'Sea Of Serotonin': Visitors Can Snuggle Baby Goats At Newtown's Narrow Way Farm (2024)

Herdkeeper Abigail Tuttle O'Keeffe runs a store, raises some 50 baby goats yearly, and offers a home for Bucks County's wayward roosters.

Posted Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 11:42 am ET|Updated Wed, Mar 2, 2022 at 1:47 pm ET

"Everybody’s just over the moon with all the good feels of holding the babies, watching them play, and learning," O'Keeffe told Patch after her first week opening feeding time up to visitors.

A former university professor, longtime dairy farmer and mother of five with a degree in developmental psychology, O'Keeffe developed Narrow Way Farm with her community in mind.

She bought the 37-acre property at 887 Worthington Mill Road in 2017, preserving land that could have become a subdivision. She said the previous owners raised prize-winning golden retrievers on the farm; looking at the kennel, O'Keeffe imagined raising baby goats and setting up a milking parlor. The adjoining office, she thought, could be used for milk processing.

O'Keeffe had raised goats for years before that — and it's always been a family affair.

"[Having] five kids in six years, one of the things I needed to accept was that I wasn’t going to be hopping in the car and going places a lot," she said. "I was really fairly tied down, and so I started the animal projects just as a way to have something to do with the kids that would be hands-on learning that they would enjoy."

More than a decade later, she developed Narrow Way Farm. Along with farm manager Vanessa Owens, interns from Delaware Valley Community College, and farm employees, she began making inroads with people around the region.

"I knew that I wanted to make goat milk because there was no other goat milk producer within an hour of where I’m located, but the demand was pretty high," O'Keeffe explained.

Goat milk is the most-consumed milk on the planet, and area residents with all different cultural backgrounds come to Narrow Way Farm for their supply.

"A lot of the time, doctors will recommend or prescribe goat milk for healing various illnesses [babies] have," she added.

Narrow Way now sells goat meat, too. While some of the least-expensive goat meat from big retailers goes for more than $10 per pound, O'Keeffe has committed to selling goat meat in her farm store for $7 per pound. Plus, there's a high demand for the fresh stuff.

Meat (including pork, beef, turkey and duck), milk, cheese, soaps, CBD products, house plants, and more products made on-site fill the farm store shelves. But O'Keeffe isn't just selling — she's always looking for ways to engage community members.

In February, she and her staff led a butchering workshop open to the public. She asked for only free-will donations — and the same pricing model exists for the bottle-feeding events.

"My experience is that most people who are interested in agricultural stuff are coming at it with a very open and fair attitude," she said.

Before those events, O'Keeffe started a "Rooster Relief" program as a joke after noticing that many Bucks County residents had roosters they didn't want to take care of. She offered for people to drop off roosters at the farm one day — and ended up with more than 60 birds in just 24 hours.

She makes sure not to call the program a sanctuary, as a small number of the roosters are sold for food. But she said many live out happy lives on her farm. (Now, anyone can bring roosters any time, as signaled by a sign on the shed: "Drop your co*cks here.")

O'Keeffe had family at heart when setting up the farm's layout, making sure the farm store was far back from the road for safety. The space is decked out with wagons, toys and a corn sandbox. A free coffee station provides hot beverages for caregivers, and fluffy chairs and carpets lend a homey feel. Plus, an outdoor tent gives little ones even more room to play.

"The animals are right next to the store, so they’re standing there watching you when you get out of your car," she laughed. "It’s just a nice place where your kid can run around."

She's also introduced "sip and snuggle" afternoons for adults from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, when locals can enjoy a beautifully laid porch, bring snacks and beverages, and soak up the coziness with some baby goats for company.

"It has a nice vantage point," she said. "You can see a lot of the farm from there."

With so many "reeling from COVID," O'Keeffe wants the farm to be a calming place for visitors to connect and learn something new.

"Hopefully, people will appreciate the casual feel," she said.

She'll be offering bottle-feeding events through the summer on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Those interested can RSVP by text. She soon plans to offer "follow the farmer" Saturdays for residents interested in seeing more of Narrow Way's workings.

The new events have been wonderful for visitors of all ages — and for workers on the farm, she said.

"It’s like a sea of serotonin," she said. "It really is."

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