Animals

In my daily interaction with my farmyard full of goats, calves, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats and a rabbit, I have lots of time to observe and think. The animals have a pretty good "relationship" with me. They look to me as their provider and caretaker and maybe even friend. Interactions within species are not the same by any means, in any dream.

The chickens have a definite pecking order. Big papa rooster, Mr. Magnificent, rules the roost. He gets his way, and he sort of looks after the hens, calls them to share food he finds. He has never caused trouble with me, but some roosters will attack people. The "teenaged" chickens mostly just stay out of the way of all the older chickens.

There are only two sheep here now. Elizabeth is older than Gourdo by a month or so. She is a go getter. Gourdo does what she does. They like to bounce around their pen and are very noisy, always demanding more grain or hay.

I only have one Holstein steer calf at this time. His name is Ole. He keeps a pretty cool head most of the time. He lets Lollipop, a three year old milk goat, push him around. Ole lives for food, first his bottle of milk and then grain and milk.

Goats - I could talk about them for a long time. There are two goats that want to be queen and I rarely let them get together. I am afraid that one of them will be injured in the fray. Blackberry is seven years old and now two months pregnant. Lollipop is three years old and milking over a gallon a day. Both of them have a favorite goat to pick on and will run at them with head down from across the pen for no decernable reason. Oh how I wish there was some way to tell the goats to be kind to each other. They don't have to be in such competition.

The Bible says that God created people in his own image. There are so many differences between people and animals. It is God who made us and them. God calls us to be stewards of his creation. We don't have to act like animals. We can value and care for each other.