Mar 5, 20202 min read

What’s Going On at Baan Unrak Farm?

We’ve been very lucky to have a couple of tireless veterinarians volunteers at Baan Unrak. Giusy and Matteo came all the way from Italy, and helped us a lot with our goats!

First, they assessed the general condition of the 63 goats: 20 of them could give milk, however, some suffered from mastitis, an inflammatory reaction of the udder. Thus they first cured them, while also sterilizing young male goats.

With these initial tasks done, Giusy and Matteo ignited the sparkle to implement a new project at Baan Unrak:

Milking our Goats

With the help of Baan Unrak farmers and teenagers, our veterinarians volunteers created an ingenious device to facilitate the milking process.

First, a colored thread was put around the neck of the goats that can give milk, in order to quickly recognize them among all.

Then, from the goats’ house they would be accompanied out two at a time. Bamboo poles mark the path to the milking station where, while eating good food – cereals and rice – the goats are milked.

When the milking job is done, as a thank you, the goats are awarded with a tasty yellow flower.

It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but the goats are quickly getting used and, according to our veterinarians, soon they will be waiting in line to be milked, and the milk production will increase considerably by sticking long enough to the process: hopefully, providing goats milk and yoghurt for all of Baan Unrak children!

Once the whole process was tried and tested, the children were eager to come down at the farm to see it.

So one late afternoon we were all waiting for the goats to come back from their daily pasture across the lake. The children got immediately involved in the milking operations helping the farmers, and snuggling the goats!