Visit http://www.jandjacres.net for more hobby farm activities. When you have livestock you are always interested in ways to save on the cost of feed. There are a lot of options available to you, from foraging to growing your own to flat out paying for every ounce, and several options in between. We feed them a mix. Some cracked corn from the co-op, some tomatoes, watermelon and other fruits and vegetables from the garden to comfrey and other leafy greens from around the property. We also provide a mix of oyster shell grit and crushed granite and a constant flow of fresh water. In this case I was at the Farm Cooperative buying some cracked corn, or chopped corn, and some cotton seed meal for the garden when I saw three large pea shelling machines steadily processing Purple Hull Cowpeas. What caught my eye was the huge pile of pea pod hulls on the ground. I know pea hulls are full of nitrogen, and that I could use them for compost. But right now my primary concern is the cost of feed for my chickens. I asked the man that works the warehouse what they do with the hulls. He informed me that some are thrown away while others are taken by people for various reasons. He said I could have some if I wanted, so I happily accepted - and the chickens happily ate. --- Background music provided by YouTube / River Valley Breakdown

• published: 23 Jul 2014
• views: 1347