what other things can be done with intelligent pets ?
like, if you had intelligent sheep for some reason, can you still get milk and wool from them ? Do they get skills like crafting ? and they can haul stuff as well ?
Interesting.
I made a race of egg layers where if they didn't hatch their eggs they'd use them for food instead.
I'd... Uhh... Rather they didn't, to be honest.
Unless its a kobold caves only feature, it seems like egg laying intelligents will get a slight improvement in the new version but nothing is confirmed as of present. The issue with egg laying folks are that they need to be shut in because they will suffer if they remain dedicated to sitting on the eggbox or claim a random eggbox in the fortress (you can cheat with elk-birds by raising grazing co-efficient so they dont starve)
Semi-intelligent pets are marginally more troublesome than previous versions on a interesting note Teneb, as of a comparison between versions post 42.01 where your noted change happens & version at and prior to 40.24, they half-hash the new behavior of citizens while still remaining pets.
For example, Trolls (if i modded my dwarven entity to take evil animals and embarked with some) have no inherent pet value, claim rooms, cannot apply for citizenship and can only be sheparded with usual citizen burrows, but in the meantime can work at occupational jobs & the military but also haul goods. You actually have to exploit to get them slaughtered by hitting S on a screen. They also interestingly pray, socialize and sing despite not being able to talk via occupation sites when they are idling. This is in post 42.01
While in 40.24 they work as normal animals, able to be sheparded up and recieve no particular important status, plus are also edible & workable to sentient eating and trophy making races.
I cover some of this detail in my investigative thread into bugs surrounding preparing certain corpses.
Its easier in the previous 40.24 version because you can just pasture the trolls, goblins will come in and shear them like any normal animal, but by use of enforced burrows you can still shear them okayish in the 42.01 version while they roam around their little living quarters.
For example drop your prepared food stockpile there, and also set a tavern over the area and the trolls will drink quite regularly and not become as dehydrated, unless you take a alternative and set them up around a well.