Care guides

Before you buy any animal

• Start with fewer animals than you think your land can carry. Overstocking is the most common welfare problem on lifestyle blocks, and a paddock that feeds plenty in spring may feed only a fraction as many in winter.
• Plan for company. Sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens are all social and shouldn’t be kept alone.
• Sort out water, shelter, and fences before the animals arrive, and check your council’s rules on the animals you want, especially pigs and roosters in town.
• Find a vet who treats farm animals before you need one. Few practices publish farm visit fees, so ask what a call-out costs.

Rules for every animal owner

• The Animal Welfare Act 1999 makes owners, and anyone in charge of animals, responsible for proper food and water, shelter, the chance to behave normally, careful handling, and protection from injury and disease. Codes of Welfare from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) set minimum standards for each species, and failing to meet them can support a prosecution.
• Animal Status Declarations (ASDs) carry health and treatment information when livestock move. Senders keep a copy for one year. Receivers keep it throughout the animals’ time in their care, then for another year. Pigs use a separate form; special arrangements apply to bobby calves going to slaughter. Check OSPRI’s ASD guidance before moving stock.
• NAIT (the National Animal Identification and Tracing scheme) tagging and registration apply to cattle and deer, including a single pet cow.
• Homekill meat cannot be sold, bartered or traded. Before booking, check MPI’s current rules for animal owners and listed homekill providers, including who can use the service, any care period and who may receive the meat.
• Report suspected exotic pests and diseases, including unusual sickness or deaths, to MPI on 0800 80 99 66.

Facial eczema

Facial eczema is liver damage caused by a fungal toxin in pasture. Risk rises in warm, damp weather, often in late summer and autumn. Animals can have liver damage without visible signs. Treatment cannot undo that damage, but prompt care can help affected cattle recover. Contact your vet if you suspect facial eczema.

Arrange a prevention plan with your vet before the risk period. Test your own pasture: spore counts vary between paddocks. Use the results and your vet’s advice to decide when to start protection. Too much zinc is poisonous, so get advice on the right product and dose for each species and weight.

Plants that poison livestock

Many common New Zealand plants are poisonous to farm animals, including tutu, ngaio, karaka, kōwhai, yew, oleander, rhododendron, foxglove, hemlock, arum lily, and ragwort. Oleander, yew, and rhododendron are very often fatal. Macrocarpa, other cypresses, and pine needles can make pregnant cattle abort, and acorns can cause kidney failure in calves.

Keep garden prunings and fallen branches away from stock, and check paddock edges after storms or pruning. Poisoning signs may start at once or be delayed. Call your vet immediately if you suspect poisoning; do not wait for symptoms to develop.