We almost always have chicken eggs for sale. In addition, we offer duck, goose, and turkey eggs, as well as birds (chicks and adult birds, dead or alive), depending on seasonal availability and their cooperation. We minimize the amount of store-bought grain products we feed our birds: The ducks, geese, and turkeys fend for themselves in the warmer months, foraging in the orchard, compost pile, and ditch, and only get a handful of grain and some compost in the depth of winter. The chickens, being more domesticated, are less efficient foragers and need a little extra human care to make it through our cold winters and the occasional handful of feed in the summer if our compost sources are unavailable..
As a result, our birds produce less eggs, but the difference in the quality of the eggs is obvious as soon as you crack them open. Would you rather eat digested earthworms, alfalfa sprouts, and apples, or genetically engineered corn (the main ingredient in any non-organic store-bought feed) and egg-laying hormones?
Do not be fooled by eggs sold under the labels "free-range" or "vegetarian." Ask the hard questions, whether you buy eggs in your grocery store or from the little old lady next door. Or better yet, build your own chicken coop! In my humble opinion, chickens need to dig for and chase and eat bugs to stay happy and healthy. See our price list and don't hesitate to ask for anything that is not listed on there.
Similarly, the story of so-called "organic" milk is complicated. How many days a year do the animals have access to live pasture? How much grain is supplemented in their feed? Raising grazing animals confined on a feedlot with no access to running space and live foods, even if they are fed prime quality organic hay, is still unhealthy and unnatural. Moreover, goats are highly intelligent and inquisitive browsers (unlike sheep, cows, or horses, which are grazers!) and naturally prefer weeds, shrubs, tree branches, old Christmas trees, and other fibrous and high-mineral foods over grass and alfalfa. They cannot possibly remain healthy without access to their natural diet, intellectual stimulation, and need for movement. They have an incredibly efficient but very sensitive digestive system and are not designed by nature to eat handfuls of grain, whether organic or not, regardless of the fact that it will double their milk production. For more information on the significance of pasture-based farming, explore the links in the "web resources" page of this website. Or come by for a visit and see the glee, grace, and speed with which the young goat kids climb trees or bounce off rocks.
The unlicensed sale of raw milk products is illegal in New Mexcico. Moreover, we only share raw, unprocessed milk that is less than 24 hours old and our operation is so small that we cannot guarantee to always have extra. Anything left over at the end of the day is turned into kefir, yogurt, or cheese. So we have devised a system of selling "HERD SHARES," similar to the principle of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), where customers pay a farmer at the beginning of the season and receive a box of produce every week for the length of the growing season. At Happy Goat Productions, we like predictablility and consistency. It works best for us if you can decide how many "shares" you need each week, so that we can make sure to reserve the equivalent in your choice of milk, kefir, yogurt, or cheese consistently and then have you pick up your share at a pre-arranged time and place every week.
For the nitty-gritty details of our milk operation, see this additional information.
For current pricing, see our price list.
Here is a link to the detailed and legal Herd Share Agreement that you will have to sign if you want any dairy products.
Experience the joys of goat husbandry first-hand without the responsibility. Your (goat) kid adoption does not mean that you take direct ownership of “your” goat. Rather, this arrangement is intended as a way for you to come as close to the experience of raising a goat as possible without the actual commitment in time and money to be a full-blown goat owner with 24 hr, 7 days a week, 365 days a year responsibilities. I believe that all children – and adults – should have a chance to relate to animals, especially young ones, which most children find absolutely irresistible. It is my sincere hope that this program might enable more children to experience the joy of animal husbandry that my own daughter gets to live on a daily basis.
Learn about goat husbandry (and sustainable farming, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, horses, dogs, cats, raspberry bushes, corn fields, and traditional flood irrigation) through direct participation, observation, and instruction on site!
Be involved in her or his growing up so you get a realistic sense of the benefits, expenses, and strains of goat ownership and decide whether this may be for you.
Help with the cost of raising her and have an input in her future, including but not limited to the option of buying or donating her to a needy family when she is old enough to be separated from her mother!
In addition, you will receive
regular emailed photographs and updates about your goat if you are unable to visit;
immediate notification when the mother goat goes into labor;
if possible, the privilege of being present at the birth of “your” goat or as soon thereafter as possible. Holding “your” goat kid right after birth is an irreplaceable experience that no child or adult will ever forget, if you have never experienced anything like this before. Goats are very affectionate and will get to know and love you if you visit regularly.
an educational visit by Sabine to a classroom or event of your choice with “your” goat, or for any group of children (or adults) to come visit “your” goat at Happy Goat Productions (see “Educational Events and Parties” below);
a lesson in milking “your” goat’s mom, and you get to take home all the milk you milked;
the option of buying “your” goat kid when old enough.
Your "life-time adoption" entitles you to all of the above for the childhood of the goat, plus
actual ownership of the goat.
When the kid has grown big enough to be separated from mom, you can either take her or him home to keep (after I have visited your place to make sure that you are prepared and able to give her a happy, safe, and healthy future) or donate him or her to a family in need. I will be happy to make arrangements for that ...
1 herd share consists of your choice of any or a combination of the following per month for one lactation period, i.e., for 10 months, starting a month after birth:
4 quarts of raw goat milk, or
20 oz of goat cheese, or
3.5 quarts of goat kefir or yogurt, or
4 dozens chicken eggs or the equivalent in duck, goose, or wild turkey eggs.
Any or all of your goat share products can also be donated to a family in need in the Taos area. I will be happy to find a needy family, e.g. with a child with allergies to cow’s milk, and arrange for pick-up and delivery with them.
Twice a week, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly pick-ups can be arranged at Happy Goat Productions, at Taos Country Day School, or any other location convenient for both of us.
For current pricing, see our price list.
Visit by Sabine and one or several animals of your choice to any school class or private residence of your choice (20 people max.).
Visit by a group to our farm Happy Goat Productions (10 people max., unless by special arrangement, children’s supervision required at all times): includes lecture, milking lesson, dairy products if appropriate, and hands-on animal contact for every group member. Of course we can always arrange for a ditch cleaning, potato-digging party, corn planting, or anything else you may need.
On-site consultation at your place to help you set up your site for a sustainable combination of agriculture and animal husbandry (goats, poultry, horses), including making your farm predator-safe!!!!
If you liked the contents of this website and found any of its information helpful or would simply like to support our work at Happy Goat Productions, please consider making a donation by clicking the "donate" button below. Alternatively, use the feedback form to send me a message and discuss arrangements for donating any of our services (e.g. weekly milk, egg, and veggie delivery to a family in need, a visit with my animals to a local school class or club, or anything else you can think of....).