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 Our baby goats are growing up and have moved to an outside pen. Erin looks through the fence and seems to ask , "Are you my Mommy?" Up till now they have not seen any goats that large. They are whisked away at birth and bottle raised. Now they are outside and starting to learn the ways of the herd. In actual fact the other goat is Ember her sister from last year.
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 The kids on the farm go through steps before they join the herd. From birth, they go into the baby goat tote. Simon here is about to graduate to the dog kennel. When they get big enough to jump out of the tote, they move to the the kennel. Then outside to the small pen. Here they learn the ways of the electric fence. Then on to the grow out area, they will stay here until they are weaned and join the herd or are sold.
They start off soo cute and lovable, but that is all part of their master plan. Then after they lull you into complacency they strike. It is goats on a mission, they want milk and they want it now! They will not stop at anything to get you to feed them. Just ask to see the hoof prints!
The start of his life was a bit rough, of the 15 ducklings we ordered only 7 made it. 5 were DOA, 3 more died that first day. One died in my hands, that was a hard day.
....But life goes on and they grew..... The lucky 7; over the years the males would fight for breeding rights. Big Guy was a lover not a fighter. He actually he won a few, but he mostly lost. He was kind and gentle of heart. Always giving you "ducky eyes" to bribe you for a treat. We put them to bed last night as usual, he walked in happily. Sometime during the night (we think) he fought the good fight and did not back down. We will never know who won........ ........but Big Guy breathed his last. Michelle found him this the morning and gave him a proper burial. There will never be another Big Guy. He will always live in our hearts.  Life on a farm, a life until a few years ago I really knew nothing about. But as the years have gone by, I now know the ways of the farm. Life is simple here, but at the same time it is hard and rewarding. To do it over again I would have started sooner. Farm life is in the raw, up close and very personal. You see the cycle of life; birth, life and death. Death is a part of life on the farm. It comes in many forms, sometimes it is a animal that has lived a long and fruitful life. Other times it ends with putting meat on the table. Both of these I can handle. There will be some sorrow but this is tempered with knowledge they have lived well and that they will be used for a purpose. But there is one type that is very hard for me. The death of a little one, a life cut short. A life that was not realized.
On the farm we had a good share of animals die, from day old chicks to baby goats. Each and everyone is hard. You always second guess yourself. What could have I done? Could I have saved them? The bible reveals to us that Our Lord knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. For us, we mourn each and every life on the farm . All of them are precious, all of them are loved and tended for, but all are here for a reason. I mourn as much for a day old chick as a baby goat that dies, all are special. This is farm life you see life and death up close. You feel the sorrows and the joys of life. In the end, when the day is done, I reflect on the grandeur of the Lord's creation and also so long as all creation does for the time when death has lost its sting! |
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