Alternatives to straw???

digitalangel

digitalangel

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Can anyone recommend a good straw bedding alternative? My in-foal mare is eating her bedding and i dont want to risk colic.

Im considering wood pellets worried about initial outlay if it doesnt work!

Needs to be cheap, i cant afford anything over a fiver a bale at the moment ( OH will kill me!
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Shes very tidy, but wees a lot!

thanks!
 
Wood Pellet works nicely, i've been surprised by how good they are. i'm not sure how much you'd need on a concrete floor though, as i use mine over rubber matting.
if it's to foal down on, i'd pick carefully, don't want anything that moves too much when foalie is trying to stand up for the first time.
i am a huge fan of Ecobed cardboard and have foaled a few down on that without problems. added bonus that it is totally dust-free and won't break down and go dusty - unlike shavings etc.
 
Thanks Kerelli
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this was exactly the kind of advice i was looking for. It is a concrete at the moment, but im hoping to buy some matting soon.

The problem with straw is twofold - its bloating her and the amount she is eating is a lot - im having to put in a full bale nearly every other day which is really costing me ££. She is getting 2 large small-holed haynets at 6pm so im guessing she scoffs those, then scoffs her bed too! I wouldnt want to give her any more hay as she is a good doer. She has been on straw all her life, but i dont want to risk colic anyway.

I dont mind switching her back to straw for foaling down, but i dont think i want her on straw long-term.
 
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Woodpellets - something like £2.50 a bag aren't they?
Cardboard - I pay £3.50 a bale for those but they're not as absorbent as woodpellets and a bag doesn't go as far either.

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if you order a tonne, yes theyre around that price. but thats £250 which is a lot of money to outlay for a bed that might not work. You can order smaller amounts but then the price goes up :/

Shes very wet at the moment, so definitely need something super-absorbent!
 
i'd definitely get her off the straw, i can't stand horses eating their beds because of the risk of impaction.
wood pellet - you'd prob need about 8 bags to start the bed, you pour them out, level out, then spray with water (i use a watering can with warm water when it's this cold!) and leave for a while, when you come back they're all fluffed up to much bigger.
can you see if you could share a load with someone local, just a thought.
fwiw i had a tonne (50 bags) which has done my 3 just over a month, but they're only turned out for 4 hours each at the moment so they're using quite a lot. so, by my reckoning a tonne would last 1 horse at least 3 months, prob more like 5-6 if out a lot and clean...!
 
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