Our Animals

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.

Pugging soil does enormous damage to it, reducing pasture yield by 20-80% for four to eight months, or longer if not remedied. Follow these tips to reduce the amount of pugging this winter.

Ducks have different physiology to chickens and require different care.

If your dog often barks and jumps at strangers, pulls on the lead,  or whines when you leave for work these could be symptoms of a relationship problem. Selina McIntyre, a former lion-cub carer turned dog-behavioural expert explains why.

Calving time can come any time of the year on a small farm so it pays to be prepared.

In the old days, hens that lived in sheds with other animals, sharing warmth and lamplight would always start to lay earlier in the season. You can replicate this to keep your hens laying longer.

Lamb survival rates can vary dramatically from farm to farm, and your management plays a big part.

When a pig ventures close to home, six-year-old Vita discovers country living cuts a short track from food source to the table. *Warning this post contains a graphic photo some readers may find disturbing.*

The president of Canine Friends Pet Therapy is used to people looking straight past her or peeking over her shoulder, but Ann Evans is happy to step aside and let her furry stars shine.

One of the most aggravating pests in any hen house is red mites. They’re also one of the hardest to spot until they’re a real problem.

Nothing prepares you for the special challenge of caring for these pigs.

If you have a limping chicken, you need to turn detective and work through the clues.