In a recent comment, my father asked me to go into a bit more depth about my personal experiences with the animals we raise. Considering I grew up in a household with just one dog, I am amazed by how little time it has taken to habituate, but before we get into that subject, let me first tell you about the animal’s roles.
At the Moulin Ruel, the animals served three different purposes: land maintenance, protein generation, and energy alternatives. In the simplest way, the goats, donkeys, and horses of the farm maintain the health of the fields by eating the plants that grow naturally. The process both feeds the animals and prevents Alain from using a fossil fuel powered tractor. Though the chickens also contribute to this process in a small way by eating troublesome insects and kitchen scraps, their primary purpose is provide eggs and meat (sparingly!) for consumption. Finally, the horses represent an alternative energy source for heavy labor projects by hauling lumber or plowing garden rows in the place of the tractor. In general, the animals are respected inhabitants of the land, and their natural skills are put to use to improve the health of the farm.
Conversely, the animals here at the Petit Ane Bleu serve a much more touristic role. To the greatest extent, the donkeys from the basis of the hiking business by carrying fifty kilograms worth of a client’s goods during a “randonée.” The other animals, however, have two distinctly different purposes. First, the sheep, goats, and pigs are quite like the donkeys when their existence enhances the “country experience” of the tourists that visit. Penned next to the guests’ lodgings, they are a physical symbol of farm life and enhance the asthetics of the place. The second role, which is different from the donkeys, is that these animals are occasionally slaughtered for their meat which adorns the host’s table. In fact, one of the pigs is scheduled to be killed while I am here, and the experience represents a sight I both dread and feel obligated to see. Thus, the animals are exploited to a much greater extent here at the Petit Ane Bleu.
Comparing the two farms, I believe that the Moulin Ruel ideology of animal husbandry is much fairer and more sustainable. Each animal is considered an integral part of the farm and their natural abilities (and joys) are applied to the maintenance of the farm. That said, the comparison is not necessarily just because they are farms of different sizes, purposes, and the Bigliardis do not have a retirement pension paying for their weekly needs.
On a lighter and more personal note, I am happy to say that I have slipped into the animal-handler role quite well. I quite enjoy climbing into the hills to retrieve donkeys, giving grain to a surging crowd of hungry goats, getting shocked by an electric fence (just once!), cleaning a donkey’s hooves, and my favorite, helping a baby goat drink an unwilling mother’s milk. Though it is a far-cry from my traditional place in Haverford’s Magill Library, I find with each passing day that the simple joys of a country lifestyle are for me.