Absorbent bedding.....

[jules9203]

Has anyone used either Megazorb (wood pulp) or Equisorb (flax) bedding? I'm looking to semi deep litter a couple of boxes and wondered if anyone has any good/bad feedback on either. Or any other suggestions? Currently using Fibremax and wood pellets.

 

[C1airey]

I recently tried a bag of Megazorb and didn’t find it as absorbent as wood pellets. It was good, but pellets are still better for us.

 

[Auslander]

I use Equisorb in some of my beds. It's a lovely looking bed, but you need to be very scrupulous in your skipping out, and very careful not to disturb the wet bit, as it can turn into a horrible brown porridge very quickly. It's also very slippery when new. If you're neurotic about your beds, it's lovely!

 

[TGM]

I've used Megazorb in the past on rubber mats but whilst I found it very absorbent I did find it worked out very expensive. Which is why I switched to wood pellets which give me the same level absorbency but at a much lower cost (when bought by the pallet at the end of the summer). So if you are already using pellets I'm not sure you are going to find Megazorb any better.

 

[SEL]

I use easibed but its not as absorbent as wood pellets. Local supplier has a shortage of wood pellets so they are really over-priced now but I'm having to mix a bag a week in the big boy's 'wee spot' because easibed isn't coping. There's a lot of wee!!!

 

[tabithakat64]

neither beats wood pellets

 

[tallyho!]

Depends how you bed. I deep litter as I don't stable routinely so use chopped rape which is superior to shavings/pellets when used in this manner.

When I wasn't allowed to deep litter, pellets were the best, as the wet clumped up in the middle and I could take it out easily.

It took me about 2 years to find the perfect substrate for deep litter. Bliss is the top result for me.

 

[MuddyTB]

I've switched to rape straw this year and was expecting it to be better after reading reviews. I can't say I find it any more absorbent than shavings. Wood pellets are definitely more absorbent so I now put dry pellets in the really wet spots once a week and keep the rest of the bed as rape straw.

tipsytinsel can I ask how deep your deep-littered bed was to work properly?

 

[tallyho!]

Unless you have fairly clean bedding from the last "digout", you need at least 8-10 bags of bliss to start with (I have a 14 x 14 stable), bank up the sides all the way to the door - the whole of the stable should be filled. It should be about 6" thick to start with. It's easy after that, just keep taking out poo but no wet. Keep on dragging down the banks or topping up as needed. NEVER take out the wet. Let it seep and soak outwards as this forms the firm base and it takes a while to form so be patient, you may need to just put back any dug out bits and put fresh on top. It'll take a few weeks - not for the faint hearted! At first it'll all follow you out so you do need to keep brushing... again it take a few weeks. Be patient.

Once "set" then you just add fresh - I add a bale every few of weeks or so in the summer when they are in every daytime. Your bed won't thicken as much as you think.

Dig it all out in the spring and start again. It's the only time of year the bed smells

A fellow livery wanted to do it too but could not resist taking out the wet.... it never formed properly and she ended up using way more bedding - at least two a week. It's important to let the wet set.

My mare is a big drinker and so this is ideal. She also likes to walk round and round like a cat before she lies down and so for this reason, this bed works for us. I don't think it would work if you had a bed digger or a box walker - don't even try it would be a complete waste of money.

 

[jules9203]

Thank you everyone x