Field note · April 16, 2025. Rotation guidance and guide links updated October 2026. · Feeding and ecological context reviewed October 14, 2026.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve been experimenting with different animals across our regenerative system in Cap Rouge. The goal has been to understand which animals fit the land, available feed, and care we can provide. These are observations from our system, not a ranking that applies to every farm.
“If the animal doesn’t serve a real purpose and have a job, I don’t need them.”
— Sidney-Max Etienne
Top 3 Animals in Our System
1) Muscovy Ducks
• Quiet, low-maintenance, and productive
• Forage for insects and other small organisms; this does not establish reliable rodent or pest control
• Foraging can contribute to their diet, but adequate balanced feed, clean water, shelter, and care are still necessary
• Some adults may pick on ducklings, and odor can build up if you’re not rotating or using enough bedding
Our use: Managed access around established trees and gardens. Ducks provide meat and manure and may eat some pest insects, but they can also damage plants. We manage their movement and access around young growth.
2) Guinea Pigs
• Need suitable fibrous forage or hay, a dependable dietary source of vitamin C, and clean water; unidentified wild greens are not automatically safe or nutritionally complete
• Quiet, reproduce quickly, and contribute manure and organic matter to the system
• We move our enclosed “tractors” as ground and grazing conditions require, while checking forage, shelter, hygiene, and the condition of the animals
Our use: Managed grazing in suitable small areas. Their manure returns nutrients, but stocking and movement must prevent overgrazing and protect the animals. Soil benefits need observation and measurement.
3) Pigs
• Omnivores that need balanced feed and clean water; being able to eat something does not make it safe or suitable
• Feed choices need disease precautions. Meat-containing kitchen scraps and untreated food waste can spread serious pig diseases, including African swine fever
• The smell is real, but with dry bedding and rotation, it’s manageable
Our use: Carefully managed access to selected areas. Rooting and manure can change soil conditions, but can also expose soil, compact wet ground, damage roots, and increase runoff. Pigs do not automatically regenerate a site.
What Didn’t Work for Us
• Chickens: In our young plantings, scratching has damaged roots and seedlings. With protection and managed access, they can fit other systems, including established growing areas and compost work.
• Goats: Protecting saplings and controlling browsing proved difficult for us without suitable fencing. Their usefulness depends on the site and management.
• Rabbits: Their feed and daily-care requirements did not fit the resources available in our system.
• Guinea fowl: Their ranging and flight made them difficult for us to contain. We have not measured a pest-control effect.
• Cows: Our limited space and feed resources were not a good fit. That is a constraint of our system, not a judgment about cattle in every smallholder setting.
We’ve already supported local families with ducks, guinea pigs, chickens, and goats. What’s clear across the board is that feed and fencing are the biggest challenges. Another issue is the expectation that animals will automatically bring profit. That’s not how it works.
If the animal doesn’t support the system or actively contribute to regeneration, then it becomes more work than it’s worth.
The ones that thrive are the ones that give more than they take and actually fit the land and the pace of life here.
We’ve figured out which animals are practical. Now comes the next phase: understanding how they can be better used to regenerate the land.
That means tracking how they impact soil, pest cycles, tree growth, and ecosystem balance. Not just behavior, but their role in the bigger picture.
We’ll keep expanding our guinea pig tractor model, create simple guides in Haitian Creole, and continue sharing what we learn through community workshops and the systems we build on the land.
Practical Livestock Guides
Our field guides are now available in English and Kreyòl. They bring together observations on managing animals within regenerative farming systems.
Have your own lessons from the land?
Tag us on Instagram or send us a message. We’re always learning and always listening.
Sources and context
Muscovy ducks and local feed resources — FAO
