Keeping Animals Isn’t So Unusual, At Least Outside of America

Grazing in Germany: Two Sheep in a Suburban Backyard

I have done a fair amount of traveling in my life.  Just this year I have been to El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Belize, The Caymans, The Netherlands, and Germany.  During my travels, I am always impressed to see how households supplement their food and income by producing something for themselves.  It could be said that what I do here at Piscataway Acres is unusual.  However, for the majority of the world, there is nothing unusual about living this way.

In Latin America, it is not uncommon to see chickens roaming the yards of those living in the country and city.  Or in Africa, many residents have a family milk goat.  It is also the tradition in many parts of Europe to keep and raise animals in the backyard.  I just returned home from a trip to The Netherlands and Germany where I saw how normal “city folk” kept livestock in their backyards.  In Holland, for example, it was normal to have a sheep grazing in the yard, doing the work a lawnmower would do here.  Nor was it unusual in Germany for those with only a little space in their yard to keep a flock of chickens or rabbits.

Backyard German Rabbit Pens Referred to in Article

Those who raise animals like this do not always do so out of economic necessity.  In Germany, middle and upper income families often choose to maintain extensive gardens and keep animals as a way to produce fresh, cheap, high-quality food right at home.  They do this, in part, because of tradition and practical reasons, but also because it gives them a way to live a more balanced life.  Walking through the center of town, one can see rabbits, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and pheasants.  I was even surprised to see one individual turned his whole backyard into a man-made pond where he raised fish.  No one thought any of these animals out of place right there in the city. In fact, it was all very normal. One individual commented to me that “if I have a yard, why waste it on just grass, why not make it productive?”  And productive he has made it!  In his little plot, about 1/4 an acre, he has five fruit trees, a large garden providing him with over a half of all the vegetables they eat in a year, and rabbits. His rabbits require a very small amount of outside grain, which costs him about $10 a year. The rest of their food comes from kitchen scraps and the very small grassy spot in his backyard. He cuts the grass twice a year, dries it, and stores it. This hay feeds the rabbits during the year. He is able to raise 24 tasty rabbits a year this way.

Home-made Rabbit Meal; Rabbit, Potatoes, Carrots, and Red Cabbage all self produced.

In the US, it is not very common, nor as easy, to raise a few backyard animals as it is almost everywhere else.  I am lucky enough to be properly zoned for keeping livestock, which zoning most people living in or around cities are not fortunate enough to have.  Additionally, we have also lost a lot of the good traditions that have provided for a more balanced life, which is probably why the zoning laws are so strict against animals typically considered to be livestock.  However, each of us, whether in an apartment, or on a ranch, or a small single family home, can produce something for himself or herself.  Growing a few herbs, some flowers, or a tomato bush is feasible for almost everyone. When you produce something for yourself, it is my belief that doing so will lead to a richer life.