Ahh wood pellets...

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Bojangles

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Ive been using WP since summer all ok untill now!! I can't seem to get it right!! I've tried leaving wet in mixing wet in. Taking the main wet part out then replace it with old bedding then new on top. Every morning theres a very big wet patch much bigger then when he is on other types of bedding. I've been using 2 or more bags a week. At £6.50 a bag it's working out more expenise!! I don't want his feet to be affect by this. i've got 6 bags left and now Im thinking to go back to another bedding type. im stugging to get the top layer dry it always feel's wet.

What am Im doing wrong?? i've read so many good things on WP and now Im just not getting the hand of it!!

Today I've taken out part of the main wet and put another bag down I did put one down only a couple day's ago. Ive also made his bed bigger to see if that would help??
 
£6.50 a bag! You've been robbed! I can get 1 tonne in 20kg bags for £125 + vat so just under £3 a bag.
Have you got your bed deep enough as it shouldn't be sodden like that if it is; a two inch covering is not anywhere near deep enough IMO, preferably 4 - 6 inches deep. I'd rather have (and do) a shorter bed but deep enough rather than two inches all over; if it's only a thin bed it's bound to show the wet more.

Also, do you leave any hay in the bed as that seems to hold moisture and mat up, I always rake any out each day, it makes a huge difference.
 
I can only get them from a local tack shop as im suppose get bedding off YO he is ok with me getting a small amount in. I buy 10 bags at a time which saves me a whooper £5!!! LOL!! I make sure all hay is out I would say he's bed is quite thick espc in the middle where the main wet is?? Stable 12x14 he have half of it for his bed. He is a big boy too 17.1hh. Wheter I put in a lot more to see if that works don't know??

What ones do you use? Thats is a very good price!!
 
I'm not sure what size bags you are buying at £6.50?
You can get 'cat litter' bags of premium wood pellets for £4.25 a bag (15kg / litres) down at Wilkinsons. They are really good quality white pellets. Alternatively the pet shops (go for the big wherehouse style shops) will sell them - £9.90 for 30 litres at Pets at Home (or whatever their name is now!). Them you can buy as many bags as needed...!
My best advice is pop 1/2 a bag in a clean poo skip, then add a kettle of boiling water & tip on stable floor. The pellets 'fluff up' really quickly (in front of your eyes!) and the steam gently activates the rest.
It took a bit of experimenting until I found the above method worked well for me.
Hope this helps!
 
I get them from a wood yard, have to collect my own (nearly 30 mile away too) and they've only just started doing them; ATM it's order them and they'll do them for you as they don't want to take on too many at a time for now.
 
I get mine for under £3 a bag if I buy 50 at a time. If you google wood pellets + your area, there should be a few suppliers come up and most of them are happy to deliver.

I have just started but it's for my very very wet older horse whose bladder control isn't what it once was and he's doing great on them.

I have concrete floors with mats down and I started off using about 13 bags then watering them with about 6 large watering cans of water and they've been doing great. Do you think perhaps you didn't put enough down to begin or do you have a very large stable??
 
I can't believe the price you're paying. I was just shopping around and got this quote from Corley.....

"Thanks for your email

We deliver all over the country.

For delivery to your area, if you required a pallet (100 bags) it would cost £260 delivered inc vat.
50 bags costs £170 delivered."

Could you not have then delivered to your home (garage/garden shed?) and just take them in when you need them?

I've also bought from LWP and WHB and they are still cheaper than the amount you are paying. They also deliver nationally.
 
nicky_jakey said:
I'm not sure what size bags you are buying at £6.50?
You can get 'cat litter' bags of premium wood pellets for £4.25 a bag (15kg / litres) down at Wilkinsons. They are really good quality white pellets. Alternatively the pet shops (go for the big wherehouse style shops) will sell them - £9.90 for 30 litres at Pets at Home (or whatever their name is now!). Them you can buy as many bags as needed...!
My best advice is pop 1/2 a bag in a clean poo skip, then add a kettle of boiling water & tip on stable floor. The pellets 'fluff up' really quickly (in front of your eyes!) and the steam gently activates the rest.
It took a bit of experimenting until I found the above method worked well for me.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...

I use Ecomax ones 15kg. Might see if YO will allow me to get a ton in. I already use hot water as that was one of the tips someone on here said. Will have a look at Wilkinsons. I do like them easy to muck out it's just this main part I dont like Ive even taken out all the main wet part. I just dont like seeing loads of wet on show in the mornings!!
 
What size bags are you all buying for approx £3? I know the 'main' companies produce both 10 + 15kg / litre bags. So to compare prices it would be good to know whether the prices are based on 10 or 15kg bags??
 
Before I muck out it's yuk!!
IMG_2682-1.jpg

After it had a new bag in yesterday. thick enough or should I add more?? Im very close on giving up on this bedding!! I don't like seeing that much wet!!

IMG_2687.jpg
 
TBH, sounds a lot like you haven't got used to or don't like the colour they go as it is so much darker than normal bedding. Last pic looks fine - and normal, other was in bad focus so probably looked worse than is.
 
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Its not the best photo I was in a rush to get done. The colour doent bother me its middle bit that does?? Just want a nice middle bit like I had in the summer.
 
But it's not summer, that's the problem!
In summer, the air is dryer and warmer so therefore the bed stays drier anyway but has a better chance of drying out during the day and usually your horse wouldn't be in for as long. In winter, the damp air hangs about so the beds never get a proper chance to dry out unless you're lucky and can leave the door open for any sun to warm and dry it. Beds are always at their grottiest this time of year no matter what you use, how often you top up or how damp your horse is because of the basic temperatures - or lack of in some cases!
 
Like you, I'm still experimenting with wood pellets for my very wet and messy horse. but one thing I have found is that only putting a bed down in half of the stable doesn't really work. He started out with a reasonably thick bed over 1/2 of the (matted) floor, but by morning had a thin bed with a wet mushy mess in the middle which covered the whole floor. So he now has a thicker bed over the whole stable. The bed is a lot less wet, now I just need to sort out the fact that he tramples the droppings into a million tiny fragments which need a sieve to separate them!
 
I have an old horse who pees for England

I found my bed was getting the wet patch because the bed isn't deep enough.

I have a bed of about 4 inches now and it's alot better.

When mucking out, I fluff the whole bed and mix the dryer sides with the damper middle. If I allow the bed to settle and clump it becomes much less absorbant.

I can tell the difference in one day if my friend has mucked out for me. I come into a dreadful bed the next day:)

I buy from LWP and get a tonne at a time. I got the premium pellets this time but I find no difference in them. I pay £220 delivered.

I actually use more bedding than I used to before pellets, but that is because I can now afford to have nice deep beds. Before I could only have a sprinkling.
 
This is our first year in a much smaller stable. He had a very big open barn stable which had half of his bed then the rest of it was rubber matting. It was a huge bed that was great on deep litter shavings no problems. Now both smaller stable and a smaller bed which Im still havnt got the hand of it. Im so tempetd to make it bigger just want him to be able to play with his ball too. I do prefer him to have a nice big bed.

So if this was your horse's bed would you make it bigger and deeper then??? Head banging on the wall now as I just dont know??? Shavings are easy but more experinse etc.

Or should I carry on with it giving it more time??
 
TBH your bed looks nice (afterwards obviously;) )

I'd throw 3 bags on top of what you've already got down and see if it helps.

Muck out.

Dig out the sides and fluff.

Throw 3 bags straight down and mix all together.

Put the bed back down.

See if it helps.
 
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Maesfen said:
£6.50 a bag! You've been robbed! I can get 1 tonne in 20kg bags for £125 + vat so just under £3 a bag.
Have you got your bed deep enough as it shouldn't be sodden like that if it is; a two inch covering is not anywhere near deep enough IMO, preferably 4 - 6 inches deep. I'd rather have (and do) a shorter bed but deep enough rather than two inches all over; if it's only a thin bed it's bound to show the wet more.

Also, do you leave any hay in the bed as that seems to hold moisture and mat up, I always rake any out each day, it makes a huge difference.
Click to expand...

Who do you use? I am paying £249 per ton, in 10kg bags including VAT.

I didn't like the bed in the summer as it was too dry, and my horse has sensitive sinuses.

However now we're back to winter I am loving my beds again. I use two 10kg bags a week, I mix one with two jugs of water, the other I don't put water in at all. Sorts out my mucky, wet mare.
 
Oberon said:
TBH your bed looks nice (afterwards obviously;) )

I'd throw 3 bags on top of what you've already got down and see if it helps.

Muck out.

Dig out the sides and fluff.

Throw 3 bags straight down and mix all together.

Put the bed back down.

See if it helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks it's a shame it cant stay that nice I wont mind a little bit of wet but that much is too much for me to cope with!! I've put down two bags this week on the middle part. And still get the wet showing up. I know this is prop going ott I just dont want him getting thrush or another foot abscess from bad stable hyhgine sp?? He spent most of the summer off with foot abscess!! Today he feet had a wuff to them not good!!

Im going to take out all the wet and use any left over bed to go on the bottom and try cardborad. Wheter I get along with that don't know?? I've got 6 or 7 bags leftd of WP.
 
I rarely take the wet out, I scrape back the top dry stuff and shave off a couple of inches of compacted bed when it becomes too high and the sides are lower than the bed. My bed is about 8 inches high, there's a wet patch every morning but I just rake the sides in to cover it and it's job done.
 
9tails said:
I rarely take the wet out, I scrape back the top dry stuff and shave off a couple of inches of compacted bed when it becomes too high and the sides are lower than the bed. My bed is about 8 inches high, there's a wet patch every morning but I just rake the sides in to cover it and it's job done.
Click to expand...

How big is the wet patch?? Anything like mine?? Its just costly too much well on theses WP!!
 
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