Simple Ideas to Save Money Part 1

If you have goats, chickens, etc:
1. Grocery stores(not big chains but locally owned) will give or sell a box of produce that is bruised, old, or not good enough for the public consumption. This will stretch your feed much longer. Often if they sell it, you may spend a dollar or so on 40 lbs of yummy slops for the animals. Sort the carrots and lettuce etc for your goats and sheep...they love it and the carrots for a milking goat reduce some harmful microbe(the vet told me)

2. Find a large family that has no animals and ask them to save their food waste for you. This is awesome for the chickens too. If you get an abundance freeze it. In the warm months the chickens love pecking the ice food(kind of like at the zoos). In exchange maybe you can give a tour to the family and share how the food that was waste now serves another purpose. Remove the green earth ownership, thrifty people have been green their whole lives...no need to buy carbon offsets(scam)

3. Goats love leaves! If you have an abundance of leaves rake into leaf mounds and cover. Give this as a mid day treat or as a way to stretch feeding. I don't understand how goats can eat everything and get the nutrients that they can, but God sure does. We traded raking at a pecan orchard for 5 trashcans full of pecans- and the 4 truckloads of leaves were a bonus! By the way the pecans can be crushed hulls and all and scattered for the birds. The sheep love pecans too!

4. Five gallon food safe water buckets can be picked up for free at any local McDonald's, Burger King or your favorite food place. These are tossed all the time. You can bleach them out and use for your food storage, and when you have enough use them for water buckets. We have on hand about 40 waiting, as I use them in many other ways too. Farm and buckets are a match.

5. Feathers can be saved to wash for pillows etc. They will not be the softest pillow(well they will be a bit pokey) but you can be assured that no toxins will be resting under your head(who knows what is allowed to be in pillows these days?)

That is enough for the animals which also save us money by providing milk, cheese(I make) sherbet(I make), eggs, chicken meat, goat meat, wool, turkey for a special occasion, duck eggs to bake with...wow, what an incredible way to live a simple life. Oh they also provide manure for composting!!!
(c) Double Nickel Farm