Last days in Ausserferrera - milking and socializing with goats

The time is already coming to an end. We still had one day of raking hay. Again it was really beautiful, appeasing and strengthening. And also everyday there was milking of the goats. A perfect chance to practice. On the last day I managed to milk 3 goats by myself. Some of them are so sweet, they come rub their head against you. Other goats just think you are a pile of hay and come nibble your clothes (yes my clothes did smell like hay). Some goats like to be pet and scratched. Hard to believe but one important part of the work here is to socialize with goats, especially the younger ones, so that they become more used to humans and then easier to herd and milk in the future.

One job that wasn't so easy but very important also is making new fences and removing the old fences once the goats have moved out. Goats have to be moved every 3-4 days after which they have eaten up all the grass and leaves and even barks of the trees. These movable fences are quite easy to handle but still a bit heavy to carry once you gathered all the poles. Again a good strength exercise! Especially when picking up a fence that is on a steep hill. It is also quite technical to make sure that the electricity doesn't leak out into grass or tress or rocks and that the goats wont have any way to easily jump over it.

So I spend my last afternoon hanging out with the goats, soaking up the beauty of the place, surrounded by mountains, forest, rivers. I also stop by the vegetable garden and pick some green beans, zucchini, fennel, cucumber, celery to bring home. And of course: bringing back fresh goat milk and fresh cheese made by Michael.

I am so grateful for my time on the farm, with the goats, haying up on the high meadows. I greatly recommend to go spend time to work there. I'm thinking of going back one day in the summer to spend at least a week up on the Alp with the shepherds and also to go spend some time in the village when the mother goats are having their babies between January and March/April. Taking care of baby goats!

Here is their description on Workaway: Join our family goat farm in the beautiful mountains of Ausserferrera, Switzerland

My conclusion about goat milk: yes I have seen it done in an ethical way here on Michael's farm and on the Alp with Steffi and Marcus - with animal welfare being a high priority. Compared to cows, the goats get pregnant in a natural way and the way to check pregnancy is simply observing that the males have lost interest in her. Yay I can now happily continue to eat goat cheese (coming from small sustainable farms)!

 One of my favorite goats to milk and hang out with

One more pile of hay 

Leaving the workplace on the last day of haying

Harvesting vegetable before taking the bus/train back to Basel

Soaking up a bit of the beauty of the place