Cardboard bedding- advice needed

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now_loves_mares

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I know there are a few cardboard bedding fans on here, and largely based on the positive views I have changed my horses onto it from shavings. However I am struggling with it a bit, so would love some advice on how to manage it.

I have two mares on rubber matting. I have a quarter bed in each stable (fairly large stables so it's not a tiny bed). One of mine does all her poos on the bed but tiptoes around them so they are normally easy to lift. The other mostly poos on the mats, but is quite wet and tends to box walk a bit.

So far I'm finding it ok, but not great. I either ending up throwing out loads of clean cardboard, as they have kicked it around and it is mixed in with the hay and general stable dirt, or I sweep it back into the bed then get annoyed at how much dust etc is in the bed. I don't find fluffing up the banks works the same way as it does for shavings so it's hard to get all the bits of poo out. And I'm not totally convinced it's much more absorbent than shavings
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What mucking out style does anyone use? I probably did not put down a deep enough bed to start with, and I can't decide whether to semi-deep litter, full muck out each day etc. How much fresh bedding do you use a week, and do you put it in gradually through the week or one bag at a time? Also, are all brands created equal? I have been using Bedexcel as it's available in my local feed merchant, but it's over 6 pounds a bag
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I know people on here rave about Ecobed, would that be any different.

So far I'm not saving time or money and that's not good in my book
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i use ecobed, have done for years. i definitely find it much more absorbent than shavings, and much less dusty.
i do about 1/4-1/3 bed at the back of the stable on rubber matting too. it's about 8" deep, 15' x about 5', small banks (but not really necessary) i put about 3 or 4 bags in to start the bed, then 2 bales per week on average. i tend to put 2 new ones in on the same day every week, so the last day is a little light on bedding, but then it's really refreshed every week, if you see what i mean.
i muck out all the poos first with a long handled skip, and then use a shavings fork to scrape the clean/dry back from the wet patches, then brush (or fork) all the wet patches up. a bit of essential oils in water as disinfectant on the wet bits, and to make it smell nice again, put the bed back down, sweep it all back neatly, chuck out front bit that's mixed with feed and hay. takes 4-5 mins per stable.
hope that makes sense! i have internal stables and they never ever smell, doing it this way. the beds stay really clean and dry.
hope that helps a bit. i do tend to skip out as often as possible too, especially the late night skip-out really helps, if you can do it. the beds are much more trashed if they've not been touched for 12 hours, obviously.
 
Thanks yes it does make sense! Sounds like the main difference is you do have a much deeper bed than mine to start off with.

I do normally do a late night skip out (hurrah! Have only had my horses at home for the last two months, after a lifetime of livery!). To be honest I have been a lazy moo for the last few days due to the bank holiday. Didn't get up till 8.30 this morning
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woken by my greedy mare kicking her stable door in a rather angry fashion
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. And given that, her bed really wasn't THAT messy.

I will keep persevering until the end of winter then make a decision.

I'd still be interested to know if Ecobed is different to any others. It seems ludicrous to have it delivered up in Scotland when I can get locally made stuff, but the Bedxcel does seem quite pricey!
 
do you want me to send you an envelope full?! then you can compare...
it's normal cardboard, chopped into about 1" squares and small strips.

i have found that if i put less depth in, the urine runs much more and makes more mess. that depth seems to hold the wet area together (as shavings do).
i've tried all sorts of depths and sizes of beds. even had full deep bed to the door with a laminitic, was a pain to muck out such a big area (because i'm so fussy) but i took exactly the same amount out... usually about 3/4 barrow per horse in the morning, fwiw.
pm me your addy if you want me to send you a sample!
 
I used Ecobed for years and found it excellent. It shouldn't be at all dusty and if you find dust it is probably powered poo! The bedding is so absorbant that it dries the little bits of poo out that you miss mucking out which then disintergrates.

My stable is fairly big at 17 x 13 so to start the bed is about 10 bales, including banks to about 10" with a 5" thick bed, this is enough to cover half the floor (rubber matting). I hand poo pic with gloves, I find this picks up much more of the little bits of poo. Tha wet is easy to spot so I trample the area to squash the cardboard together and simply use a shovel and scoop out. I them level out the rest with a shavings fork. I lifted the bed once a week and used about 2 bales a week for topping up - however I should add that my gelding is a poo monster!

I've moved onto shredded paper now which I maintain in exactly the same way.
 
We have just started using 'Bliss' after trying a variety of different products and it seems to be really good. We've got four horses one is absolutely filthy, one laminitic, one who won't wee inside so can end up with a really dusty stale stable because you're not taking anything much out, and one normal one! it seems to do all of them ok and it smells nice too. It rots down really quick which is good for us as we only have a small muck heap and getting someone to empty it is a pain. They probably only get a bale each a week but we are on rubber matting.
 
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