I've lived in the country my entire life, and ever since I was a toddler, I’ve had a handful of animals in my life—everything from ducks, pigs, bunnies, cows, horses, ponies, cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, chickens, cockatiels, parakeets and even emus.
It's only natural my husband should’ve known I was going to be one of those low-maintenance girls, ya know, the animal-loving ones, lol.
Anyway, these days, this is my animal companion crew.
Are they profitable for farm life?
Absolutely not, lol.
Just a bunch of freeloaders—but they bring us joy, and that's the whole point!
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LET'S START WITH THE EQUINE
MIXIE
Mixie is a 32-inch miniature Shetland Pony, born around the year 2000.
Special Needs: Mixie has Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Fecal Water Syndrome, and is chronically foundered.
This means she experiences recurring laminitis flare-ups and ongoing issues with her hooves.
She also requires a managed diet with supplements, a daily vet-prescribed medication to help with insulin regulation, and farrier visits for her hooves every four weeks.
She also, unfortunately, due to fecal water issues, gets a lot of back legs, bum, and tail washes.
Mixie found her forever home on our farm in July 2017.
She’s truly the heart of the hobby farm, my heart pony, and has taught me so much about pony care since the day we met.
Like our pony Shiloh, who you’ll read about in a minute, Mixie came to us with these pre-existing health issues, and we’ve done our best to give both her and Shiloh the care they need for a comfortable retirement life.
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SHILOH
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Shiloh is a 36-inch pony, with an estimated birth year sometime between the late 1990s and 2000.
Special Needs: Shiloh has Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Cushing’s Disease, wave mouth, and in 2025, she was diagnosed with a heart murmur.
She takes daily vet-prescribed medication for Cushing’s and is on a managed diet that includes supplements and soaking hay cubes.
Her previous owner came to us in July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked if we could give Shiloh a new home.
Even though we were hesitant with all the world's 'what ifs' at the time, we said YES!
And we are so happy we did.
CEDAR
Cedar is a 33-inch miniature horse, born in April 2009.
She’s one of the cutest minis you’ll ever meet, but she wasn’t handled much before coming to us.
Because of this, she struggles with trust and can be shy around strangers, but with a few treats and slow movements, she usually warms up.
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She arrived at our hobby farm in December 2017—but we actually crossed paths a few months earlier through a Craigslist ad.
I had contacted her owner back then, but since she wasn’t very well-handled, I didn’t think she’d be the right fit.
A few months later, I posted my own ad looking for a companion for Mixie, and ended up hearing from the same owner again without realizing it.
This time, I went to meet her.
Something just felt right.
Despite her wild, bush-baby energy, and needing a lot of patience when she first arrived, we knew she was meant to be here.
Somewhere in Cedar’s life before us, she sustained damage to the coronary band on one of her back hooves.
Because of it, she walks a little funny in the hind end, and her hoof used to resemble a three-leaf clover, but our farrier did a great job bringing it back to almost normal.
We were also told by her previous owner that she lost a foal due to premature labor, brought on by nearby gunfire and fireworks.
Understandably, Cedar isn’t too fond of veterinary care, but she’s a champ for the farrier. most of the time.
Yes, she’s a bit of a stinker, but we absolutely adore her.
NEXT UP, THE CAT COLONY
Let’s start with this: please spay and neuter your pets, okay, friends?
Here’s what happened: A stray female cat showed up in our barn and gave birth to five kittens just days later.
Three were born without tails, one had a bobtail, and one had a full tail—and extra toes!
Long story short: My family fell in love with each one and we couldn’t part with them.
We brought them inside when they were a week old to join our indoor male cat, and now we have seven indoor cats—all thanks to someone else not spaying their cat and me being a total softie.
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MEET MACHO MAN
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Macho Man is the king of the hobby farm.
He wasn’t thrilled when Mama May-May and her babies arrived, and truthfully, Mama May wasn’t very kind to him, but they’re all figuring it out.
Macho came to live with us as a 4-week-old bottle baby in 2017, along with his brother, Mouschie, who sadly passed away young from inherited polycystic kidney disease.
Their mother had an infection and could no longer care for them.
Macho is currently the only one of our cats who occasionally gets supervised outdoor time, and he’s a great chore buddy.
MAMA MAY-MAY
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This friendly but bossy girl is Mama May-May, the stray who showed up in May 2023.
We don’t know much about her background, but she adapted to indoor life fast and hasn’t tried to go back outside.
Everyone says she was one smart cat to give birth in our barn—because her kittens never had to leave.
THE CAT KIDS – Born May 22, 2023
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HOUSTON (aka Baby Huey)
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Huey is the biggest of the litter.
He has a bobtail, a thick coat of fur, and a calm personality.
His daily vibe is eat, sleep, chill—and he's growing into quite the bossy pants.
TEDDY
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Teddy has no tail at all—just a tiny rumpy stub.
He looks like a bear cub when he bounces around, which earned him his name.
He’s rambunctious and loves feather toys but is also super cuddly.
DEWEY
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Dewey is named after the kid from Malcolm in the Middle—because his face looks just like him!
Another tailless wonder, Dewey has a little anxiety.
He loves to play but likes to come to you on his own terms.
He’s also the most vocal and has the most “I’m sorry” expression, even when he hasn’t done anything wrong.
DELL
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Dell (short for “delinquent”) is the most people-friendly cat I’ve ever met—but he’s also the most mischievous.
He’s the runt, the only one with a full tail, and he has an extra toe on his front paw.
If you hear a crash in the middle of the night, it’s probably Dell.
He’s the spitting image of his mama, and even she scolds him sometimes.
But he’s everyone’s favorite greeter, especially in the morning.
PANDA
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Panda was the last baby born.
He’s independent and often stares at my husband like he’s trying to figure out how to be human.
He’s tailless but has an extra toe up high on one back paw.
He’s got a cool black-and-white coat, which is why we named him Panda.
He’s pretty chill and gets along well with Macho.
NOW FOR THE CLUCKING AWESOME CHICKENS!
THE ROOSTER
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Feral was hatched here in 2019.
He doesn’t like to be handled—hence the name—but he’s not aggressive and makes a lot of noise if something’s wrong.
He’s a great protector for the ladies.
THE HENS
MY OLDEST HEN - THE SILKIE
Mama Bird is a white Silkie hen and the oldest of the group, hatched the same year as Feral.
All she wants in life is to be a mama.
She adores dust baths and gets more “real” baths than any other hen, thanks to all that fluffy Silkie feathering.
The rest of the hens came from a 2023 hatchery order.
Lou-Lou & Snowball
My Blue Cochins.
This is by far my new favorite chicken breed!
They are both so docile and the least destructive of all my chickens (besides the Silkies).
Plus, they’re absolutely beautiful!
Goldie
Goldie is the funniest of the bunch and loves to follow you around the farm.
Mama Brahma
She is my husband’s favorite breed.
The Welsummer Wenches
When I first ordered these two from the hatchery, it was because they were supposed to lay the bluest eggs—but Skit lays a white one… hmm.
A fun story:
Ever hear the joke about why chickens cross the road?
Well, one of these girls (Muffs) actually spent the night in the neighbor’s pine tree because we couldn’t find her!
I woke up, called for her in the morning, and literally had to stop a car from hitting her as she crossed the road to come back home.
Pretty sure the driver thought I was the definition of a crazy chicken lady—standing there at 6 a.m. with a feed bucket, helping my chicken cross the freaking street!
Well, that's the crew, and now that you’ve met all the freeloaders, come see where they live!
From the pink pony barn to the pink chicken coop, the kitty playroom to the oversized catio—they're not Pinterest fancy, but they're home.
Thank you so much for stopping by Farm Dust and Paint today—it means the world to me and my little farm.
And don't forget to follow us on Instagram @famdustandpaint
XOXO, Emily
See everyone's happy home under the post, Tour the Barn, Coop. Catio and Kitty Playroom: Where the Animals Sleep, Eat, and Plot Chaos.
Thank you so much for stopping by Farm Dust and Paint today—it means the world to me and my little farm.
And don't forget to follow us on Instagram @farmdustandpaint
XOXO, Emily
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