Cows

Many people do not know that dairy farms send the cows to the slaughterhouse after they stop producing milk.  It is simply a cruel fact when financial profit is the bottom line.

The average lifespan of cows is generally around  15-20 years, with a few living over 20. A cow only produces milk when a calf is born, and takes from 6-12 months to wean the calf. (Some cows will also produce milk when another cow has a calf, but a calf is always required.) By continued milking after the calf is weaned, a cow can continue to produce milk for a maximum of around 4 years in total, with 3 years as an average. Assuming 3 years per calf, and a lifespan of 21 years, if all the calves were female then the minimum number of cows required for one of them to always be producing milk is 7 cows.

On average, every third year one 21 year-old cow would die and another one would be born, and the herd would be stable at 7 cows. However, half the calves would be male so eventually a community would also have 7 bulls. Communities also have to be prepared to till the land using oxen; otherwise the bull calves serve little purpose other than breeding and  use of manure for fertilizer (which is excellent by itself). They could perhaps be also used for mills, presses, grinding, or water pumps and similar mechanical devices.

Having only one milk-producing cow at all times therefore requires enough land to support a minimum herd size of around 14 cows and bulls.  Unless artificial semination and sexing of sperm is used to control the sex of the calves, this is not a very economical proposal just to get some milk. (We don't recommend these methods any more than we would for humans.) However, using oxen for tilling, and manure for fertilizer and fuel actually makes the cow man's best friend in an agrarian society. Using the milk to make butter, yogurt, cheese, clarified butter and similar products makes the cow even more valuable. Many people are also now learning about the tremendous value of other natural products from the cow, which are used in ancient Ayurvedic treatments.

Each cow requires several acres of land for feeding. In northern climates 3-5 acres is required for each cow. Communities in the south (which we highly recommend for many reasons) require only around 2 acres per cow.

A forming community therefore needs a minimum of 28 acres of land for grazing cattle.  A bit more should be set aside, as this leaves no margin for error. One cow will not produce enough milk for a community that desires it, but many people will also be vegan. We strongly recommend starting with only two cows, and as a community becomes experienced, the herd can be allowed to grow only up to this size, at least until a proven track record of good care can be seen. Care must be taken to always have sufficient land, facility, and experienced people available to care for all cows for their entire lives even before breeding begins.

Of course, you can read web pages where a herd of cows can be maintained on less than this amount of land by rotating the cows in different pastures. That information doesn’t include the land required to grow the hay and grain to feed the cows in the winter. And they don’t tell you about feeding the bulls, because they get a bull from a nearby farmer when they need one for breeding, nor do they mention what happens to the bull calves, or what happens to the cows after they stop producing milk.

Dairy production should start after a community is well established, and those who are interested can get involved.  The community must have sufficient land already allocated, be very well educated, have proper barns and other facilities, plan very carefully, and be fully prepared to care for the cows nicely.  

An Ecovillage community should never have any animals without being fully prepared to care for them properly for their entire lives. 

Anyone desiring milk products will have to buy them in the earlier phases of community development. The community coop can purchase such items in bulk according to demand. But the community must allocate some land for animal husbandry from inception, whether for cows, goats, horses, sheep, rabbits, or all of these. 

Cows, or rather oxen in particular, provide a workforce in the community that is unparalleled.  They are obviously useful for tilling the land. But they can be used to power sawmills, grain grinders, water pumps and wells, and used for transportation. Cow manure can be used for soil amendment and for heat. Cows and bulls are a completely natural solution for all types of power.   

Pets

Pets are not prohibited. However, living in a self-sufficient rural community is not like living in the country in an unsustainable way with 5-10 acres and whatever pets you want. 4.7 million people in America are bitten by dogs every year.  Do you want  to drive your neighbor’s young child all the way to the nearest emergency room because your dog somehow bit them?  1000 people per day are bitten seriously enough to go to hospital emergency rooms. 

Dog waste is also a problem and is one of the primary ways that parasites are spread - to other animals and to humans. Flies can also become a big nuisance.

Since we are restricting horses, cows, and other animals to particular areas and barns, why should we allow another type of animal free reign? Additionally, horses and cows don’t bark loudly and disturb neighbors in the middle of the night. This is not like living alone on 10 acres. It is a fenced community, and therefore only a few dogs are needed for the whole community.

Each village of eight homes can determine if dogs and cats are allowed in their community and village. We highly recommend that those villages that want such pets adopt no more than one or two in the entire village, rather than having separate animals in each household. Very large dogs will not be allowed, nor breeds that have any history of biting people. Remember also that dogs need to be fed, and meat is not allowed in communities. 

Since there are excessive numbers of dogs and cats in the cities, including those neglected or homeless, any villages that allow pets should require them to be spayed or neutered, as more can easily be obtained. If the community allows them, we recommend getting homeless animals from city pounds.

Smaller indoor pets like hamsters are not a problem provided they do not bother any neighbors. Feeding and watering of all pets must be accounted for in the amount of land and water available on each home site. Buying food is an additional expense that must be considered.

Bats and certain birds are very beneficial for mosquito and pest control. It is not difficult to set up roosting and nesting places to attract them, and a large lake can attract many birds.

Beehives should be set up for producing honey and for crop pollination in each village.  All such intentions should be included in the Master Plan and/or the Community Constitution.

Rabbits, goats, sheep, and other animals are useful for various purposes and should be considered. Land should be allocated from community inception. 

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