Our Kune Kune pigs are predominantly grazers and can manage vegetation while causing less soil disturbance than many conventional pig breeds when appropriately stocked and managed. They recycle nutrients while also producing food.
Goats are excellent browsers and can play an important role in controlling dense vegetation and reducing fuel loads. But the very behaviour that makes them useful can make them destructive. Young trees and valuable shrubs require protection and grazing pressure must be carefully controlled.
Chickens contribute eggs, meat, manure and insect control while scratching surface organic material. Ducks can contribute to slug and insect management. Quail provide food production within a comparatively small physical footprint.
Even our donkey participates in the system. Its manure becomes an important compost ingredient, moving nutrients back into the soil. No animal is kept simply because it fits an agricultural category. Each should have a reason for being part of the living system.