The animals of Boots n' Roots Farm

Alright, here's a quick introduction to the animals of Boots n' Roots farm. You'll be seeing a lot of these guys in the future posts. This is what we had the beginning of spring 2014.

This is Egon my Easter Egger /Americana Rooster. I don't know if he qualifies as a true Americana so I just call him an Easter Egger. He's just a year old now and loves his ladies. I'm planning on incubating some of his offspring next year and can't wait to see what he produces.

Egon's in the back, watching over the photo shoot of some of his ladies. These girls are all a year old. I have Easter Eggers, Black Australorps, Silver laced Wyandottes, and Rhode island reds currently (not including my new babies, I'm saving them for a separate post)

My horses Left- Dubba (5years old). Right- Cally (16 years old)

Cally is the only mare out of the 4 horses on the property, she was my 4-h horse when I was younger and now my sister uses her for 4-H and WASET. I hope to breed her in the next year or two before she officially retires to be my trail buddy again.

Dubba is my current riding project and I am gearing him up for the local open shows next year, he's the official fence tester and general trouble maker of the farm, he's also a huge cuddle bug which might explain the reason he gets away with so much.

This is Hemi (5 years old)

Hemi is a retired racehorse that my sister got for her 16th birthday, he is her project horse and will eventually take over Cally's job of her 4-H and WASET partner. Until then he's putting on weight and being lightly trained. He also is a snuggler and prefers to rest his head on your chest.

Blue (32 years old)

Blue doesn't really have a person here at the farm. My parents took him in because he had been abandoned by his former owners and was on his way to the auction house, where he probably would of ended up in the kill pen- bound for the slaughter house. He's a spunky old guy that still trail rides soundly. He's usually the one giving pony rides around here and my cousins little boy loves him to pieces.

This is Layla (1.5 years old) our  Shiloh shepherd/Malamute/Wolf mix. We got her a few days after moving into the little house, so shes still a puppy. She plays tag with Dubba in the horse field and gives him kisses on the nose. She also protects our chickens and herds them if they get out of their pen. Shes the most gentle dog I have ever known.

Juno is the newest addition to the house, she's just 6 months old, she is a pug mix, and the biggest mamma's girl you'll ever meet. I call her my little pigette, because she eats everything, I mean it, I haven't found anything she wont eat - this girl loves her vegetables.

This is Abby (1 year old) she's tiny, feisty, and a big cuddler. She just started going outside during the day and is an excellent mouser, she puts our barn cats to shame with her skills.

Elly (14 years old)
This is my boyfriend, Mr. Beam's cat. She is either whining or sleeping. She's a house cat unless outside to bask in the sun or on top of my car. If Mr. Beam is home, she is right next to him.





There are other cats and dogs on the farm, belonging to my parents and brother.

 Dexter, a 3 year old mini Aussie belongs to my brothers. He's a shy little guy that loves to be scratched once he warms up to you, unless you have a hat on, then your evil and he wont trust you until the hat disappears.

Chewy, a 9 year old Pug/Chihuahua mix is my mothers. He's the sweetest one of the bunch and often guest threaten to smuggle him with them when they leave.


They also have 5 cats; Romeo (orange), Licorice (black), Bagheera (black), Toby (gery tabby), and Tinkerbell (blue eyed seal point). The last 3 being outdoor only cats. They are pretty elusive when a camera is out so I don't have any picture of them, but I'm sure I get some in the future.

Other than the egg laying chickens, our animals are companions. In the next year I plan on expanding our animals and raising our own meat on the farm, starting with chicken and ducks, and moving onto pigs in the future.

Welcome to Boots n' Roots Farm

Welcome!

Boots n' Roots Farm is currently a small hobby farm in La Center, WA.
In this post I'll tell you a little about how we got the farm and what my plans are for this blog.


In the fall of 2009, after years of searching, my parents found their dream home and property. 20 acres of mostly flat pasture land and scattered trees, 3 houses, a shop, a pole barn and a small orchard. We all celebrated when we found it, this place felt like home.

It was a bank owned property and had been vacant for over a year. Everything was dust covered and overgrown. It needed more than a little TLC.
2 of the houses were not livable. The 1st was the shell of the original 1 bedroom house built in the 30's, it's floor slowly rotting away in places and several of the windows were broken, but the basic structure and roof were in good condition. We named it the doll house.

The 2nd house, was built in the 70's,  and had been stripped of it's plumbing and electrical in some places, and had holes punched in the walls. It was extremely dirty and damaged. I bought 1 package of cobwebs from the Halloween store and used it to block people from going in the kitchen, it was all the decoration needed for the Halloween party I had a week after we moved in. There's nothing like watching Horror movies in the upstairs of a run down house on Halloween. We named this house, simply, the 'little house'.

 The 3rd and only livable house was built in the early 2000's and was a remodel from an old barn, it too needed a little work, mostly finishing touches though. It is known as the Big house.  I know, we are super creative with naming the houses, right?

I only stayed till the spring of 2010, moving into an apartment with my boyfriend. The little house needed too much work before we could move into it like we had originally planned. Life has a way of postponing things doesn't it?

A fall sunrise from the back deck of the little house.

While in my apartment I dreamed about gardening and canning and raising more chickens - I didn't realize how much I missed the chickens and fresh eggs.  I only managed to keep a few shade loving plants on my back corner apartment, it had limited light, even in the summer and plants just couldn't thrive or survive in most cases. This was the time I found out I was gluten intolerant and had to change my diet. I looked more closely at food in general and started watching food documentaries.

In the Spring of 2013 the lower floor of the little house was finished enough for us to move into. It still needed work, but it had a working bathroom and kitchen, and the bedrooms were almost done. 

This little house is a start for us, while we save up to buy our own home, and it allows us to learn about home repair and property management. We are currently remodeling the upstairs and I am hoping it's finished by this fall. 

A winter Sunset before the snow storm.

 I've taken over the garden and have plans to expand it this fall, and start growing things year round in stead of just the summer garden.
I've also increased the number of poultry we have, to include not only laying chickens and ducks but also meat chickens and ducks. I know I won't be able to provide 100% of the food we consume, but I want to get to around 70% one day. I have big dreams of one day getting cattle, including a dairy cow or two, but that's probably years down the road.

After the snowstorm

The goal with this blog is to track my progress here on the farm and share my many projects and even the inevitable mistakes that will take place. Topics will vary, but I'll keep it interesting and in-depth, with lots of pictures -at least that's the plan.

Spring cleaning campfire...Yes we had marshmallows. 

This past year I've learned a lot and accomplished a great deal. I'm so excited to continue and share it here.

 Beginnings are fun aren't they?