Best bed - Aubiose (hemp), flax, chopped straw or shavings ??

[Mouse&Bay]

Friends, very exciting news here on this side of the pond. Moving the ponies home for the first time - thrilled! - but also the responsibilities and choices of at home livery.

Around here (Ontario, Canada), almost everyone uses quick pick small flake shavings. While pretty and relatively economical, they are also a bit of an environment no-no and hard to dispose of. I would love to, if possible, get something compostable and still economical. Cue research into hemp bedding and flax.

What have you found to work best? Was hemp as economical to maintain as it appears from the reviews and literature? Have you tried flax, chopped straw or other options I can experiment with??

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions on what I should try.

 

[hobo]

Aubiose is fantastic bedding can you get it in Canada, if not I am sure any good quality hemp should be just as good.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I use miscanthus (Easy Pack brand here) as it's far cheaper than Aubiose, but if I wasn't such a scrooge then Aubiose would be my choice.
Both rot quickly, my farmer is happy to remove the much heap as the miscanthus is fine for muck spreading.
I can also let mine go semi deep litter on miscanthus as once down it's pretty stable. In the worst of the winter I'll take the wet out once a week.
I have 1 bale of small snowflake shavings for use in the horsebox only, lasts about a year.....as I only use a litte under the tail

 

[milliepops]

aubiose is my absolute perfect bedding, I just can't afford it! it would be my choice for just about any horse.

 

[ester]

I use aubiose for the guinea pigs because it is affordable in that amount.
The horses get miscanthus .

 

[PapaverFollis]

My favourite bedding was the chopped rape straw one... Bedwell Equinola? Would like to try that mixed with wood pellets over rubber mats... but semi-deep littered Bedwell was a lovely bed just on it's own.

 

[ester]

My issue with the rape straws (equinola is one) is they tend to float about more than the miscanthus that is a bit heavier, which means it all gets pulled fowards.

I had a curiosity the other day, as rape is treated with glyphosate pre harvest and goes dark brown, how come it's yellow in a bag of straw
(things I spend too much time thinking about!)

 

[PapaverFollis]

When I used it I had wall to wall beds so it didn't move forward. I think I was feeling rich that year. ?

 

[Lots of Gift Bags]

I love aubiose, and although it's expensive, it lasts for ages so ends up being more economical for me. In the depths of winter I out one bale a week in, whereas with anything else I've tried it's been 2-3 bales.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I think it depends on your horse. One of mine likes excavating and so Aubiose doesn’t work as really it works best as a deep litter bed. It needs to be thick and wall to wall so it doesn’t move. He would just make a terrible mess, I know I’ve tried My other horse it would be perfect as he is tidy and doesn’t disturb it. I didn’t like miscanthus it smells funny when wet and it catches the back of your throat when you put a new bale in. Also no good for my messy one. I do use rubber matting and I only bed 2/3 if the box and I do think this can make the beds less stable.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Aubiose for one of mine that can’t be on straw. I love it and he can’t eat it. So easy to skip out, very economical and I usually dig the wet out once a week in winter and twice a month in summer. Generally use 2 bales a month but I start with a big bed.

 

[hobo]

I only take the wet out once a year before the start of the winter, the drier stuff goes in to my field shelters and I start fresh each winter. In my defence my stables are 20x20ft and they go out most days, I do need to start the bed with about 20 bales but after that one a week. I have a panic attack if I have less than a pallet full in the barn.