Another beeding question! What, amount and cost?

[clairec1154]

Sorry another bedding question!

This is my rant - I am having problems with the amount of bedding being used. This winter I have employed a girl that helps 4 days a week. I have 3 horses one of which is a very dirty yearling. I am using megazorb on rubber mats but was costing me £60 a week, I rationed the beds and now your eyes run with the smell of urine

I have never had problems with the older boys over the past 4 years.

My question is

What bedding to do you use?

How much to you get through in a week?

How much do you spend on bedding?

 

[hairymolly]

I use bedmaxand go through about one bale a week.

 

[baeloclaudia]

I have 3 in at night - from 4pm to 9am roughly. One of those is also a messy yearling, and her almost equally messy 4yr old soster! Plus a big boy who is quite tidy.

I have put them on wood pellets for the first time this year. They take a bit of getting used to - the beds don't 'look' as clean as fluffy white shavings - but they are clean, dry and quick to muck out. The horses never have smelly wet feet.

I am quite generous with the pellets, as like you when I tried to ration them I thought the beds were too smelly.

I'm using 6 bags a week for the 3 beds - but at only £18/week all in that is really good value.
Reckon if I was still on shavings I'd be using 5 bags a week and that would cost me £40 on our local prices.
Occasionally I buy an easibed to mix in, but that's only an occasioanl extra expense and not really necessary if I'm honest - i just like to.

 

[Chestnutmare]

I use shavings on rubber matting and she has a big bed just as if she wasnt on matting and huge banks and I'm currently getting through a bale maybe 2 a week and thats with her in 24/7 too...I thought this was too much and was thinking about putting her on pellets..

 

[hudsonw]

I have a 15mth, dirty, cheeky monkey that only goes out for 4 hours a day so that leaves 20hrs in.
I use Easibed which covers the whole of the stable floor. It's approx 7" deep with banks.
I take out the poop twice a day but i only take out the base once a fortnight.
The top stays nice and dry.
I use on ave 5 bags a month. At £7 a bag that's only £35 a month.
The downside is that it's quite heavy when you dig it out.
I don't have rubber matting so you might get away with using a little less.
I don't want to be rude about your groom/helper but is she taking out half the bed everyday by mistake?