Generations of Livestock at an Urban Farm
At Mezzacello Urban Farm a big part of our systems and success is the careful and sustainable integration of livestock (chickens, ducks, quail, rabbits, fish, crickets, mealworms, earthworms, microorganisms, fungi and bacteria) into our ecologies. For the past eight years we have been focused on better and more meaningful integration and care. This is a blog on the generations of livestock at an urban farm.
The Choice Of The Menagerie
Questions about the integration of livestock that I often get asked comes in the form of one (or two) of three main questions:
Why? You live in downtown Columbus, OH
Why - insert animal type here
Isn’t that a lot of work?
The answers are pretty straightforward. The fact that I live on land that has been part of a densely populated, built, urban environment is a very good reason to want to bring natural manures and systems to the land. All of the animals that live here at Mezzacello Urban Farm are livestock that are allowed by the City of Columbus Health Department. (PDF)
Curiosly enough, the ONLY animal that requires a permit are the chickens. Although ducks require a special permit for their wastes. The rest of the menagerie - rabbits included - do not require permits.
I get that. Ducks and their wastes are a lot of trouble, but they bring a lot to the table! Their wastes while being noxious and wet, are ultimately useful in that they affect soil structures and aquatic environments in entirely unique and sustainable ways. Ducks are amazing ninjas when it comes to dangerous and destructive pests like ticks, mites, lice, aphids, and squash bugs. Plus, ducks don’t eat flowers, fruits, or vegetables, but they do waddle through them a lot.
Is It A Lot Of Work?
Yes. Plain and simple. But 160 years of soil and ecosystem abandonment is not an easy problem to reverse. In nature, the soil regenerates because of animal wastes and interactions.
By and large, urban environments try to limit interactions with animal wastes. We do not have that luxury or inclination. Very much like in nature, everything is on the table — and that will take some work and careful planning.
Manure Management and Sanitation
Manures can be managed, collected, processed and stored safely. Sanitation is important to protect the strictly human habitats from disease vectors, but not the livestock and the web of life that is attracted to and is dependent upon them. We play a bigger game here than just quaint “pets”.
One thing that people tend to overlook about integrating livestock into the urban farm is the inherent brevity of the animals life cycle. All parts of livestock are recycled humanely and efficiently here at Mezzacello. Just as in nature.
This is admittedly the hardest part of being a responsible urban farmer. some of the livestock is managed to create more livestock or lay eggs. The rest is used as a source of meat, fur, feathers, algae, microbial byproducts, yeasts, and blood and bone meal. It is the natural cycle of life and part of the equation for sustainability.
