OUR ANIMALS | The Honyock Homestead

Meet the Pets and Livestock on Our Homestead

Hank (DOB 8/2025) — is the official ambassador of our homestead. He is such a sweet boy and a sucker for belly rubs. Keep an eye out… his story is coming soon to the blog.

Juniper Berry (DOB 2023) — aka June, June Bug, or Junie Poo — is our double doodle (a golden–labradoodle mix) and a rescue we brought home at Christmas in 2023. At just two years old (born in 2023), she’s the most mature, playful sweetheart on the homestead… but don’t let that charm fool you. Turn your back for one second and she’ll be happily rolling in the compost pile, and if the ducks mysteriously run out of food? Yeah… odds are June had a paw in that situation.

Meet Carmine (DOB 6/2025) — the Big Rabu himself. He’s the stud of our meat-rabbit breeding program and a proud New Zealand Red, a breed we’ve come to really appreciate for its temperament, size, and suitability for homestead meat production. More about raising meat rabbits on a small farm is coming soon to our blog.

Our goats are Sandy (DOB 4/2025) , the twins Rizzo & Frenchie (DOB 3/2025) & James (DOB 2023, pictured at right) The gals are Nigora goats—half Nigerian Dwarf and half Angora. They will provide us with both milk and fiber; and their sassy little personalities never fail to bring a smile to our faces. Sweet James is more dog than goat. He is pure Nigerian Dwarf and demands nothing. He follows us around and happily accepts neck scritches. When we sit, he comes and stands next to us as we absent mindedly pet him in deep thought. He would made a great ESA!

Moo (DOB 2019) — also known as Shamu — is our seven-year-old cow-cat rescue. He was born under our neighbor’s house and has grown into the absolute sweetest love bug, especially with the dogs. But don’t let that snuggly side fool you… he’s also a stealthy hunter of small critters (hence the nickname) and will definitely be earning his keep around the homestead.

Felicity (DOB 2018) is our tortoiseshell girl, rescued from under a friend’s house when she was just three weeks old. Her mama moved the rest of the litter and never came back for her, so she came home with us instead — and she’s been part of the family ever since. She’s now almost eight years old and absolutely thriving.

Pretty Penny (DOB 9/2025) is Hank's girlfriend. She was added to the homestead as a buddy for Hank, and we couldn't love her more. She is gentle and sweet with a little "I do what I want" in her. We have not decided whether to breed her or have her spayed yet. We have a few months left to decide.

Betty Lou (DOB 2022) was our first rescue together — a purebred Standard Poodle we adopted from the Henry County Humane Society. At three years old (born in 2022), she’s a full-throttle ball of energy and has absolutely no problem announcing when she’s not getting enough attention. Her favorite game? Letting her sister June do the hard work of fetching the ball… then swooping in to snatch it out of June’s mouth and proudly returning it to us for another throw. Classic Betty.

Laverne & Shirley (DOB 9/2025) are our sweet breeding does, a Silver Fox/New Zealand cross. Since both breeds are excellent choices for meat production, we figured starting with a combo of the two was a solid move for our homestead. They aren’t quite old enough to breed yet — they’ll be ready around mid-March — but they’re growing beautifully. Want to learn more about raising meat rabbits on your own homestead? Keep an eye out for our upcoming article on the website.

Our ducks — We currently have 8 ducks: 6 Chocolate Ripple Muscovies, 1 black and white muscovy and 1 Pekin. Of these, three are drakes (males) and 5 are hens. Originally, our goal was to raise only egg layers. However, since we got our ducks at a young age, we didn’t know their genders until they reached 16 weeks. As a result, we’ve decided to adjust our plans and raise some as meat birds in addition to egg layers.

Drax (DOB 2021) is one of our resident pets — a ferret who’s been with us pre-homestead. He’s living his best life here, causing mischief and keeping us entertained on the daily. Want to learn more about ferrets? Check out the upcoming article on our website.

Check back soon to see the newest additions to the homestead.

Proverbs 12:10: "The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel".

Exodus 23:4: "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him".

Deuteronomy 5:14: The command for a day of rest was also for animals to be refreshed.