Cardboard bedding

I did - and it cost me a fortune. It was so absorbent I had to remove loads that was really soggy every day, and I used 1/3 of a bag daily per box to top up. I don't have rubber mats or free drainage, but I still think it would absorb more than it allowed through. I have gone back to straw with a base of flax or similar but then I don't need to avoid dust.
 
I used to use it and I really liked it, it was very supportive and comfy and gave the horse a lovely bed. The only reason I stopped using it was because my horse was very, very wet, and although it was incredibly absorbent, it ended up being too expensive for the huge amount we got through.
 
I have used eggbox bedding and loved it - am having to swap this year as YO making different arrangements to remove the muckheap. I used a deep bed and found that the wet formed a sort of funnel, always easy to find and remove and not spreading too far. Light to muck out and cheaper than savings and my boy loved it, going by the horse imprint in it every morning.
 
Used it for horses with breathing issues and it was great for them when they had to be in. But, as others have said, does get soggy.
 
Also found it wet. I started using it for breathing problems too and thought it was good until my vet advised against it....:(. He said he had read research that showed it had as many spores in it as straw, especially if you left the banks untouched. I gave up and went onto rubber with small amount of Bedmax.
 
I haven't used cardboard but I did look into this bedding for my mare who has dust allergies. The "cons" I discovered from others was that once wet it can get very smelly & heavy. Also it seemed expensive per bale/bag
 
VERY absorbent, heavy and soggy.

I had the pleasure of mucking out a yard of 'colic horses' on a veterinary yard with cardboard bedding. Of course they are all on drips and pee constantly ... so because of this I don't like it !
 
I've been using it for four years and love it! My horses aren't in stables, they are in a huge pole barn, divided into thirds. I use bedding in one third of the space and find it banks nicely, is absorbent (but doesn't get saturated), has no dust, and is extremely easy to transport from barn to muck trailer. I don't know what brand Hoopsa and poops use, but I've not had any problems using the bedding with animals that have respiratory problems. My vet practice uses the same product in all their stables, as well, and for the same reasons. I can't recommend it enough.
 
Thank you for all your replies, am currently using woodpellets which I love but in this weather they've become too dusty for my pony. I will definitely use them in the winter but was looking into a summer bedding :)

TTK I'm sorry but that really made me laugh...the little devils :)
 
I used it last winter and HATED it!!!! Although the bale price was reasonable compared to shavings, I used a lot more as it got very 'soggy'. It would also mush into my cobs feet and was worried about him getting thrush.

I found it hard to muck out as well as found it hard to separate the wet from the dry, so would end up taking too much out.

Am going back to shavings this winter!
 
I used cardboard for a few years and for different horses and different yards. I think it's fab! Didn't have any of the smelly or soggy problems and found that once I'd created a decent size bed that I only needed one bale for top up each week most of the time, occasionally two. Mucking out took about five mins (I usually had rubber mats but hasn't always been the case) and I usually took most of it up and moved the bed around so none of it ever sat in one area for more than a couple of days. I did use a pretty expensive brand but with the small amount I used it was very cost effective. I took less than a wheelbarrow load out each morning including the poo and bits of hay.

I would advise that in the spring/end of summer you start a new bed from fresh getting rid of last years leftovers from the stable as it did seem to rot down a bit in the summer heat. Also some brands use shiny cardboard which is useless as not absorbant.

Oh forgot to say I used one of those poo picking bucket and rake sets to pick up the poo and wet and then used a normal straw fork to chuck the bedding up against the wall for the flooring to dry.
 
Last edited:
I've recently changed to cardboard and i'm quite happy with it. I think you need a good deep bed, Oakley is very wet but he just pees in one place, so I just turn the banks everyday and scrape of the dry from the middle and throw up onto banks. This leaves me with a solid wet clump in the middle, less than 1 barrow load, this is removed daily and the floor left to air. I have tried straw,wood pellets, shavings and something else( the name escapes me!). I think cardboard is the best mainly because of cost, there is less dust,little smell and the floor is drier. The only drawback is if you have a light coloured horse, any colour in the bedding comes off onto them if they lie in a damp bit. It is water based dye so rinses off easily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top