Creatures on the farm

[Guest guest]

Can anyone give me any information on keeping the following creatures;

 

Geese: From what I have seen they make a pretty good guard dog replacement.

Are they easy to keep, what does one feed them, how much, and is there

anything a person should know before thinking about getting some? Do they

eat snails?

 

Peacock: Nice to have around. From memory we had one or two in Ireland, and

one flew off. How do you make them stick around, without confining them? Do

they eat snails? What do they eat in general, and how much?

 

Ducks: Nice little waddling things. Does anyone know what they are good for,

apart from throwing bread at? Do they eat snails? What do they eat in

general, and how much?

 

Chickens: In the rainforests of South India, there are wild fowl, that look

good, and that run wild in the forest. I was thinking of trying to get some,

as they might like to eat snails (we get a lot of them here, as you might

have gathered) but they dont produce a lot of eggs, and we can let them run

wild. I thought of getting your 'normal' domestic chicken, but what to do

with the eggs? What do they eat in general, and how much?

 

Donkey, Ass, Mule: To me these are one and the same, but maybe not? What is

the difference? I want a pack animal to move rocks, fetch water, collect

coral and other lime ingredients from soft sandy beaches (where an ox cart

might get stuck), and generaly get into tight spots and extricate things.

Also should be cuddly and lovable, for weekend guests. What is the best

animal to get for that job description, that eats less, and is generaly

manageable? What do they eat in general, and how much?

 

Sheep: Good for wool. Anything else? What do they eat in general, and how

much?

 

Dog: According to my brother in law, in the Manu Samhita, it says that if

you own a dog you will go to hell. I dont want to go there. Does anyone know

about that? Say I can avoid hell, yet own a dog, which kind of dog would be

best as a farm animal, to scare off those pesky wild pigs, and also pesky

poachers, yet not eat all the above mentioned creatures, and generaly be

good to have around?

 

Any other tips for caring for the above mentioned creatures, such as living

facilities, amount of area required, or anything else would be appreciated.

 

Finaly, are there any other animals or fowl (I dont want pigs), that would

be good to have on a varnasrama farm (apart from cows obviously)?

 

Thanks prabhus.

 

Your servant

Samba das