Hobo Queens Farm

What animals live here?

 

The Hobo Queen is a sucker for any animal that is unusual looking, mentally unbalanced, aggressive, physically disabled or just in need of extra help in the world.  There are currently 3 large aggressive African geese guarding the home base with a back- up alarm creation crew of 3 Ancona Ducks and 6 Rouen/Pekin cross ducks (the number of ducks varies when hunger strikes the Queen). There are numerous odd breeds of chickens running and perched around the farm.  A migrant band of Phoenix and game chickens party in the woods all day, feed themselves in the wild and come home to roost at sunset.

There are three dogs, a three legged Golden Retriever, the terrier at left who was found tied to a chain in the woods behind an elderly Amish fellows farm and a little mixed terrier we call "Beastie" who was at the hatchery in a bucket "free to a good home".  All three dogs have their issues but all are good watchmen, entertainment and friends.

  The dairy farm was found to have a wonderful abundance of rodent life and after 2 years the queen went in search of the ultimate rodent repellent- CATS!  There are now outdoor and indoor cats who catch anything small that stirs in the night or in the milk barn.

  One condition of the Dairy farm job was that the Queen be allowed a magnificent steed (maybe two if a riding partner could be found).  In the first month a mare and foal were purchased and though the mare was found to be violent and subsequently rehomed the Strawberry Roan Tennessee Walking Horse filly has grown to be a constant source of beauty and amusement in the pastures.  She, of course, needed a companion and when a donkey was purchased as a goat/ sheep guardian it was quickly found that he preffered the company of the pretty horse. "Hoss" is a noisy fellow but comical, sweet and trouble-free so he lives here on his own terms.

  While in search of a breed to call her own the queen dabbled in Boer meat goats. Two young does and a buck were purchased but one doe was killed by dogs, the other failed to breed and the buck became violent after 18 months so goats were out of the question.

 Dairy cows seemed an obvious choice as so much could be learned about them at the current job.  The first cow purchased had a lovely female baby but within a year the baby died unexpectedly, the cow misscarried at 6 months and off to the auction she went.  The owner bestows upon the queen a young bull calf each spring to raise as a meat steer and fill the royal freezer with yummy fresh beef.

Then there are the hogs, one Red Wattle mix who was purchased on a whim at auction for $20 and soon proved that the Queen and hogs got along fantastically.  This led to the purchase of a female "Mulefoot" mix female, a purebred Red Wattle female and finally the aptly named "Fiasco Joe", a Red Wattle registered and pure who will hopefully father a line of royal Red Wattles.

 Lastly the Queen decided something more exotic was needed to round things out so a baby Pueblan Milksnake was brought home.

 For 2014 we will be expecting baby goats (maybe? hopefully, finally?) and many piglets of which one will be kept as the final member of a 2015 breeding team of 3 feeder-breeder sows and the kingdom will never run short of pork or profit again!  Of course there will also be an addition of a small herd of Turkeys to make sure the Queen has someone to battle, butcher and celebrate when the whim strikes.