a slow stretch, then a nibble on some scrumptious hay mix, it’s time to wander across to be milked.
7am: Head to the Milking Shed
Milking time means eating time for all the dairy goats, with fresh pellets on the daily menu. The shed doors open and it’s a race to get a good position in the line up to be milked and get even closer to enjoying those pellets. (Being somewhat creatures of habit, the order of the goats each day is usually the same).
The milking starts, the hum of the milk machine signifies the start of milking and eating those pellets is only moments away. Only 16 dairy goats are milked at any one time, 8 on each side of the milking platform.
The gates open, then the next group scramble in and take position on each side of the platform. Heads lean into the feeder and the milking begins. When the time is up, the goats lick up the last of the pellets, the gates open and it’s then time head back to the shed for a well-earned rest, perhaps nibble on some hay and have a drink of fresh water.
Mid-morning
After a little rest, another highlight of the day arrives, when the freshly cut green grass is put onto the feeding pad. It’s a race to the feed pad to enjoy the fresh green grass, even though there is plenty for all the goats. The remainder of the day is a mix of rest, some outdoor time running around the paddock, climbing up on some logs and taking in some sunshine and nibbling on some fresh grass and some special hay mix.
4pm – Milking Shed Afternoon Shift
The shed door opens the excitement grows as they race to the open door of the shed and up to the dairy to indulge in those amazing pellets. The goats jostle for their best position, sometimes trying to do one better than the morning milking session.
Almost Bedtime
All the goats head back to the shed to cosy in for the night to get out of the wind and rain, then it’s time to finish off the fresh grass, nibble on some hay, rest and as darkness falls bed down for the night until the sun rises, the shed door opens and a new day begins.