Livestock

In this article livestock means any live animals you have under your control, usually tame, but, with some limitations, untame can be used too. Their main use is for breeding and butchering, but they can also be made into pets and act as intruder detection.

Sources

Livestock can be acquired by a variety of means:

• You can buy animals on embark. Except cats and dogs, those are hellishly expensive. This might not be a smart move.
• You bring 2 animals with you that drag your wagon. Those are seldom if ever a breeding pair.
• Some immigrants will bring pets that might complete breeding pairs.
• Your most reliable source for livestock are traders that will bring caged animals. Elves aside, they will only bring the common domestic animals, but those suffice. Elves may bring more exotic animals which are additionally interesting for defense purposes.
• You can catch and tame animals on your map with cage traps. This requires many cage traps, some work and/or some luck.
• Once you have a male and female of a species they will begin breeding, giving you a potentially unlimited supply - of that species.

Caveats and Tips

• Animals are frequently accused of ruining your framerate from pathing. Recommended remedies include caging (this stops breeding!), chaining, or "stacking" in a small room. Baby animals can be kept in cages till they are mature and then be released.

• While you can't butcher pets, their offspring will be at your disposal without restriction.

• Mules are sterile.

• Tame female animals that are left to roam can apparently become impregnated by wild males of the same species. The new animals produced will be tame.

• Some animals are reproducing faster and more consistently than others. Cows, horses, dogs and cats work and are easy to acquire. Other than that you will have to try out.

Uses

Breeding and Butchering

Livestock is a welcome source mostly for bones and leather, but also supplies meat and skulls. Slaughtered newborns provide the same number of items as full-grown animals, so there is no need to wait for them to mature.

Only one male is necessary to impregnate an indefinite number of females. Keep 1 or 2 spare males around in case one dies of old age, any other males serve no purpose and can be safely slaughtered.

The males don't need to be anywhere near the females to impregnate them. You could lock them in a vault and they would still impregnate the females anyway. NOTE: While distance and/or walls will not prevent pregnancy, putting either the females or all available males into a cage WILL prevent it. Chained animals will still reproduce.

The animals at the end of your z-animals list are the newest born (war dogs and vermin aside)

Females should be slaughtered too after about 8-10 years, so they wont die of old age. While it is hard to keep track of the exact age of a single animal, butchering a few from the top of the list should do the trick.

Livestock is a safe and constant source of meat and bones (read: bolts) for a fortress that has trouble with caravans and hunting.

Wild animals

Wild animals will attempt to escape from your fortress if you release them from their cages. It is advisable to keep them in a confined space and send in your military before handing them over to the butcher.

Pets

You can make most animals available as pets on the z-animals subscreen. Dwarves who like them will adopt them.