Stock farming

The keeping of farm animals on Malagne serves a threefold objective: imitating the life on this farm at the time of the Gallic Romans, preservation of menaced domestic species and their part in the light of the experimental archaeology.

At Malagne you can find «Gallic», «Roman» en «Gallic Roman» cows and bulls, horses, sheep, goats, geese and chicken. The breeds are chosen because of their morphological similarity with ancient stock and are visibly different from other strains that were kept in the surroundings. The Gallic stock is often more squat, thick-set and more robust that the Roman stock. These animals served different purposes and are quite rustic and easy to keep.

The Gallic Roman era differs from the Gallic era by the implementation of the Romans and with them, their animals that came from the Italian countryside or from southern Europe. The Roman animals were bigger than the Gallic. Cross breeding has resulted in complete increase of volume of the domestic animals during the Gallic Roman era.

Following strains were picked to demonstrate the Gallic Roman stock:

  • A sheep of the Gallic sort of type is represented by the Lünenburger sheep, the Roman sheep by the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse breed and the cross breed of the Gallic and Roman sheep by a Shetland;
  • Chicken of the black Ardenner breed, black Ardenner with golden ruff, salmon coloured black Ardenner and Famenner hen, are the ambassadors of the Antique fighting-cock and undoubtedly of the Gallic chicken;
  • Geese from Flanders were already known at the time of the Romans. We keep white and grey geese;
  • Gallic cows are represented at the territory by the Dexter breed. at the time of the Gallic Romans also bigger cows existed that resemble the Charolaise breed;
  • The Gallic Roman goats are represented by the Poitevines and Alpines breed;
  • the Gallic horses are rendered by the Konik breed and the Roman horses by the Berber horse (Malagne administrates the Belgian Association of the Berber horse). Internet site

An other specie that is kept at Malagne are bees. A Gallic Roman hive, put together with pieces of a nut tree, such as the roots, the branches and the planks, is erected next to the orchard, which guarantees a good pollination.
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