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[Zancor Mezoran]

I came up with this problem when I tried to make a leather farm by having rooms full of chained up animals of many different types.  I figured that they would breed quickly, and that once the populations got to a good level, every year I would thin them somewhat by butchering about 20% of the population and making their hides into leather.  Doing this with 40-60 animals of 10+ species would get me a decent amount of leather each year (in addition to what the human caravan brings; my dwarf caravan brings crap).  Problem is, currently only pet animals can breed, and I'd rather not have every breeding animal in my fort be a pet.

So I came here to see if there was some sort of solution to my issue.  Anyone have an idea?

[Fourdots]

Based on my observations, animals who are not pets can breed with each other, as long as they are tame - my herd of elephants has had a number of births, and I've observed the same with donkeys and dogs in previous fortresses (examples which come to mind). In all of those cases, though, they've been either wandering around or in cages, not chained, and the elephants (and dogs) contain a number of war elephants, which could have some effect.

Of course, it's possible that I've simply gotten confused somehow, and it's only the war animals who are breeding - or the donkey was pregnant when it arrived on the map.

[Jay]

Non-pet animals can breed just fine.
I'd like to know where you got the idea that they can't.

[Zancor Mezoran]

Non-pet animals can breed just fine.
I'd like to know where you got the idea that they can't.

I got the idea from the fact that I looked through my entire announcements log (for nearly 6 years of fortress time), and not once did I see anything but wild animals or pets give birth.  It may be the fact that the animals are chained that is the issue; it also may be that before they were chained, they were all in cages...But the evidence pointed me to that idea.  Should I try unchaining them?

[Nonsapient]

chains don't interfere,  but cages do.

Your animals will even breed with the merchant's animals.  Several times it has happened that my embark donkey got pregnant after the merchants visited.

[Caesar]

I've got a herd of cows running through my mountain halls. They've been breeding like rabbits ever since I arrived.

In DF2010, that is.

I've also got a chained dog giving birth to puppies.

[Gudamor]

I believe there's a maximum number of tamed animals allowed by the game. Perhaps you've already reached it?

[Deon]

It's either 200 or 300 for each TYPE of creature, so they do not stop each other from breeding.

[Zancor Mezoran]

Alright everyone, thanks for the responses!  I guess my plan will work after all.  =)

[JavelinD]

you and me baby ain't nothin but mammals, so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel
*dances*

[DalGren]

chains don't interfere,  but cages do.

Your animals will even breed with the merchant's animals.  Several times it has happened that my embark donkey got pregnant after the merchants visited.

Like sailors, donkeys have a lover in every fort.