Livestock

• The main livestock found in and around medieval villages were pigs and sheep. Pigs could be slaughtered at any time of year. Oxen could be found as well, and were used to help farmers plow their fields. Horses were the primary form of transportation and were used to pull wagons, so these animals were abundant. Cattle also supplied beef for the people and a few people kept goats.
  
  

Hunting

• Animals to hunt were plenty, but villagers had to be careful about what they shot. The more traditional hunting animals, such as deer, rabbits and boars, were reserved for the village lord; however, the villagers were free to hunt smaller animals, such as squirrels and hedgehogs, or other beasts found outside forest boundaries.
  
  

Predators

• Bears and wolves were the primary predators threatening villages. While the village people themselves were rarely in peril from these beasts, their livestock animals were in danger. Many pigs and sheep were killed by the predators, which would cause the bear or the wolves to be hunted down. Even though foxes mainly preyed on smaller animals, they were hunted for sport.
  
  

Birds

• Chickens were also in abundance inside and around the villages. The birds were used for their meat and for their eggs. The village lord would live in a castle and every castle would have a falconer. These people trained birds of prey, such as hawks and falcons. Other birds commonly found today, such as blackbirds, pigeons and ducks, were around the villages and were eaten by the lord.
  
  

Fish

• Villages needed water and if there was a low supply of land animals, the people could always fish in the nearby river or lake. The sportier and tastier fish, such as salmon and trout, were reserved for the lord of the village. Other fish, such as pike, perch and tench, were regularly eaten by the villagers. If a village was close to the sea, herring and mackerel were in abundance.