I doubt larger livestock would ever be used on Mars. It's debatable that larger livestock are practical on Earth with the amount of resources required to produce the useable calories.Mars colonists will have to get use to fish, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Maybe chickens because they are small and produce eggs. Steak and bacon can be imported from Earth for special occasions.I don't see grain production either, considering the amount of area that would take. Stick with algae production.
About 1/2 acre or less of wheat can supply a family of 4 for a year. Doesn't take much space for wheat actually. In a greenhouse on Mars 2 or more crops could be grown in a year, since there will be no seasons in a greenhouse. I don't see larger animals until large scale production of grains is accomplished. Large herbivores can eat wheat straw, corn stalks, and such. It isn't absolutely necessary to "fatten them up for slaughter".
Animals require twice as much algae to assimilate the same body weight than a more typical meal of cottonmeal, soybeans, corn or wheat.
Quote from: RonM on 02/25/2016 03:32 pmI doubt larger livestock would ever be used on Mars. It's debatable that larger livestock are practical on Earth with the amount of resources required to produce the useable calories.Mars colonists will have to get use to fish, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Maybe chickens because they are small and produce eggs. Steak and bacon can be imported from Earth for special occasions.I don't see grain production either, considering the amount of area that would take. Stick with algae production.You are almost certainly mistaken because ... capitalism.If there are colonists willing to pay for real meat (and there will be) then there will be people willing to rear it. And as rearing meat requires grass and grain that'll happen too. Eventually.Ditto bread.As for chickens, have you any idea how many food products require eggs? My guess is that there will be poultry from very early days.
People hugely underestimate exactly how expensive meat will be on Mars.
Quote from: Robotbeat on 02/27/2016 08:02 pmPeople hugely underestimate exactly how expensive meat will be on Mars.That will make it desirable!
When we are talking about animals, animals will eat the ENTIRETY of a plant. It is not like people where we will only eat part of the plant and throw away the rest: