Changing from Straw to Shavings

Bettyboo1976

Bettyboo1976

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Ok, So horse is on box rest as is lame, but getting better, anyway she is bedded on straw but she is eating her bed and i dont just mean a little nibble, i am putting in nearly a bale a day... she is given adlib hay but seems to prefere eating her bed.. I have sprayed her bed with mild disenfectant to try and prevent this but not working, Also with her being in all the time her bed is starting to look and smell like the dung heap as i can only muck out twice a day as i am at work full time. So should i just change her onoto shavings or do you think thats cruel as she obvioulsy likes the straw. Oh and how much more does it work out to cost roughly if i go onlto shavings.. she has rubber matting so i know her bed doesnt need to be really deep.

Thanks in advance
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I'd leave her on straw. She won't eat as much of the bed as you think she does. The two of mine on straw both come in and have a little nibble of the fresh straw in their stables.

Never done them any harm.
 
What about the cleaning, as I said her stable is minging! she is very wet and before when she was out it was ok and managable but now.. YUCK! Are shavings easier to manage and to keep stable fresh and clean?
 
The shavings will eventually be as dirty as the straw so I wouldn't worry on that front. Also I had a mare who eat her straw bed, she went on loan to another woman when I went to uni and she was changed from straw to shavings, she was prone to colic anyway but shortly after the changover she colicked quite badly (vet and liquid parrafin job) but thankfully was ok. I strongly believe that the sudden lack of the extra fibre in her diet was a big part of this. As long as your horse doesn't put on excessive weight because of this I really wouldn't worry. Also I feel it makes a comfier bed, especially for when they're on box rest. Just my opinion though.
 
ok then she just has to be stinky smelly stable for now... at least i know she wont run out of food! even if it is smelly straw..

Thanks guys, you have put my mind at rest xx
 
Why does she have a stinky stable though?

Are you putting a deep bed down for her, even though she's on mats?

Mine have a very deep bed as straw isn't as absorbent as shavings. If you don't do this, the wee will run under the mats or sit in a pool on top of them (if you have a low spot in the stable). This will cause the smell.

Also, try not to disturb the bottom layer of the straw. My stables only smell when on I dig the wet out. I have two on straw and two on shavings because of a dust allergy. I would far rather have the straw beds. Costs me about £20 a week to keep two on shavings. Grates on me, as a farmer's wife, because we buy excellent quality straw in bulk to bed our dairy herd.
 
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Why does she have a stinky stable though?

Are you putting a deep bed down for her, even though she's on mats?

Mine have a very deep bed as straw isn't as absorbent as shavings. If you don't do this, the wee will run under the mats or sit in a pool on top of them (if you have a low spot in the stable). This will cause the smell.

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I agree - it's almost best to deep litter.
 
Personally although shavings seem to be getting terribly expensive ATM I love them and for a dirty horse i find them much easier to do on shavings than straw and yes you will be less smelly!
 
She is very wet...

I do give her a deep bed.. its nearly up to my knees, she is that wet that it pours out the front of her stable, i clean everyting wet and pooey out twice daily but she seems to mangle it everywere... was just wondering if shavings would be better, Dont want to deep litter her bed.. dont like it couldnt do it.. but thats just my opionion, not to say that its right of course.
 
I take the wet out once a week. He eats his bed so i put a falk full of wee/wet starw on top of the fresh lot and he doesnt eat it. I dont mind as much in the winter if he eats it because he does seem to drop weight quite quickly so ever little helps IMO.

Try only taking the wet out twice a week and if you really dont want her to eat the bed try mixing some wee in. It works for mine! Good luck.
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I don't deep litter in the true sense of the word. I just don't touch a very thin layer at the bottom of the stable, unless it comes to the surface for some reason, namely if horse goes on a digging expedition in the night! LOL

Patches is wet, and is one of the ones I've put on to shavings after having a severe chest infection brought on by hubby feeding her dodgy hay in the spring. I use three bales a week for her, even when she's out in the day. Deeper bed, or really shallow bed and she trashes it. Really wet.

I just find it incredibly expensive to bed her on shavings. Tweenie, the other one, is really clean and a bale could last her two weeks.
 
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She is very wet...

I do give her a deep bed.. its nearly up to my knees, she is that wet that it pours out the front of her stable, i clean everyting wet and pooey out twice daily but she seems to mangle it everywere...

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That could be the problem though - as the old straw will be more obsorbant than the lovely new fresh stuff. If you deep litter - or semi deep litter then the bed should become more obsorbant. Also the fact that the bed is up to your knees still does not mean that you have enough bedding in there. Fresh straw is very fluffy - and even a thin bed can come up to your knees. The fact that when she wees it is running out of the door for me would indicate that there is simply not enough bedding in there.

Sorry
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You'll be surprised that shavings are sooooo much less smelly, you don't end up smelling of wee!!
Normal stable, you'll need min 4-5 bales, muck out at regular times - you'll only use say 1 bale a week. Buy rubber gloves, good shaving fork and waterproof legging and when mucking out pick dropping will gloves (get down on hands and knees) and then use fork for wet, if she's a good girl and doesn't digging bed, you can leave wet in and only do at weekends.

I promise you it's cleaner and less smelly on shavings, i love straw but can't buy any this year so i've got two on shaving beds and now i can walk into work without smelly of wee!!


ps if you can afford but shavings in bulk, i get mine in bulk delivered and stacked and i get discount!
 
Well considering the rest of the horses that are on straw dont have this problem and all have a lot less straw then mine.. as in about 6" this seems strange, Also i did mention that i dampen the straw down with disenfectant, Aslo fresh straw is used for the bankings first.. so the deep bed is mainly used up of old straw
 
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Normal stable, you'll need min 4-5 bales, muck out at regular times - you'll only use say 1 bale a week

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Or you could have a horse like mine that requires at least 3 bales a week....
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hmm..Oh i dont know what to do.... lol... will discuss this with OH and see what we decied. She is a good doer and to be fair could probably do with less to eat than more.. but she does look snug in her bed.. oooh i dont know now... lol
 
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Normal stable, you'll need min 4-5 bales, muck out at regular times - you'll only use say 1 bale a week

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Or you could have a horse like mine that requires at least 3 bales a week....
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Mine too Amymay!

I am so tempted to try her back on straw. She didn't have a dust allergy, just a bad reaction to some very dodgy hay that Duncan put in for them. It was so mouldy I could smell the mould when I was walking over to the yard! He'd been to fetch some hay after milking and fed them for me this particular night. I wouldn't have given it to them!
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I might have missed you saying but is she on barley, wheat or oat straw? Barley is so much more absorbent than wheat which wet tends to just sit on (or under). Barley also seems to go a lot further than wheat too although it is a tad more expensive.
 
Agree with Patches, mine is on box rest for a month, I have rubber mats and was only using a thinnish layer of Bedmax. Not a good idea, you are forever cleaning it out. Just been out this am and bought 5 more bales, so its up to his knees now. I used to deep litter then changed to straw, but he also eats his bed and its not good for lami's!
So if I were you, deep shavings bed, pick out poo every day, then take out wet underneath once a week. You will probably take out about 2 barrow loads but its really easy when its wet!
 
I was in this situation with my horse who was on straw only she ended up being on rest from april to 6 weeks ago!.

I changed from straw because the quailty is rubbish mostly this year the the y/o straw wasnt good enough. I was also using a bale a day so it wasnt working out cheaper than shaving anyway.

Plus i got sick of going into work snelling like id slept in the bed with her.

I have been on shavings since the summer but i recently changed to equisorb ( after getting VERY positive feedback on there ) and OH MY GOD i wish i had of changed years ago.

Its super absorbant and the poos sit on the top, it soaks up the wee ( i have a widdly mare too ) and i only use a bale a week and just add the odd extra one as i need to!.

Super bedding and much easier from a time and ease point of view.

Hope your horse is better and back out playing again soon
 
Could you not scatter a layer of shavings under the straw to soak up the wee a bit? It's been suggested on here lots of times, I've never needed to try it myself, but maybe it's an idea.
 
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Could you not scatter a layer of shavings under the straw to soak up the wee a bit? It's been suggested on here lots of times, I've never needed to try it myself, but maybe it's an idea.

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That's what I was going to suggest. Just in the short term?

Having said that, I think if wee was coming out under the door in a big way, I'd be inclined to go totally to shavings, at least just while she's on box rest, especially if she's a good doer and would be better off without her little extras? You could then perhaps provide a bit of interest by hanging up a toy to keep her busy instead?
 
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