Friday, April 4, 2008

Shavings VS. Sawdust

What do you all use for animal bedding? We have been buying bails of shavings from Agway but now that we have accumulated so many critters we need to rethink this. Shavings have been costing about $4.50-$5/bag and we go through 2-4 bags a week depending on how many chicks we have. I called a local saw mill and I can get a cord of saw dust for $50, not quite sure how much that will be? Then I called a local wood worker and he has 3 -55 gallon bags full of sawdust he said he will give to me tomorrow. I am all over that, the price is right. Not sure if he'll be willing to save for me in the future but I'm going to try and do some wheeling and dealing tomorrow. Will trade eggs/veggies for sawdust? It's a thought! Soon the animals will be out in the pasture during the day so we will not be going through so much.
To supplement their feed we buy bread at a local bread store. They sell flats for $1.25 ea as animal feed. It usually consists of several loafs of bread and sometimes some sweet treats that have already expired or almost to that date. I have been freezing the sweet stuff in hopes we will soon have some little piggies.
Calling it a night - Good Weekend to All!!
(picture from last summer, fence beside barn)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The farm we go to uses saw dust. I think you are on to something with the woodworker there;) Hopes it all works out for you on the wheeling and dealing. I think he is going to get the better deal HA!

Phelan said...

Hope that bartering thing works out for you. We use straw with our older animals. And when we brood chicks we use shredded paper.