Rethinking Livestock for Regeneration
Over the past 10 years, I’ve been experimenting with different animals across our regenerative system in Cap Rouge. The goal has always been simple: to figure out which ones actually support the land and which ones take more than they give. This hasn’t been about tradition, theory, or profit. It’s been about trial, observation, and what works in the real world.
“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
• Eat pests, even rodents
• Thrive on forage and raise their own young
• Some adults may pick on ducklings, and odor can build up if you’re not rotating or using enough bedding
Best use: Free-range around trees and gardens. They give meat, manure, and pest control without damaging the system.
2) Guinea Pigs
• Live well on wild greens and simple forage
• Quiet, reproduce quickly, and give cold manure that doesn’t need composting
• Our enclosed “tractors,” moved every 6 months, leave behind dense organic matter that builds soil naturally
Best use: Portable regeneration tools. Great for smaller spaces and soil building in edge zones or under trees.
3) Pigs
• Eat almost anything and produce a serious amount of manure
• Help break down kitchen scraps, weeds, and plant matter
• The smell is real, but with dry bedding and rotation, it’s manageable
Best use: Soil regeneration in fallow areas, compost zones, or tough patches that need deep disturbance and organic input.
What Didn’t Work for Us
• Chickens: They scratch at roots and pull up young plants. Good for pest control and compost turning, but only in mature systems.
• Goats: Too picky and too destructive. Without real fencing, they destroy saplings.
• Rabbits: Require too much feed and too much consistency. Not worth the maintenance.
• Guinea Fowl: Great at controlling pests, but hard to keep. They fly off and join wild flocks.
• Cows: Unless you’ve got serious pasture, not worth the input. They eat a lot and give back very little in a smallholder context.
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 — if it’s not actively contributing 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.
Full report coming soon.
We’ll share the full breakdown, including how we manage rotation, deal with fencing, and compost manure once the PDF is live.
Have your own lessons from the land?
Tag us on Instagram or send us a message. We’re always learning and always listening.
