Besides this post, you can always follow me on Instagram, where you can also meet the animals as I share them, often in my stories.
Currently, 32 animal residents call this hobby farm forever home, two ponies, one miniature horse, seven indoor kitties, three roosters, fifteen hens, one parakeet, and five fish.
THE EQUINE
I never imagined as an adult that ponies would be my heart animal, but here we are, and our two ponies and miniature horse are the pride and joy of the hobby farm. Someday we hope to have additions to this little herd, but for now, each of these little mares found their way to us. They keep us busy, and we love having them here.
Mixie was purchased from a Craigslist ad back in 2017 at the estimated age of seventeen. She had/has Equine Metabolic Syndrome and suffered from founder/chronic laminitis, which we maintain with farrier trims every four weeks and a monitored diet. She is the heart of the hobby farm and has educated me in so many ways since the first day we met. She’s my best gal pal, and if you’d like to learn more of Mixie’s story and enjoy her cute photos, click HERE.
Cedar is one of the cutest miniature horses you can meet. She was born in 2009 and can be shy around strangers but usually warms up with a few treats and slow movements. We call her our wild little bush baby, and she’s one of those meant-to-be stories. She’s a favorite for walks around the hobby farm, and she pretends she hates baths but sure loves splashing in her kiddie pool. You can read more of Cedar’s story HERE.
Shiloh’s previous owner came to us in July 2020 during the covid pandemic and asked if we’d give Shiloh a new home. We said yes, and I’m so happy we did. She’s one of the sweetest ponies I have ever met. She’s in her late 20s and has Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Cushing’s disease, so she requires daily medication and special care. You can learn more about Shiloh’s health and story HERE.
THE KITTIES
Let’s spay and neuter our cats, ok, friends! We had a stray show up in our barn, and a few days later, she delivered five beautiful babies. Three with no tails, one with a bobtail, and the one born with a tail is a polydactyl. Well, long story short, they’re all staying with us and now we have SEVEN indoor cats.
MAMA MAY-MAY
This friendly yet bossy and bitchy girl is MAMA May-May. She showed up in May, and that’s how she ended up with the name. We don’t know much about her, but she seems to enjoy the indoor cat life as she’s never tried to escape. Everyone says she was one smart cat to deliver babies in our barn. You can read more about her kitten surprise HERE.
HOUSTON, AKA BABY HUEY
Born May 22, 2023
This little guy was baby number one. He’s the largest of the litter, has a bobtail, extra fur, and is just perfection when it comes to cuteness. He has a personality of eat, sleep, chill, repeat, and he’s the most laid-back of the kitten bunch.
TEDDY
Born May 22, 2023
Here we have baby number two. He’s a rumpy, meaning he has no tail, not even a stub. He looks like a bear cub when he bounces around the house, so that’s how he earned the name Teddy, aka Teddy Bear. He is a little rambunctious but likes a person when it’s nap time to lay with.
DEWEY
Born May 22, 2023
Baby number three is Dewey. He’s named after the boy on the television show Malcolm in the Middle. We felt like their faces had some similarities, which made us laugh. Dewey is also a tailless rumpy, and has a bit of anxiety. He’s a snuggler, loves to play, but prefers to be able to approach you. His face often says I’m sorry, yet he’s never doing anything wrong. He’s adorable.
DELL
Born May 22, 2023
Baby number four is Dell. Dell is short for delinquent. This kid is the most people-friendly kitten I have ever met, BUT he gets into EVERYTHING. He’s the most rowdy of the bunch, and he’s also the runt of the litter. He was the only one born with a full tail but ended up with an extra front toe. If you hear a bang, crash, or pop, it’s most likely caused by Dell. He’s the twin to his mama, and even she puts him in his place on occasion. He’ll look you straight in the eyes, is happiest to great you when you wake up in the moring, and he’s just a hyper and happy kitty. Everyone loves Dell.
PANDA
Born May 22, 2023
Lastly, baby number five is Panda. He’s pretty independent and does his own thing, and for some reason, he sits and stares at my husband, just sits and stares like he wishes he could be a human. He’s one of the tailless, but he also has an extra back toe. We named him Panda because he looks like a panda bear. He’s pretty chill and has some pretty cool features. He’s my husbands favorite little guy.
Macho Man is the king of the hobby farm. He’s been a little annoyed with the arrival of Mama May-May and her kittens, and I’ll admit Mama May has not been very friendly with him, but they’re all finding their places. Macho Man came to live with us as a bottle baby in 2017, I have an entire post dedicated to this guy, and if you’d like to check it out, you can find it HERE.
THE ROOSTERS
We have three roosters on the hobby farm. Two are Silkies, and they were hatched here on the hobby farm during the spring of 2019.
The third rooster is a The third rooster is a White-Crested Black Polish, who was supposed to be a hen. He came with my Murray McMurray Hatchery order in 2023.
WOLF
Wolf gets his name because he’s kind of a lone wolf. He goes off and does his own thing allowing our other rooster Feral to do the protecting. Wolf has no problem wandering the yard alone and doesn’t need to fit in with the flock. Well, until recently, I think he has an eye for a few of the new chicks. He’s easy to handle when you catch him, likes treats, and he’s the favorite chicken on the hobby farm.
FERAL
Feral gets his name because he’s not a fan of being approached, so he’s never been handled much. He’s not aggressive. If you do catch him, he’s never mean. He just doesn’t want to be touched, and that’s ok because he’ll make a great deal of noise if something is wrong at the chicken coop. He makes a great protector for the ladies.
CRUELLA
I think it’s obvious who Cruella is named after, the famous Cruella De Vil. He was supposed to be a hen but ended up crowing, and we learned this white-crested black polish was indeed a rooster, and I am not changing his name, but I do call him Crue for short often.
He’s doing well with Wolf and Feral. Both of these breeds are friendly, and they all seem to have their own small flocks of ladies.
Cruella is pretty easy to handle, as he was one of the chicks I spent a lot of time handling because he was so darn CUTE!
THE HENS
The silkie hens are the OG’s of the hobby farm. I’ve had only silkies for quite a few years, but after a predator attack, I needed to rebuild the flock for Wolf and Feral, so I added some new breeds.
We now have fifteen hens, and they do not all have names. Not all chickens around here receive a name. They earn a name after showing their personality, or if we can pick them out from the crowd, but I have a few that are named, and I’m happy to introduce them.
LOU-LOU
Lou-Lou is a blue cochin. She came with the new additions in 2023. I handled her the most out of all chicks, so she’s become one of my favorites.
SNOWBALL
This stunning little girl is also a blue cochin. Her coloring is a lot light then Lou-Lou, so you can definetly tell them apart.
MAMA BIRD
This pretty girl is my last partridge-colored silkie, and I believe she was hatched at the same time as Wolf and Feral in 2019. Silkies make excellent mamas and are often broody so a name like Mama Bird was fitting.
CONNIE
Oh, Connie, I don’t really know why I named this girl Connie it just came out my mouth one day when I was trying to help her find her way back to the coop. She likes to jump the fence and free range in the large pasture. She’s one of the new girls from the 2023 order and she is an Ameraucana.
GOLDIE
Goldie is an Ameraucana like Connie, but her feathers have a beautiful golden hue, hence her name Goldie.
THE DIRTBALL’S
These two dirtballs are my white silkies and the oldest hens in the house. The only time they are clean is fresh from a bath. Otherwise, they’re found lounging in dirt holes or being broody and moody in their nesting boxes. Silkies are the absolute best mamas and one of my favorite chicken breeds.
AS FOR THE REST OF THE GIRLS
They’re my husbands favorite chicken breed.
THE PARAKEET & FISH
We’ve had parakeets since 2011. My youngest son received them, Nips and Flips, as a gift for his birthday. Flips passed away unexpectedly at the age of 12, and now we only have Nips.
NIPS
Nips is a fan of millet treats and music. He also enjoys flying around the room, but only if the door is closed so no kitties can play with him.
You can view the parakeet aviary HERE.
SHARKY & HIS FISH CREW
Sharky is what we believe to be a species of Plecostomus. He has two small fish friends that swim alongside him. He lives in a colorful tank at the bottom of our basement stairwell, and you’ll pass him and the crew as you head to the kitty cat playroom.
Thanks for taking a moment to meet the animal crew, and I hope you’ll enjoy more posts on the blog.
XOXO
Emily
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY SEEING THE ANIMALS LAYOUTS
HERE YOU CAN VIEW THE PONY BARN AND EQUINE LAYOUT
HERE YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHICKEN COOP LAYOUT
THE DESIGNATED CAT SPACE COME SEE MY KITTY PLAYROOM
TAKE A PEEK AT OUR DIY PARAKEET AVIARY
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