Animal Husbandry for Subsistence: A Relationship with Life
Our small herds are not merely a source of food but partners in a deeply woven ecosystem. They provide us with eggs, meat, milk, and cheese, connecting us closely to the cycles of nourishment that sustain us. In return, we offer them a life that honours their nature where they forage, graze, root, and scratch as they would in the wild. Their diet is drawn from our land, a blend of garden clippings, forage, and the organic materials brought to us by local people, closing loops within our community.
The paddocks where they live are more than enclosures; they are dynamic composting systems. Their hooves, beaks, and snouts stir organic matter, mixing dung and urine with the littered bedding of leaves, straw, and mulch. This richness ferments beneath their feet, creating a deep, living humus that breathes fertility back into the soil. Nothing is wasted. Their presence accelerates decomposition, cycling nutrients, and feeding the plants that will one day feed them again.
But beyond the practicalities, keeping animals is an invitation to observe life intimately. Each species moves through the world in its own way the quiet contemplation of goats, the boundless curiosity of pigs, the ceaseless industry of chickens. They teach us patience, awareness, and the subtleties of non-verbal language. Through them, we discover the uniqueness of all beings, their desires and quirks, their rhythms and responses to the land.
Our role is not to dominate but to integrate. We shape their world in ways that nurture their instincts, ensuring they can root, wallow, perch, and roam as they were designed to do. In doing so, we enrich their experience, just as they enrich ours. A well-kept animal in a naturalistic setting does not live in deprivation but in abundance. We seek the same lives filled with the pleasures of meaningful work, deep connection, and rightful belonging to this land.
This way of living reattaches us to the local ecosystem. We are no longer external observers but participants. We feed the land, and it feeds us. The animals cycle nutrients from beyond our smallholding, creating a system that stretches far beyond our boundaries. In this, we recognise a truth that modernity often seeks to ignore there are no vegetarian ecosystems. Life is always feeding upon itself, in forms seen and unseen. The compost that grows our vegetables is alive with micro-predators. The rich, loamy soil is built on decay. Even plants engage in quiet battles of competition and succession. Nature has no sentimentality, no prejudice, no assumptions what so ever.
Life and death exist in equal measure, sculpting all beings through success and failure. Death, far from being an end, is a return an opening for new life to take its place. To acknowledge this is not to dwell in morbidity but to embrace reality. In shedding our fear of death, we open ourselves to the fullness of life. We are not separate from nature; we are woven into its fabric, bound by the same threads of sustenance, renewal, and change.
In our stewardship of animals, we do not claim mastery over life but participation in its grand and endless cycle. And in that participation, we find something profound a sense of belonging, a deep and abiding gratitude, and the knowledge that, for a time, we are part of something vast and enduring.
The Harmonious Balance of Pigs, Chickens, and Goats in Forest Gardens
In a natural woodland setting, pigs, chickens, and goats each thrive by occupying distinct yet complementary niches. Pigs revel in the soft, organic-rich soil beneath the forest canopy, instinctively rooting much like their wild ancestors. Chickens navigate the dappled undergrowth, foraging among leaf litter and fallen twigs for seeds and insects, mirroring the behaviours of their free-ranging forebears. Goats, on the other hand, prefer the drier, sunlit clearings where they graze on a variety of shrubs and grasses. Together, these animals form a harmonious blend that embodies the dynamic balance of a woodland ecosystem, each perfectly adapted to its environment.
Observing and Emulating Nature’s Patterns
Permaculture principles teach us to observe and work with nature’s patterns. By studying ecosystems and understanding the relationships between various elements, we can design systems that not only mimic nature but also strengthen it. One key factor in designing animal enclosures is the ground itself. Impervious surfaces like concrete should be avoided except where necessary around gates or fences, to allow for natural drainage and reduce the risk of water saturation during winter rains. Prolonged flooding, when mixed with animal waste, can lead to serious health challenges for both animals and humans. Emulating natural environments in floor design harnesses the animals’ inherent behaviours while mitigating these risks.
Creating a Woodland Floor
In our shared enclosure, pigs, chickens, and goats thrive on a simulated woodland floor. We regularly spread a mixture of garden trimmings of branches, leaves, weeds, and wood chip, sourced either onsite or through community service initiatives. These organic materials serve a dual purpose: they help feed the animals and form a natural mulch layer over heavy clay soil, much like a forest floor. Over time, the mulch breaks down into high-quality compost enriched by animal waste. We periodically harvest this compost for use in our crops and containers while maintaining enough mulch to:
Distribute the weight of the animals and prevent soil compaction (a common cause of flooding).
Create an aerated, permeable layer that allows excess liquids to drain into the ground.
Enrich the soil with nutrients that invite fungi, bacteria, and worms all contributing to enhanced drainage and the formation of topsoil.
Surrounding trees, offering both shelter and forage, extend their roots into the enriched clay, loosening it, completing the cycle and cultivating a robust woodland ecosystem.
Mutually Beneficial Interactions
Integrating diverse species in ecological design results in resilient, efficient systems. Our pigs, chickens, and goats exemplify this interdependence:
Pigs Feeding Chickens:
Like wild boar interacting with robins, our pigs help feed the chickens by rooting the ground. As they turn over the soil, pigs unearth seeds, insects, and organic matter, effectively acting as nature’s plough for the chickens to forage on.Chickens Benefiting Pigs:
Chickens contribute by feeding on and scattering pig manure. In doing so, they remove undigested items such as seeds and organic material, which helps reduce pest outbreaks and maintain a hygienic environment. Additionally, by picking off parasitic insects like ticks and lice from the pigs, chickens play a vital role in animal health, reducing the need for human intervention.Protective Role of Pigs:
The size and strength of pigs offer protection to the more vulnerable chickens against predators such as foxes and badgers, enhancing the overall safety of the enclosure.Goats as Landscape Maintainers:
Goats help manage the forest floor by consuming excess vegetation introduced into their enclosure. Their grazing clears away surplus grass and leaves that might otherwise create wet, mushy conditions. In addition, the hay feeders provide a steady supply of edible bedding for the pigs.
Ancient Integration: Lessons from Early Animal Polycultures
Early humans may have discovered and even encouraged mixed-species systems to optimise available resources, whether by accident or necessity. Although historical accounts are sparse and tend to focus on more “civilised” activities, evidence suggests that semi-wild communities often relied on a diverse mix of species. Given the labour intensive nature of fence construction in the past, animals were likely encouraged to share enclosures. For instance, chickens would naturally jump fences to exploit the foraging opportunities created by rooting pigs. This inadvertent cohabitation may have laid the groundwork for integrated systems where the interdependence of animals was both observed and gradually embraced. Although direct documentation is limited, this ancient learning hints at a longstanding human intuition to work with nature rather than against it.
A Resilient, Integrated Ecosystem
The integration of pigs, chickens, and goats is a prime example of how studying and replicating natural behaviours can lead to practical, harmonious solutions. Each species contributes in unique ways that benefit the others, reinforcing the notion that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By designing systems that nurture these interrelationships, we reduce our dependency on external inputs and cultivate a resilient, flourishing ecosystem. When animals work together naturally and efficiently, we not only enhance productivity but also create a healthier, more balanced environment, one where resources are used wisely and nature’s wisdom is honoured.
