Alternative bedding please help

[show_jumper]

hi. i use hunter shavings at the moment (based in Berkshire) and they are eating up all my money!!! i have a yard of between 6-8 horses, and on a bale a week at 6.50pouns per bale! yes 6.50!!!! its just costing too uch. i have a gravel yard, so dont want to use paper as it looks too messy, and dont like using straw! i know fussy!!!! what can you suggest - i using hunter shavings at the oent because thats what is stocked around e but dont ind what brand, or any other substance... please help! i also dont ind buying by the palet load!!
thanks

 

[Sooty]

I love Megazorb. It is expensive to get the bed set up, but once done it is easy to maintain and doesn't smell!

 

[metalmare]

Is hemp cheap? I don't know - I've never bought in bulk but might be worth looking into?

 

[Sooty]

It's ok as long as you don't have horses that eat their bedding!

 

[metalmare]

Yak! They'd all be high - LOL. That would be interesting if you cultivated a large crop on your muckheap!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Is hemp cheap?

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope. I use hemp and it's around 5.85 a bale.

 

[miamibear]

I just use regular shavings. Its £3 a bag round me and had i a smaller stable i coulf get away with one bag a week! Bales are £5 but if you buy in bulk im sure you could get a discount

 

[SirenaXVI]

I was paying £5.90 a bale for shavings and they were cr*p! Loved megazorb (I have rubber) but it worked out very expensive - recently changed to Bliss (rape straw bedding) - it's about £5.40 a bale, works like hemp (£7 a bale

) but is cheaper and smells of eucalyptus - love it!

 

[clipertyplop]

miscanthus-----or elephant bedding is another name some farmers are growing this as a crop....the only way i can describe it is that it is a cross between choped straw and shavings it highly absorbable and is best used as a deep litter bed

 

[miller]

I use Bedmax and pay £4.00 a bale

shavings prices seem to vary freatly round the country!?

We have 2 horses in 12x12 stables and use a bale a week in each (both horses out 6:30 - 18:00)

 

[debonhorse]

I use elephant grass, 3 stables 1 bag a week at 5.10 per bale. I love it so easy to use.

 

[tazet]

hi i use Aquamax that is small pellets that breack down to a sawdust type bedding its highly absorbant and lasts ages ok the initial cost of setting a bed up is expensive but once its in you don't need to add to it for months there is no amonia smell and wast is reduced to half i have 6 ponies on it and buy it in bulk its about £400 for a pallet of 80 bags (approx £5 per bag) and will probably use about 1 to 2 pallets a year. so in the long run has saved me a fortune as i used to go through 2 bags per pony per week in shavings. there is another one that is slightly cheeper called Woody pet and it does the same thing.

 

[Law]

I use easibed and it's a godsend for me. We bulk bought by the pallet at the yard and it was £4.20 per bale.