The animals on our self-sufficient farm - Omavaraniemi

For us, living with animals is a great enrichment and joy. Our animals' manure is also of great importance in the permaculture circular economy. It nourishes the soil, improves soil structure, and naturally supplies our pastures and gardens with valuable nutrients.

We also rely on milk for our self-sufficiency, so we can produce our own cheese and yogurt. This means that new babies are constantly being born. A beautiful, touching part of our life with the animals.

However, since our space on the farm is limited and male animals are unsuitable for further breeding on our farm due to potential inbreeding, sometimes there's no alternative to slaughtering them. This decision is never easy for us, but we treat every animal with respect and gratitude, both in life and in death.

Regardless of the purpose for which the animals live on the farm, we strive to provide them with the best possible life and the most natural food we can. It's best to start with our most important and closest animals.

Two dogs for a new life

As if emigrating wasn't stressful enough, we thought, "Oh, let's get a dog."

Originally, in keeping with the spirit of permaculture, we were looking for a dog breed that was optimally adapted to the cold Finnish climate. However, a small Hungarian Vizsla, who kept curiously looking over our teacher Teddy's shoulder during the online permaculture course, found us. Teddy runs a permaculture farm in the Italian Alps, very close to Lake Garda, a beautiful, remote spot of nature. If you'd like, you can find more information about his permaculture project here .

Two weeks before our departure for Finland, we picked up the little male dog there after spending a few days looking after Teddy's entire gang and allowing Najuk to get used to us. Since Teddy doesn't own a car, we drove all the dogs to the vet: two adult Vizslas and seven puppies in the trunk of our Subaru, 45 minutes down the narrow mountain pass and back up again. At that moment, we really thought our car would smell of dog feces and vomit forever...

Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

Unfortunately, there's no dog training facility in our area, nor are there any other dogs with whom Najuk could play freely. There is a dog park, but it was always empty. It was clear that Najuk felt alone and needed a lot of attention throughout the day, despite regular walks and mental stimulation.

After many discussions and considerations, we decided to take in a second dog.

Since the new dog had to match Najuk's social and energetic level, the logical choice was another Vizsla, this time a female, with whom we could potentially have offspring later. At the same time, we hope this will reduce our food costs somewhat in the long run.

We BARF our dogs, they receive raw meat, bones, vegetables, and occasionally dairy products. We consider this the most natural and healthiest form of nutrition. We believe it has a significant impact on our dogs' energy levels and health. Maika even attended a course specifically designed to calculate their nutrition accurately. Anyone interested in learning more about this topic is welcome to contact her.

Rick picked up Wilma near Düsseldorf. The two of them traveled to Finland by train and ferry. It was clear to us from the start: our dogs would never have to travel in the cargo hold of an airplane. The journey, which lasted several days, was exhausting, but it also provided plenty of time for Wilma and Rick to get to know each other.

When they arrived home, they were naturally very nervous. But after a few hours, the initial chaos subsided, and the two quickly bonded.

Having a second dog has made things a lot easier for us. Today, we can leave the two of them alone for up to five hours if necessary. Najuk's social skills have noticeably improved. He 's more relaxed and reacts much more calmly when he meets other dogs. He now has someone to play with and no longer needs our constant attention. We notice this especially at work:

Najuk used to practically sit on our laps while weeding. Now the two of them happily chase each other around the property and are pleasantly tired by the evening.

It's nice to see how well the two get along – they've become inseparable.

Sheep and goats – a compromise

In order to provide ourselves with milk and meat, we spent a long time considering which animals would be best suited to our needs. Rick's preference was, of course, cows. However, since these are quite expensive, our meadows and pastures aren't large enough for several cows, and they're too wet for the heavy animals, we decided on a different solution.

Maika wanted goats, Rick wanted sheep... so we just got both.

The goats come from an animal rescue farm in Juuka. Unfortunately, it often happens in this country that people acquire animals only to discover in the fall that they don't have a suitable winter home for them. Our goats are Finngoats, a Finnish landrace that is perfectly adapted to the local climate.

Since September 2023, they've had a safe home with us for the rest of their lives. And since May 2025, a young billy goat has also been living with them, who will hopefully soon produce plenty of offspring. The little kids are allowed to drink as much as they need—and whatever's left over goes to our kitchen.

Since fall 2023, we've also had sheep from a local breeder. They're Kainuu Grey, a robust, local landrace from the Kainuu region, bordering North Karelia. We were also able to borrow a ram from the same breeder so we can have our own offspring.

We currently have five ewes and four rams. The rams are all intended for meat production, as we cannot use them for breeding.

The Runner Ducks – Maika’s Heart Project

The ducks are a true passion project for Maika. She loves how they waddle in a line across the property and how much life they bring to the place. In permaculture, they are a popular natural means of controlling slugs. They also keep the lawn short, produce excellent manure, give us a surprising number of eggs, and bring a great deal of life to the farm.

It all started shortly after our arrival in Finland. We acquired six ducks in the summer of 2023. Unfortunately, one was taken by a bird of prey. After that, we tried hatching duck eggs twice with an incubator – with limited success. Nevertheless, we were ultimately able to enjoy a few new ducks.

In the spring of 2024, we discovered that two ducks were sharing a nest – and we simply let what happened happen. While runner ducks are generally considered poor breeders, we absolutely cannot confirm this. After 28 days, a whopping 18 (!!!) young runner ducks hatched.

Since then, we've been able to sell some, mostly males, and now have 21 ducks waddling contentedly around our property. Just as Maika always imagined.

Our rabbits, Rick's passion

Site of the new rabbit enclosure

Among the newest residents on our farm are Karl-Heinz and his girls, a project close to Patrick's heart. They are a mix of Belgian and German Giants, impressive animals that can grow up to 70 cm long.

The arrival of these gentle giants was rather spontaneous. Since Finland has a limited selection of large rabbits, sometimes you have to act quickly when an opportunity arises.

Karl-Heinz and his two females will probably stay with us long-term. If they have offspring, we will either sell the young or raise them for meat production. But the rabbits are much more than just farm animals for us; they also bring life and joy to the farm.

Currently, they still live in a compartment in the barn. But as soon as the weather and our schedule allow, we plan to build a spacious outdoor barn. This will accommodate two large groups so we can separate the males and females. The outdoor enclosure will be spacious and include both wooded and meadow areas. The animals should have room to dig, run, and hide. We want to provide them with as close to nature as possible.

Our life with animals

Each of our animals is more than just a farm animal; they are part of our everyday lives, our learning, and our growth. They bring life and responsibility to our everyday lives here in Finland. Whether duck, goat, sheep, dog, or rabbit, each creature has its place, its purpose, and its character.

We believe that species-appropriate care, respect and conscious coexistence are the key to a sustainable life.

If you have any questions, are interested in specific animal species, or perhaps dream of a life with animals yourself, please write to us. We welcome exchanges, inspiration, and connection. Follow our blog or Instagram for insights into our daily lives, or support our project directly here if you'd like. Every contribution, however large or small, helps us keep this place vibrant and in harmony with nature.

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