Horses
Our first journey into the world of farm animals was the purchase of a beautiful white Arabian Horse named Tupelo Honey for our seven-acre farm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Tupelo was an amazing animal and Hillary’s first love.
She was older when we acquired her, and, unfortunately, is no longer with us, but her legacy carries on with the significantly expanded herd residing on a tour farm today. We currently have...
Kenny - North American Clydesdale
Laurel - Tennessee Walking Horse
Mia - Spotted Saddlebred
Minis
Hillary has always had an affinity for the mini animals as evidenced by our Nigerian dwarf goats, baby doll sheep, miniature Jersey bull, and miniature schnauzer. Miniature equines are no exception.
We currently have a Shetland pony, miniature horse, miniature donkey, and miniature mule. The Shetland pony is definitely the boss, but all four get along great and reside together in a two-acre pasture featuring a beautiful nearly hundred-year-old Oakwood barn that we have invested a great deal of time renovating.
Suzie - Miniature Horse
Venus - Shetland Pony
Pedro - Miniature Donkey
Pippa- Miniature Donkey
Angora Goats
Angora Goats are long-haired goats that produce the lustrous fiber known as mohair. Angora goats were first brought to Europe from Turkey in 1554, by Emperor Charles V, and then made their way to the United States in 1849.
The Angoras are shorn twice a year and each shearing produces 10 – 12 pounds of mohair. We would love to spin the wool at some point and have sweaters or scarves knitted, but haven’t taken that new task on just yet.
O'Dell
Bradford
Shirley
Jackson
Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Nigerian dwarf goats are a small goat breed of West African ancestry. Bucks range from 19 to 23.5 inches in height and does from 17 to 22.5 inches. Nigerian dwarf goats are prized for their milk, which is richer than that of full-sized dairy goats.
They are gentle and intelligent, which makes them popular as pets. Like most goats, they spend a good portion of the day eating, nibbling on everything from twigs to grass to bushes to grains and hay.
Jasmine, Belle, and Arial were the first three goats to join the Raubach Farm back in the Spring of 2017. They were bred with a buck named Elvis and have successfully mothered two sets of babies each.
The goats love to play on their goat tower and really enjoy visitors, especially those that bring them appropriate treats.
Belle
Ariel
Jasmine
Baby Doll Sheep
Rumble and Leonardo DiCaprio came to live on the farm in the summer of 2017. They were part of a good ol’ fashioned East Tennessee animal swap with a young farmer couple living just south of Nashville. They were looking for female black heritage pigs and Hillary was looking for baby doll Southdown sheep.
We happened to have two black heritage pigs who had outgrown their enclosure, so we drove them down their new home with lots of additional space, and brought Rumble and DiCaprio home.
Baby doll sheep are the miniature version of the Southdown breed of sheep which originated in the South “Downs” of Sussex County, England. They are known for their hardiness and fine fleece and also their gentle nature. The breed made its way to the United States in 1803.
Rumble
Leonardo
Pigs
Daffodil is a Kunekune (pronounced “cooney cooney”) pig who is currently expecting piglets in April 2019. She joined the farm in February of 2019, as a Valentine’s Day gift from David to Hillary. Kunekune pigs are a small breed of domestic pig from New Zealand. They are long-haired with a rotund build.
Daffodil
Ginger
Peppa
Camo
Cows
Scottish Highland cows, furry friendly fun
Hildegard
Helena
Isabelle
Ducks
Ducks have been with our farm almost since the beginning. The ducks started in a kiddie pool in the backyard, but have graduated now to a luxurious approximately 300-square-foot pond with a waterfall we built in 2016.
Our domestic ducks are often visited by wild mallards who just can’t seem to understand why our ducks won’t (or can’t) fly away with them.
Heritage Turkeys
Chickens
Raubach Farm has a number of different breeds of chickens including Silkies, ISA Browns, Frizzles, and Rhode Island Reds. There are currently three roosters who keep the hens in order. They all sleep in a custom-built chicken coop (more of a chicken mansion) at night and are allowed to free-range around the property during the day.
They love to dig around in the horse manure looking for grubs or follow the pig around the backyard eating worms that she has unearthed rooting around. And every morning they provide lots of eggs for Hillary, David, and guests!
Dogs
The dogs are probably the most special animals on the Raubach farm if only because two of them have been with us through our entire marriage. Remington, the miniature schnauzer, was Hillary’s dog when we started dating.
An old man now (he’s thirteen) he still loves to get out and patrol the fence lines of the backyard and lets the other two dogs (and other animals who somehow find their way to the house) know who’s boss when necessary.
Sebastian, the blue Weimaraner, was David’s wedding present to Hillary and can quite honestly do no wrong. He loves running, although he usually prefers to stick close to Hillary rather than run unaccompanied through the pastures, after a run-in with a mule a couple of years back.
Townsend, on the other hand, is as wild and free as they come and much prefers to take off himself to explore the far reaches of the property. He’s the farm guard dog and usually sleeps outside on the patio so he can alert us of intruders such as skunks and coyotes.
Chief joins us as a long haired Weimaraner.