Our Animals

These are the cows to consider if you want your own home-grown milk.

What about swarming? Will I get stung? Will there be bees in the house?

Going free-range can improve the health of your hens, but there are some factors to consider when letting your hens loose.

The vast majority of Kāpiti Island is a nature reserve. But 20 hectares of the iconic island is privately owned by a whānau dedicated to preserving their whakapapa — including the land and everything upon it — and sharing it with the world.

If you’re noticing your sheep or cattle just don’t look as good as they should, but you can’t put your finger on quite why that would be, it’s highly likely to be these key factors, jointly known as ‘ill-thrift’.

Make sure ewes, pigs and poultry have plenty of shade and keep water troughs clean to encourage drinking.

The chicken has a unique way of moving air through its body.

The little caterpillar that creates silk is also an unusual and hungry pet.

Why facial eczema is a year-round problem

Each summer we remind you to get extra zinc into your livestock to help prevent the liver damage caused by facial eczema, but FE is actually a problem you need to be thinking about all year round.

The price of feed can be high, but Sheryn Dean has perfected ways of growing the tastiest pork at very little cost.

A simple nasal spray using antibodies produced by llamas could give humans protection from the flu.

There are many different interpretations of what ‘free range’ means, and it’s hard work to create and maintain one that works well all year round.

Grow healthy calves and yearlings this summer with these helpful tips.

The January guide to livestock and pasture care.

What does an official-sounding word like biosecurity have to do with your small flock of chickens or ducks?

Valais Blacknose must be the cutest sheep in the world. We meet Sally and Lindsay Strathdee on their piece of paradise in Motueka, and meet their friendly flock in an exclusive video.

We need a break beyond our boundaries sometimes, and that means making sure animals, gardens and your home are safe and secure without you.

There are rescue groups around NZ with dogs that need homes, from puppies to pensioners. Here's what you should think about when saying hello to your potential pet dog.

Yvonne Sutherland has been firing and painting hens for more than three decades and collectors around the world obviously adore them as much as she does.

Why native trees and shrubs, pasture plants and weeds are especially important for bees when pollen is scarce.

Hayley Rhind moved onto a new farm with her husband and two young children. Then she had a brilliant idea for a clothing business.

Most goats have a tendency to nibble first, check the toxicity of a plant later kind of strategy to life, and that can be deadly.

When Bill ‘Grandpa’ Kirkham came up with a good idea for a chicken feeder, he had no idea it would turn into a family-run multi-national business.

A genetics company is working to reduce the impact of facial eczema in sheep using some old-fashioned breeding strategies.

If a hen doesn’t have any other symptoms of a respiratory problem, then it is likely to be suffering from gapeworm.

Bringing a new breed into NZ is expensive, and you can only import certain species of farm animals from approved countries.

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.