Growing protein

We used to grow beans for drying - red kidney, green kidney (flageolet), borlotti & the local white Tarbais bean but I've given up because they're always infested with bean beetle. There's nothing quite like a jar full of dying beetles and beans full of grubs
I've tried chickpeas but got just about as many peas as I sowed, but they were smaller.
I have also considered growing poultry & rabbits for the table - we're largely vegetarian because we won't buy intensively raised meat, whereas if it was our own, we could be sure.
There are huge numbers of sweet chestnuts grown here, indeed in a neighbouring village a new tree is planted whenever a baby is born in the commune. They could be a flour substitute, too.