They're so clucky! IBRAHEM'S CHICKEN PARADISE

The farmer's wild about his free-range friends

Ibrahem Break first fell in love with agriculture as a child in a small village in northern Jordan. There, he’d help his parents on their farm, tending the vegetable garden, nurturing the olive trees, reaping the wheat and barley harvests, plus taking care of the livestock.

These days, he enjoys spending time on his farm in the central Waikato, where Waitoa chickens flourish.

“In Jordan, I developed a deep love for agriculture,” he says. “I looked after sheep, goats and chickens, as well as our trusty horse and donkey, which served as our means of transportation.”

However, Ibrahem struggled with a number of challenges due to the country’s dry climate, thermal stress and a prevalence of poultry disease, meaning he had to rely on barn-raised chickens fed with manufactured feed containing antibiotics.

But seeking a better life and environment 14 years ago, Ibrahem and his wife relocated to Aotearoa.

“New Zealand offers a unique blend of traditional practices, technological advancements and animal wellbeing, and prioritises free-range chicken farming,” he explains. “Along with sustainable methods and a close-knit community, this provides a very fulfilling and rewarding environment for agriculture.”

Ibrahem also loves New Zealand’s natural beauty.

“It never fails to inspire me,” he smiles. “We have happier and healthier chickens, who have a more diverse diet of naturally foraged pasture.