How can I use wild animals and livestock to increase biodiversity in my garden?

Question

I want to increase biodiversity in our very large garden. How can I use wild animals and livestock to do this?

Answer 1

I had deer and rabbits running around in mine; I''m about tapped for room.

Answer 2

PERMACULTURE ANSWERS ON ANIMALS WITH IN AND AROUND THE GARDEN

Try to think of the animals as components in controlled eco systems ,instead of being the king (like a pig in a pen)with you working as a slave to clean its place and supply food all the time.

PIGS

We have used pigs as labor,corralled in a place too difficult to clean .such as grass over rocky ground ,or forest or places full of bugs snakes etc.

They will clean it better than any machine or man going half a meter into the ground eating up the roots ,

When they are done ,move them to another place ,and after you have taken out the rocks the site is ready to plant.

You may have to moisten the ground and supply water and a bit of food like corn.

DUCKS & CHICKENS and other FOWLS

Normal chickens and normal ducks will destroy your garden

the chickens scratch and all the upcoming little plant literally

hit the dust

Duck work like miniature plows doing maximum damage ,especially if the ground is moist ,they work with their beaks like hoes

However Ducks contained in a pond provide a lot of fish food

Normal Chickens that are contained can be used to clear land in a chicken tractor (a movable corral )

There are many animals that can be used walking about free amongst you garden with out damage and a lot of benefit such as pest control and fertilization

The best are ,Chooks (chickens with feathers on their feet,Partridge ,Guiny fowl ,My Favorite Silkeys and Bantam chickens ,these are small chickens that run about and chase anything that moves ,they go all over the garden fertilize and catch 70 % of all garden pests that walk, jump or land .

There is also a miniature white duck which does not do a lot of damage and they are the top expert in getting rid of snails their favorite food .

Breed these little ducks and chickens and sell them to other gardeners everybody that has them is delighted with the results

The danger to them is cats and other predators and they need a dormitory to sleep in a closed chicken house with staggered pols to roost on (staggered like a staircase so thy don`t p**p on each others head )

,everyday they will return in the late afternoon ,

some body must close the door after them ,

And in the morning they will rouse you to open the door so that they can go to work .

SOME MORE ANIMAL USES

Just a few more examples of organic pest control and there are thousands

In Mexico we got a sort of small lizard that lives on the wall ,and sit near the lamps ,and eat mosquito's all night,

In the mango orchards we release laboratory bred wasps to attack and kill the caterpillars that go for the mango's

Birds we also don't kill

when the passion fruit is ripe ,a little black Caterpillar comes and wants to destroy them,luckily a little finch type bird turns up and eats the black caterpillars.

Place poles with bird feeders on some compost

and visiting birds will drop some interesting seeds ,that can germinate below,

Have bird houses in the trees to encourage caterpillar feeders to move in.

In Mexico we have let mazacoas,which are, python type snakes in to the garden to take care of the rats.

In Africa we released mole snakes into the garden and field to combat the plagues of Norwegian rats that were destroying the fields

Ant eaters  take care of leaf cutting ants that can destroy a large tree in a week.

Armadillos  eat Beatles and such,but they will eat all the worms in your worm culture and dig up the garden like pigs, so you have to fence them out

Potbelly pigs and deer and normal pigs are good in an orchard because they eat fallen rotting fruit which breeds a lot of small flies.You have to corral these in

In our water reservoirs we put fish to eat the mosquito larva's.

  I have bred tree frogs from eggs and released them in the garden to eat mosquito's and horse flies.

Apart from the fact that many animals serve as food for people Animals In Nature have jobs ,each full fills a function in their respective eco -systems

some examples that can be around a garden are

squirrels who plant trees ,so do many birds

bees and other insects pollinate so have some bee hives

fish keep the waters clean from contamination

Any other animals you may have place them in the most useful place,so that an energy flow can be created

For example the chicken house above the vegetable patch and below the house in elevation so that you can lead the rain water from the roof of the house with a channel (from the house roof gutter) ,through the chicken house ,washing it clean and leading the fertilized water ,on into the vegetable patch ,every time it rains.

You can also have pigpens with a sloping floor or chicken houses with the roosting poles .on the edge of a fish pond to supplement the fish food.

have gutters sloping floors in the stables to collect urine and make for easy cleaning of the manure ,to be used as fertilizer.

Make a worm culture to produce the best compost in the world with the house hold organic wastes.

NOTE

So the main job is housing and management

Peacocks are very destructive and the noise will drive you crazy after a while

Answer 3

Get some exotic animals, a peacock perhaps? Emu? I know people who do that, it's interesting even llama's.

Answer 4

Free range chickens.

Answer 5

if you use indigenous (not just native) plants where possible you will attract native wildlife. I'm assuming you want livestock as well, so try using native grasses and tough shrubs as opposed to introduced grasses as this will attract native insects and birds, as well as providing fodder.  The live stock may also spread native seed in some cases.

wild birds can carry native seed in there faecal matter so supplying nesting areas may promote biodiversity increase.

try to promote low tropic (foodchain) organisms to your garden and the rest should follow.