Alternative to wood pellets

[FabioandFreddy]

Has anyone switched to an alternative since the prices of wood pellets have gone through the roof?! I got a pallet last winter for £230 and everywhere is pretty much double that now. Looking at other options...

 

[Jambarissa]

I'm in exactly the same position. I've used wood pellets for years and they're so much better than everything else for my two dirty mares who mix their beds up (door one end of stable, window the other ).

I've used shavings in the past and occasionally muck out my friends horses and I don't like them at all. Not as absorbent, more smelly and you can't sieve them.

Always wanted to try chopped straw so I gave that a go, it made a lovely bed but still much more smell and you can't sieve it.

I'm currently on Aubiose which is £12 a bag but people swear they use a lot less and I'm finding that true, but it's the height of summer so we'll have to see. It ticks every box really: good firm bed, absorbent and non-smelly, sieves well enough and actually looks nicer than wood pellets which tended to go dark quite quickly.

I've been watching wood pellet prices and they have come down significantly so maybe they'll be more reasonable by winter.

HTH

 

[Barton Bounty]

I tried them once but bb kicked them everywhere even after dampening. I use sawdust on the base,about 4 bales and sometimes small flake shavings on top or just 5/6 sawdust, I find him so much cleaner

 

[dixie]

Yes we’re collecting large bags of wood shavings from the local joiner for £1 a bag and then topping with a bag of normal shavings. Am hoping that method will take me through the winter and there is plenty of the wood shavings on offer. It gives a similar bed to wood pellets.

 

[FabioandFreddy]

I'm giving Laysoft a try. Local guy supplies and has dropped me off 10 baes to see how i get on with it. £7 a bale but you get 25kg's in a bale. Price can drop as low as 6 if bulk buying. I didn't mind using wood pellets when they were coming in at less than £3 a bag, but they're not great in the summer anyway to be honest and refuse to pay nearly the same price as shavings for them!

 

[Birker2020]

Bought some Stable Choice shavings recently and although they've gone up from £8.20 to £8.66 a bale they are still the most cost effective given their size although I've noticed recent bales aren't as tightly packed as those previously!

Looked for some more cat litter wood pellets today in Aldi and they no longer stock them in our branch although the usual ones i buy have only gone up by £1.00.
I am seriously wonder where this winter will take us in terms of affording to keep our precious horses.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I’ve still got 20 bags wood pelllets so going to keep using for my messy one until they run out. I’m trialling chopped rape straw at about £8.50 a bag for my other horse. They’re still out most of the time until end September so won’t really know if it’s easy to keep clean and economical until they’re in at night.

 

[jules9203]

Wood pellet has gone through the roof but if you can order a full pallet it still comes out at approx £6.75 - £7.60 per bag.