Playing with Goats | Our First Workamping Experience

We had just spent two nights in our friends’ driveway in Clearwater, FL.  Jon had been browsing through Workamping jobs the morning we were set to leave, and came across this small goat farm in Tallahassee.  A woman was dealing with some medical issues that were preventing her from caring for her precious Pygmy Goats.

Jon quickly put in a call to her that morning.  Our intentions were to head out of Florida and hit the road toward New Orleans.  But I think God had a different plan for us.  We were able to get in touch with Melissa, the owner of the goat farm, just an hot or so after we hit the road.  By the end of the day, we found ourselves parked inside of a goat pasture in Tallahassee, surrounded by 15 or so goats, two ducks, and plenty of chickens.

Goat House Farm ended up being our home for roughly a month.  It was our first ever Workamping experience, and it set the bar high.  Melissa was so amazing to work for.  She’s not hard to please, and she was always so grateful for our help.  Never missing a moment to express it.

Our morning routine consisted of feeding all of the goats and giving them fresh water.  Their morning bleating (a goat’s “call”) in anticipation of their food was so hilarious and welcoming.  Daily tasks consisted of setting up and maintaining the organic garden.  Jon spent a lot of his time tilling, improving the construction of the chicken run, and preparing the raised beds for planting.

Melissa allowed us as many fresh eggs as we needed as well as free reign of her Clementine trees.  Fresh fruit and eggs every single day.  Can’t beat that!

There were about 6 goat kids running around the herd; about 4-6 weeks old at the time.  I remember being obsessed with trying to catch them and get them socialized.  Little did I know that catching a goat kid, that isn’t bottle fed, in a wide open pasture is a daunting task.  You can be sure that you’ll get a full workout in, though.

Even though the goats weren’t overly social, we absolutely loved getting to see them every single day.  One of the things we loved the most about volunteering for Melissa, was that she was always willing to let us explore the area as we pleased.  It wasn’t all work and no play for her.  She was always to grateful for our help.  So during our time at her farm, we managed to get away and explore all the amazing things surrounding Tallahassee.  From Mission San Luis and the Alfred B. MacClay Gardens, to St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge, there was always plenty to see and do.

We got to know our sweet goat friends pretty well.  We developed favorites pretty quickly.  As I would be inside our camper working on my own things, Jon would occasionally open the door and plop a sweet little goat kid inside.  It was a welcomed distraction.

We even got to witness a kid being born.  A goat named Hannah was pregnant for the first time, and ready to give birth at any moment.  She was, by far, the most social goat of the herd…having been bottle fed when she was a kid.  One afternoon, I heard Jon calling for me, and he sounded super excited.  “It’s happening!  It’s happening!”  He was scrambling to go get his phone so he could record the birth.

When we found Hannah, she was already well into labor.  We pretty much caught the last 20 minutes.  At one point, Melissa was concerned about the position of the kid.  He seemed to have been coming out head first, not front legs first.  But Hannah was a trooper.  She managed to give birth on her own without any intervention.  Melissa even let us name the new addition to the herd.  Since his father’s name is Vincent, and his mother is Hannah, we lovingly named him Van.  He quickly became a favorite.  He’s a cross between a Boer and a Pygmy, so he stood taller on day one than the other kids who were 6 weeks older than he was.

We weren’t alone during our time in Tallahassee, either.  Shortly after our own arrival, another Workamping couple joined us.  We enjoyed nightly campfires together, had community dinners, and even spent an evening playing card games together.  They were a super sweet couple that we still keep in touch with.  Melissa also rented out a carriage house to a man and his daughter.  Brian and Montana were frequent faces that we got to see.  Brian even took us night fishing one night at one of his favorite spots.  Lifelong friends were made all around during our time in Tallahassee.

As our first Workamping experience, I’d say we hit the jackpot.  We were so grateful to Melissa for trusting us with her small farm.  Our reason for hitting the road full-time seemed to have more meaning.  And little did we know that our time as Workampers had just begun.