I live in Amish country!!! There is an Amish owned/run sawill just about a mile from me--I have to load myself, so I bag it in feed bags, then put it in the truck bed. Some sawmills actually have a way for a person to pull under the discharge chute, and the stuff drops right in as the wood is cut. It IS less expensive than buying from the supply stores. I get the peat from a feed store-- less expensive than a garden supply source. Look for places that make furniture in your area. Hard or softwood, it is always very dry before they start to cut it into lumber-- makes for soft warm bedding. I didn't even consider sawdust until I bedded the pony ride ponies down in mud one night at the fair-- the sawdust soaked up enough moisture that the top layer was dry, and the ponies stayed nice and clean over the night-- yes, they lay down to sleep at the fairs-
With hay being kind of messy, I feed a couple flakes outside in good weather, and in bad weather, I feed it in the evening. Then, at the morning checkup time, I pitch anything on the ground out the stall door to become part of the pasture fill process. I have a longer walk to fill low spots every week!!! There is a warning with this process-- spilled grain becomes seed for new plants outside--it is not something I mind, but many people with a monoculture mindset do mind. I look at it as a way to introduce seeds of the plants that my guys are eating into their pastures, which in turn, in a managed grazing program, turn the pastures into a good mixed hay field. Terry W --- Kyla Robbins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Terry, > > Where do you find sawdust for $5.00 a truck load? That sounds like a great > deal. If I can locate some in my area, I would love to give your method a > try. Do you feed your sheep in the stall also? If so what do you do about > the hay waste? My sheep eat the tender parts and leave a mess of stems > behind. We end up with quite a pile of "stems" in our stall. How often to > you need to clean out the stall using your combination of products? > > Thanks for the advice, > > Kyla R. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta. http://new.mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ This message is from the blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info