Along with our efforts to preserve historic plant varieties, we work to increase awareness about the Heritage Breeds of domesticated animals. Animals have always been an important part of a healthy farm ecosystem. According to the teachings of Yoga, to minimize harm to living creatures, we observe a strict lacto-vegetarian diet, avoiding meat, fowl, fish, eggs, and seafood. Ayurveda has promoted this sort of diet as the healthiest to support human life. Traditional diets throughout the world have been largely vegetarian until very recent times. But most domesticated animals require people's care to survive. We keep animals to be of service to them and to encourage others to care for animals. They are extremely useful to have on farms for the manure they produce and the pests they eat, the work they can help with, and for the dairy that they can produce.
One of our Heritage 'Barred Plymouth Rock' Chickens, named "Vrinda"
We are currently keeping chickens at the farm. We do not eat chicken and do not eat nor sell the eggs. We do use the eggs to fertilize plants and to produce homemade organic pest sprays, and we use the composted manure as a mineral rich fertilizer. Our chicken have helped us to control pests and weeds. We tend to favor the heritage breeds and have had three distinct varieties of heritage chickens on the farm. We have plans in the future to introduce heritage sheep and cattle. Sheep used to be an essential part of natural orchard maintenance. They ate grasses compete with the trees for nutrients and provide hiding places for pests that can damage the trees and in turn fertilize the orchard. Cows, of course provide milk and the pancha gavya for prayer ceremonies. The milk of the Heritage breeds is superior for use in puja ceremonies and more healthful for human consumption.
