[pharnorth]

Nicely put.  There are certain areas where that cottagers view prevails, such as back yard chicken, where the non commercial productivity proportional to feed input/ exercise is the norm. Few aim to emulate high intensity productivity or would consider it sensible to do so.  Pigs are more difficult these days since banning farmhouse scraps wends you towards commercial feeds then it's a decreasing spiral of cost leading to consideration of productivity.

[Terry T]

I often wonder how we (i.e. human race) manage without a a dried pelleted completely balanced biscuit. I catch myself concerned that I might not be getting the dog or chickens food balance quite right and then wonder how it is I know how to balance my own nutrient intake ...

[Fleecewife]

If cattle are anything like sheep, then they will be able to decide on their own balanced diet, as long as what they need is available.


<Frank N.M.'s preferred system is one where he offers his milking herd self-service sileage and kale during the winter months - fed in the field. This is backed up by herbal lays, and close attention to the sort of natural fertility that one finds in, for example, the hedge bank.>

This is exactly what I mean - let them choose for themselves. Certainly where our neighbour's cattle are concerned, they love our hedges and keep them well trimmed on the bits we can't reach from our side.
For milk output, there is life beyond quantity ie quality

< I think, on mass, we've somehow been swept along with the commercial side of the farming industry, and forgotten what it is to be a cottager. I don't know whether this is due to the "I'm going to move to a smallholding and run a cottage *industry*" Idea, or if it is simply due to the very tempting trap of trying to compete with your neighbouring farmers on productivity. Either way, I see it as a mild form of madness.>

Or is it more that most of the research based info available is biased towards the commercial side?  There can also be a lot of pressure from 'real' farmers for us to do things their way.  You need strong beliefs, especially when you are starting out, to stick to your guns.