Chooped Straw bedding - Opinions please

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bethyboox

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Has anyone used or is using chopped straw?

I'm on Hunter shavings at the moment but they have gone up to £8 a bale! I've seen bales of chopped straw at the feed shop, it feels really nice and soft but i'm wondering if it will be as absorbant as shavings?
I have rubber matting and was on straw a while ago but didnt find it absorbant enough, my mare wee's a lot!!

So, any opinions or advice greatly apreciated!
 
it does make a nice bed. my only experence using it thoough has been for cows, where we chopped the straw ourselves but it did come out quite dusty. it stayed quite clean and dry for several days with about 20 cows on the same bed ,so probably would last longer for horses as it would be skipped out and topped up more regulary
 
We bought a straw chopper last year after having difficulties finding shavings then the price they shot upto and to be honest its the best thing we ever did! Chopped straw is just as cosy and just as absorbent as shavings as the smaller stuff seems to fall to the bottom of the bed and this is what soaks up the urine etc, hard to tell but I do think you use more than shavings and much nicer than unchopped straw! I have 3 horses who cannot tolerate straw so they remain on shavings, one went very itchy and his skin broke out in hives, one mare she got an bad infection up her nose and th other went a tad COPD so straight back onto shavings for them 3 and the rest remain happy on the chopped straw! Good Luck!
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Oh and they are all on rubber matting and it works well.
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I use it and really like it. I find it is really absorbant and also find the wet areas stay stuck together so you can scrape the clean off the top and from around the sides then just scoop the wet patch out. I used to find with shavings I would have a terrible time of getting the wet mixed with the clean....maybe thats just me, but I definately find this much easier and quicker to muck out with.

I have used it without rubber mats, and now am using with mats and do find that with mats you dont get such a large wet area as without. I guess the wet seeps away underneath the mat which can only be a good thing as it wastes less bedding.
 
After not been able to get hold of shavings I went over to chopped straw and have stayed on it. It's lovely, horses love it, nice fluffy beds and I only pay £4 per bale.

No it isn't as absorbant as shavings but I don't find I'm having to put loads in to compensate. It's more dusty too but I leave it while after doing beds to bringing horses in. I have rubber mats too.
 
I use the same as Nijinkski - it is dust extracted but still some dust which settles very quickly - my lad who coughs on straw has no problems on this

Excellent with my very clean gelding, OH hates it for his messy mare

We are thinking of swapping to LWP
 
Thanks guys, thats made my mind up, I still have some shavings left but i'm presuming you can mix the straw in with them, it might make it more absorbant as well.
They are £6 a bale at the feed shop, better than £8!
 
It is treated but some horses still eat it. That worried me last year when we used it. It looks nice as a full bed and when small amounts are used on matting, its not as absorbant as shavings but better than straw. As a full bed I found it harder to muck out as the droppings kind of disappeared into the bed, and was coated with the chop. The company I used had a mix of shavings and chop, that was better. But stock was scarce so we had a full load of just straw. They also did chopped rape straw. Now, that was stiffer and a lot more absorbant, I liked that. We're on straw this year so far as we don't have any allergies and its so easy to get and use. They are quick to muck out and rebed, but the stables don't look as good. I console myself with the fact all the horses are well and the urine is draining away before it affects them at all! I'd like full deep beds but i'm laid up and I can't expect anyone else to do my job as well as their job well!
 
Put my very dirty mare on chopped straw this winter. Best thing I ever did. Started off with straw which wasn't too bad but can't use at current yard. Shavings would have had to go through 3 and maybe 4 bales a week to have the bed how I liked it. She is a masher. Then tried Liverpool Wood pellets and they weren't for me as I didn't like her bed looking like wet sand. They gave chopped straw a go. Wonderful stuff. 2 bales gives a really good bed (with rubber mats) to start off with then I only use 2 bales a week putting one third a night down with 1 night with no clean. Only taking half to 1 barrow of muck a day out as opposed to 3 a day with shavings. Even when the straw is getting a bit mucky looking it still feels dry to touch and the clean I put on top keeps it fresh looking. The only down side Iwould say is it is a bit wiffy. Not quite as bad as straw but you can smell them a bit more and rugs are a bit smelly. Took me a while to muck out with the chopped straw at first, but got used to it now and even under her bed the rubber mats appear dry (although they can't be).
 
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