What is the most useful animal you raise?

calendula

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The most useful animal at our place (other than my husband) would have to be the hens. Our garden gets weeded, tilled, and the bugs and slugs erradicated by them. And they make some good compost for us.

I've pretty much given up on the hopes that our cats will ever catch any mice for us. :p
 

Bubblingbrooks

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Chickens. We get eggs year 'round, manure for the garden, and the meaties mow my lawn.
 

savingdogs

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Wow! Go chickens! Five votes for them and one for geese.

*Looks out window at Charley Harper, our roo, proudly strutting about the chicken yard, and shouts, "Wear those hens out, baby, I hear you are useful after all!"*
 

Wifezilla

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the ducks only lay spring to fall, where my chooks lay all the time
You have the wrong breed of ducks! Welsh Harlequins lay ALMOST all year. Mine usually take January off, but they earn a vacation :D

Out of the 3 cats, I have 1 that earns his keep. Of the other 2, 1 is too old and one is old AND fat...so they sleep, eat and shed. That is about it :p
 

savingdogs

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Now see I have on cat that is an extreme mouser. He is useful enough for all three of them.
 

miss_thenorth

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Wifezilla said:
the ducks only lay spring to fall, where my chooks lay all the time
You have the wrong breed of ducks! Welsh Harlequins lay ALMOST all year. Mine usually take January off, but they earn a vacation :D

Out of the 3 cats, I have 1 that earns his keep. Of the other 2, 1 is too old and one is old AND fat...so they sleep, eat and shed. That is about it :p
I have scovies, because I eat them and I do not like duck :p. Scovies are the only type of duck that do not come from mallard, so they do not tasste like duck, they taste more like goose. So other ducks do not get a chance to live here.
 

freemotion

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If I could only keep ONE animal it would be my best dairy goat. But that is me. I can buy eggs ( :sick ) but I can't get good dairy here.

Chickens are well worth it, too. I'm thinking they will be even more worth it now that we have an incubator, no more buying chicks.
 

moolie

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The only animals we have are our cats, but our big tabby Bert is a great mouser.

Unfortunately he also kills the odd bird here and there :(
 
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