Our Animals

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.

Five of the rarest sheep breeds are living reminders of New Zealand’s colonial history, but may also hold the genes to future farming success and much more.

These five feral sheep breeds are vastly different to romney breed which make up approximately 68% of this country's sheep population.  They are extremely rare and are part of New Zealand's colonial history.

A simple oat cookie that dogs can eat as an alternative to manufactured treats.

Sometimes you may need to help an injured bird, and sometimes its best to leave it alone.

Chickens with breathing problems can wreak havoc with your flock and are difficult to identify, but here are some signs to look out for.

Richard and Helen Dorresteyn are committed cheesemakers, inadvertent buffalo farmers and deserving Supreme Winner of the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards for 2018.

Discover "real New Zealand like it was 100 years ago" on Otago's cavalcade, the high country horse ride of a lifetime.

The Auckland A & P Association is celebrating its 175th anniversary at this year’s Royal Easter Show. But the family event looked quite different at its premier in 1843.

From cluster flies to feral cats, we’ve got tips and products to help you beat the pests on your block.

Calves and rising yearlings are the main priority in autumn.

It’s a great decision time for sheep farmers as it’s time to tidy up the flock before the rams go out to start the next breeding season.

This step-by-step guide shows just how easy it is to build a basic chicken run without breaking the bank.

We look at the insects that can have population explosions in your hen house over summer.

Get a better understanding of your hens by learning about their South East Asian ancestors.

We visit a sanctuary for unloved animals and injured birds on a unique lifestyle block set up just for them.

How to protect your livestock from facial eczema and why it pays to have good shade.

Summer is the perfect time to clean out your hen house when there’s enough daylight hours and warmth to let it thoroughly dry out.

Make sure your eggs stay intact when carrying them from chook house or farmer's market with this easy-to-make DIY egg carrier.

These birds look crazy, sound crazy and can act crazy too, but no person, insect pest or predator can get past them.

Sometimes the nest box holds a little egg of horrors.

Traditional domestic duck breeds are rare in New Zealand so you will have to hunt around to find breeders in your area, or a supplier of fertile eggs.

A colourful Auckland family with a motley crew of animals are opening their garden gate for the Heroic Garden Festival.

The description of a hen being ‘egg bound’ is often mentioned but is it really egg bound? Here’s how to find out, and how you can get hands-on and help out.