Animal Systems

Teaming with animals to improve our world.

---

Employing animals on the homestead assists soil building, pest control, promotes food security and quality and enhances quality of life for them and for people.

The use of animals to assist humans exceeds known history. In a sustainable and regenerative system there must exist a symbiotic relationship between mankind, and the earth including native and cultivated flora and fauna. It is the goal of permaculturists to promote an environment in which animals, both wild and domesticated, may thrive. We may, with careful thought, implement animals into our systems in ways which utilize their natural desires and requirements to achieve our goals while creating optimal environments for the animals, allowing the chicken to express its chicken-hood, if you will, while reaping the benefits of chickens pleasure.

Among the common farmstead animals, the most common tend to be various foul, especially chickens, goats, pigs, cattle and sometimes sheep. Rabbits also figure in well within a systems approach, providing food, possible revenue and very valuable, nitrogen rich manure which can be applied directly to working soil or used in composting, and as an excellent worm bedding.

Among the common farmstead animals, the most common tend to be various foul, especially chickens, goats, pigs, cattle and sometimes sheep. Rabbits also figure in well within a systems approach, providing food, possible revenue and very valuable, nitrogen rich manure which can be applied directly to working soil or used in composting, and as an excellent worm bedding.

Soil Building

Let us discuss the Great Plains.

Prior to the European invasion of the North American Continent, the area now known as the great plains was covered in rich, humusy topsoil to depths of up to eight feet. Employing “western” agricultural practices of constant tillage, monocropping, no cover crops among others managed, in less than one hundred years, to reduce this to naught, during the “dust bowl” days of the nineteen thirties. It takes natural systems about one hundred years to produce one inch of topsoil. We can be extremely efficient destroyers.

Bovines and Soil Building

The mechanism by which the Great Plains provided such abundantly deep and fertile topsoil is an excellent examples of the symbiotic relationship between cattle, the earth, accessory animals and predator pressure.

Prior to Europeans arrival, huge herds of bison, numbering in the millions of beings within a single herd freely roamed the parries. Several functions simultaneous over thousands of years. Bison, in their wanderings, graze down vegetation, promoting root sluphage, which adds carbon to the soil for the building of humus. The addition of their manures also added to the fertility of the soil. Also, the indentations left by their hooves remained to form catchments for rainwater.

The herds of bison, lived under significant threat of predation. As a result, their herds remained tightly grouped. This tight grouping allowed rapid depletion of available food sources as well as ensuring the area was very thoroughly worked by the hooves. As the food source is rapidly grazed, this ensures that the heard moves frequently, which also ensures that the area is not overly manured and that the earth surface is not excessively worked and compacted.

Once the bison herd has moved to fresh graze, birds follow behind to do their part. If one walks a cattle pasture, one will notice that while grass may be grazed low, just around manure piles the grass is ungrazed and growing tall. The cattle will not graze near the manure, and the manure is a bit excessive in that small area. As the manure is deposited, and just after, flies lay eggs in the manure. Birds move in behind the herd, removing the larva of the flies from the manure piles and in the process break them up and more widely distribute the manure. This spreads more evenly the manure, allowing proper breakdown and incorporation into the soil for soil building. And the birds receive valuable nutrition as well.

This is the basis of the rotational grazing systems, often referred to as “cell grazing”, employed by and popularized by “the world's most famous farmer”, Joel Salatin. The reading of Salatin's book “Salad Bar Beef” is recommended reading. A very effective system is created with rotationally grazed cattle, followed by pastured chickens.

Chickens and Soil Preparation

Chickens are one of the most versatile, multifunctional animals on the farm-stead. They provide food in the form of eggs and meat, they will efficiently remove vegetation from an area while adding one of the richest sources of nitrogen rich manure available and surface-till the area in preparation for plantings. Again, this entails proper rotational management, limiting disturbance and manuring to manageable levels. In stationary placement, they should be managed on deep litter of carbonaceous materials such as wood chips, dried leaves, etc. Over time, the chickens add nitrogen while their scratching mixes and aerates the mulch resulting in very high quality compost with little human involvement. They also provide hours of entertainment, they are the clowns of the barnyard.

There is a better way, contact Mr. Jones and let him discuss with you how to create your own little bit of self-sustaining, regenerative paradise.