The Homestead Ecosystem // Every Animal’s Role in our Permaculture Farm

It all comes back to the garden.

Every animal ultimately has to serve two roles to become a part of our working permaculture ecosystem—contribute to the garden, and contribute to the animal health system. The only creature that doesn’t do both is honeybees, but their pollination contribution is unmatched. For me, one type of animal to fulfill each role is enough. Too many small hoofstock, for example, throws off the whole system.

Here’s what I keep:
Bees: pollination, honey, wax

Ducks: eggs, down feathers, slugs, snails, insect garden control, larger animal parasite reduction via rotation grazing, winter garden clean up

Geese: ward off small predators like hawks for the ducks, graze pastures, reduce weed height, down feathers, eggs

Livestock Guardian Dogs: Protect all stock, keep gophers out of garden

Sheep: wool, wool seconds for biodegradable mulch for garden, compost, parasite control for horses

Horses: riding, manure for compost, break sheep parasite cycle, pulling/driving

Guinea Fowl: tick control, compost

Cats: Rodent control in barns and growing spaces, tick reduction

Everything is connected and nothing exists in isolation.