Our Animals

New Zealand’s Lord of the Reins, Lance O’Sullivan, and his wife Bridgette have found new passions beyond the heady days of Bollinger and BMWs.

She’s a hard job, wool handling. For some, it’s harder than shearing. Pagan Karauria of Central Otago says that’s the case for her, and she’s a master wool handler as well as a shearer.

You might hear ‘book book book’ but your flock has a lot to say, and they can be pretty sophisticated gossips.

Polly and family discover ornithological treasures at wildlife sanctuary Tiritiri Matangi.

Kirsty Silvester and Dave Chapman are true DIY cheese producers,  from pasture to pecorino.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a Chick Inn Coop Sign, as seen on the cover the Summer bumper issue of NZ Lifestyle Block.

Fortunate indeed are the endangered Blue Ducks now flourishing under the protection of a family that has figured out how to combine farming with eco-tourism.

This busy lifestyle block owner is a music teacher, hoof practitioner and lavender grower which is why she went for the easiest sheep of all.

Many of us have grass for cattle and sheep, but there are a lot of benefits to making room for the wild things.

Keep the kids busy these school holidays and support the Eastern Rockhopper in Forest & Bird's Bird of the Year competition with this easy toilet-roll craft project with printable stencil.

The donkey is a gorgeous animal, but because most people don’t know much about them they’re also likely to suffer from welfare issues, with the most common being untrimmed hooves, no shelter, and obesity.

Spring is a great time for sowing new pasture, but what do you choose if your stock are a bit out of the ordinary?

Is having your own hive of bees a good idea? Environmentally or economically? If that is the question, the answer may be surprising.

Do not take unexplained chicken deaths for granted, especially when it involves more than 2-3 birds. Acting quickly, through a vet if possible, could perhaps avert an exotic disease outbreak too.

September means warming soil temperatures, and for most lifestyle blocks that means pasture will be growing markedly faster than it has in the last few months. If it’s not, it’s telling you one of three things.

A Taranaki gardener has found there are some growing opportunities in the $1.5 billion pet health business.

Feathers are a feature of all birds, whether they can fly, swim or just live on the ground, and there’s a lot they can tell us.

A small herd of tiny goats are NZ's newest breed and it has been a long journey for them and their determined owner.

From a water-powered hen gate to a repurposed trampoline - ten inventive New Zealand chicken lovers share their best DIY  coop designs.

Spring is a busy time and there are important future-proofing jobs if you have young animals.

Unless your pets are cockatoos and turtles, you are probably going to outlive them, which means sooner or later you need to deal with death.

This family-run business is the friendly face of poultry farming. Every effort is made to protect the environment and there’s a hatchery in the pipeline.

A breathing problem in chickens is difficult to diagnose, and not to be sneezed at.

Pick your beekeeper carefully, and you will be totally in the clover.

A  must-see New Zealand documentary follows five female sheep shearers on their journey to the Gold Shears.

You can buy ‘woolover’ jackets to keep newborn lambs warm, but you can also make your own from scratch, or re-purpose an old jumper.

During one very bad winter, award-winning sheep farmers Lynley and Matt Wyeth lost 1000 lambs in one night. They've since implemented a ground-breaking indoor lamb-raising programme. It drastically increased lamb survival rates, but also production and profitability.

The chicken is a fighter, not a lover, a born percher and bather, but not that bright when it comes to knowing who their friends are.

Gourmet delights wander round this lifestyle block south of Gisborne, and its owners can’t get enough of what is turning into a delectable little bird business.

Profitability depends on the purchase price of the calves, the input costs of calf milk replacer and meal, and the price that can be realised for a 12-week old, 100kg calf.

The days are short, but it’s an important time to make plans for spring.

Death is a natural part of life and you need to make plans on what to do to ensure a bird is humanely culled.

If power is a problem, gravity may be your best bet for a reliable water supply.

This New Zealand family use teamwork to rescue a sheep in deep muddy trouble.