Livestock space requirements, stampedes, nuisance

[Verjigorm]

Originally Posted by Icelander

In that case, though, you have just handed the enemy a partial victory.

A fort left, battered and reeling from a long siege is better than one lost to the commotion of stampeding animals. If I was a garrison commander on the spear's point, I would slaughter the animals. Hell, i would've turned away refugees an hour ago. We're all going to die, man.

250 oxen means 125 ox-carts that can be used for the summer campaign due to start in the month. The ovicaprids and the cows are meant to feed some of the thousands of men that will travel this road then.

And if this fort falls tonight, Decurion? Then what? How many ox carts will the barbarians need to haul our women and works off? How many sheep will they glut themselves with? What shall be done then? No, have the men slaughter those that roam free and pile the corpses before the gates. By Mars, they shall not have this fort!

The enemy isn't defending this fort because the earthworks themselves have any innate value. The entire point of this fort and the neighbouring one (now lost) was to provide a provide the forward supply dump for the army that built it and to defend supply dumps behind it. The monetary value of the livestock might be 'only' $1,400,000; but with the severing of the naval supply line behind them, the actual value of oxen at the front-line is much higher.

Wait, are we the besiegers or besieged? If we are besieged, then the usefulness of the animals in the long term is measured against their liability in the short term. The earlier you start killing animals, the less burden on water and feed you have. Their meat will keep for a time, and you can eat them whole before too long.

Also, how would anyone manage to slaughter all the animals in 15 minutes? Even if you use all 200 men who have experience as herdsmen as ad hoc butchers, it would be very tight in terms of time and I'm not sure if the animals wouldn't start panicking rather early if you were cutting them down like... well, sheep.

Well, more likely than not, most of my soldiers should know how to kill an animal. I imagine we would set up lines of animals leading out of the barns. Clsoe the doors before you slash the throats, and most animals will stagger out time after time. Most of our soldiers should be familiar with slaughtering animals, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

If time was too short, i would drive the loose live stock out of the fort, preferably waiting for something similar to an assault. If possible, time allowing, i would tie brands to their horns, and set those alight when I drive them out.

During an assault, i would want as much freedom of movement for my people as possible.