Meet the Animals of Harvest Hills Homestead

One of the most common questions we get is, “What animals do you have on your homestead?” The short answer is — quite a few. The long answer is that each animal here has a purpose, a job, and a story of their own.

Our animals are not just part of the homestead — they are the homestead. They help feed our family, support our land, protect our livestock, and teach our children responsibility, compassion, and hard work every single day.

Our Animals by the Numbers

Life on a homestead means you don’t just have a few animals — you have a whole crew to take care of every single day.

Harvest Hills Homestead is home to 96 animals (and counting), each playing a role in our homestead — from dairy goats and livestock guardians to egg layers, garden helpers, and a few well-loved pets along the way.

Right now, our homestead family includes:

• 11 dogs – Livestock guardians and farm dogs: Daisy & Riddick and their puppies — Bear, Penny, Mini, Rory, Blue, Tonka, and Red — along with our livestock guardian girls Remy and Riley.

• 30 goats (and counting) – Our dairy herd (and yes, they all have names!)

• 2 donkeys – Frank and Lucile, our companions and protectors

• 2 Kune Kune pigs – Darla and Gertrude, future breeding stock, meat and lard production

• 2 cows – Mabel and Annie, part of our growing homestead livestock and future breeding stock

• 6 ducks – Egg layers and pest control

• 12 adult chickens – Fresh eggs and garden helpers

• 2 roosters – Protectors of the flock

• 24 baby chicks – The next generation of layers

• 1 female heritage turkey – Lady

• 1 chinchilla – Willow

• 1 bearded dragon – Draco

• 2 guinea pigs – Potato and Milo

Some are working animals, some are food sources, some help protect the farm, and a few are simply part of the family — but every single one plays a role in homestead life.

Homestead Hounds

With 11 dogs on the homestead, there is never a quiet moment. Our livestock guardian dogs protect the animals, our farm dogs help with chores and keeping order, and all of them are part of daily life here. A good farm dog is more than a pet — they are a working partner, a protector, and part of the family.

The Goat Herd

Our goats are the heart of our homestead. They provide milk for drinking, baking, cooking, and many of the products we make here on the farm. Goats are also some of the most mischievous animals you will ever meet — if there is a way to get into trouble, they will find it.

With over 30 goats and counting, there is always a baby goat being born, a fence being tested, or a milking stand in use.

The Rest of the Crew

Frank and Lucile keep a close eye on the property, Darla and Gertrude spend their days happily grazing, and Mabel and Annie are a big part of our future homestead plans. The chickens and ducks provide fresh eggs and help with pest control around the garden and barn.

And then there are the smaller members of the homestead — Lady the turkey, Willow the chinchilla, Draco the bearded dragon, and Potato and Milo the guinea pigs — who make sure there is never a dull moment around here.

More Than Just Animals

When people ask what homestead life is like, the truth is — it’s built around the animals. They set the schedule. They depend on us every single day, in every kind of weather, no matter how busy life gets.

But in return, they give us food, purpose, lessons for our children, and a life that we are incredibly grateful to live. Our children are growing up learning responsibility, compassion, hard work, and where their food comes from — lessons that can’t be taught from a book alone.

A homestead isn’t built in a day, and it isn’t built by one person alone.

It’s built chore by chore, fence by fence, season by season — and in our case, 96 animals at a time.

From our homestead to yours —

thank you for being part of our story.

— Harvest Hills Homestead