Do you want more meat on your animals? Tired of micro-managing your careful eugenics programs for your Dwarves' wholesome nourishment?
If not, it's still an excuse to drown things.
That's reason enough.
One day I happened to come across the idea of using the undead to preserve corpses, and by extension, preserving bacon for a Dwarf vault. On the occasion where the notion that becoming undead instantly makes something more muscular, the two facts clicked in my mind to form a whole new concept.
Zombie bacon farms.
Generally, when one is conducting an experiment, it is worth noting that the observers went insane, killed each other, and then rose from the dead.
It adds Fun to your food.
If you haven't caught the gist of the situation here - there's a way to garner more meat from your slaughter.
What you need:
1. A source of undead evil goodness. A necromancer or evil biome with spooooky interactions will do just fine.
2. A source of meat.
3. ???
4. Water
First, start building a drowning chamber.
(http://i.imgur.com/gNwHS3q.png)
Here the necromancer has been brought to the construction site, to build fear of her upcoming demise. Leave her guessing as to what the Dwarves have in store.
Next, secure your source of necromancy.
(http://i.imgur.com/Xo2YI8R.png)
The windows are so she can see the water rising. The bars are placed in a way that the water depressurizes when it enters the smaller sub chamber. This makes the water level inside rise slower.
Add your livestock. For purpose of demonstration : Three pigs and one dog.
(http://i.imgur.com/7GQLjxv.png)
Assemble the fortress for the demonstration.
(http://i.imgur.com/UbUKaU3.png)
It's funnier when you bring the family.
PULL THE LEVER
(http://i.imgur.com/K6tCa9p.png)
Animal data
(http://i.imgur.com/WxSpnzL.png)
Not exactly weak animals, but the weak had already been slaughtered. They'll still serve for the purposes of the demonstration.
In retrospect I probably should've chained up the animals.
(http://i.imgur.com/ZMzcWxX.png)
Floooood
(http://i.imgur.com/BUHgWD8.png)
Drop by drop...
(http://i.imgur.com/i5Az1Pc.png)
Dammit they are smart. Really should've chained them up.
(http://i.imgur.com/jwyJDgT.png)
At this point they started drowning, and I released a lot of the water. Apparently necromancers cannot animate corpses whilst drowning. Shame.
Results afterwards:
(http://i.imgur.com/4BjOvvW.png)
Size bonus and muscle bonus. More bacon for all.
(http://i.imgur.com/QYZWs9I.png)
And I may have forgotten about the necromancer still being alive for just a second.
Notes: The drowning just ensures the corpses stay fresh and uninjured, ensuring maximum yield. I originally tried it with a regular ol' evil biome and I'd say it works better than with a necromancer; whilst the animals are drowning the undead can still hurt them and potentially sever limbs, lowering bacon yields. On the other hand a necromancer is much more reliable and more easily controlled. In addition the corpse could potentially rot before the evil biome raises it whereas a necromancer will raise a corpse as soon as it has visual contact, guaranteeing your corpse stays fresh.
Also if you want to drown the necromancer for Fun, make the chamber at least 3x3. 2x1 is too small apparently, it was a very close call.
There is a serious science in why doing such things is profitable for your Fort's well-being.
- By slaughtering the weak animals from childhood, you can massively increase long term produce yields as the genetic pool grows to only accommodate the strongest, largest and fattest animals. The downside to this is that your present stocks will only be sourced from weaklings, who yield little meat and bone. That downside is erased with necromancy.
- You can't have your cake and eat it, unless you can harness the powers of Necromancy. By processing your animals with the secrets of life and death, you increase your yields drastically no matter what. Coupled with a breeding program - you can maximize your yields in the future AND present.
- Undead animals do not die from old age. They do not need to graze. They do not need to drink. They do not flee from invaders and wild animals, instead viciously defending themselves until the attacker is dead. They do not spoil, as long as the damage on their body is minimal. They cannot be eaten by vermin. Necromancy is a versatile tool in the farmer's arsenal.
*EDIT
Fixed broken images.