chopped rape straw for tidy horse-dusty?

[Hallo2012]

currently the boys are on shredded cardboard and it works pretty well:
rots incredibly quickly and farmer happy to take it away
never dusty
forms a firm dry bed on semi deep litter
hamster pony only needs 1/2 bale per week and messier pony 1 bale per week
easy to store

but.....prices are on the rise....

i can get chopped rape straw much cheaper BUT:

as there is such a low turnover of bedding and little damp in the hamster stable will the straw break down to dust? my OH is asthmatic so that would be a total no go. I cant have shavings for that reason.

how would it work semi deep litter on the slightly messier one? he doesn't churn it up but seems to grind the bedding right down to nothing just by moving around?! he's heavy footed lol! does it form a nice form but dry base?

does it rot down quickly?

do you get the stinky wet straw smell that clings to you when mucking out as with long straw?

 

[cauda equina]

I use chopped rape straw (Rapasorb)
I have no breathing problems but it often makes me cough when spreading a new bag ( although the latest batch has been better) and it does go dusty over time, but so did my cardboard when I used that
Yes it does rot well, no you don't get the stinky smell

 

[BSL2]

I didn't have a problem with chopped rape straw, however my daughter is highly allergic, set her off sneezing, red eyes and runny nose.

 

[Hallo2012]

I didn't have a problem with chopped rape straw, however my daughter is highly allergic, set her off sneezing, red eyes and runny nose.

thanks, is she allergic to hay etc normally? i do wonder if it might set the OH off....

 

[Red-1]

I find it depends on the batch. I have Raviera, and some of it has been very dusty!

 

[BSL2]

thanks, is she allergic to hay etc normally? i do wonder if it might set the OH off....

She is normally OK, depends on time of year, but mucks out, does haynets etc without problems. Rape straw definitely set her off. We are looking at easibed at the moment as had too much dust with wood pellets. Hope you find something.

 

[spacefaer]

I have chopped rape straw - it's fabulous with a tidy horse. I don't find it dusty and it rots down very quickly. It produces a very small muck heap and I don't find they eat it either. I used to be on wheat straw but couldn't deal with the size of the muck heap!
My supplier delivers nationwide and I find him very competitive at £4.70 a bale.

 

[atropa]

I used it last year and found that yes, over time it did go dusty with my clean pony, less so with my bigger messier horse with higher bedding turnover.
It definitely doesn't give the traditional stinky straw smell.

 

[AML]

My supplier delivers nationwide and I find him very competitive at £4.70 a bale.

Could you pass details please

 

[poiuytrewq]

I used Rappasorb recently.
I’m asthmatic and it made me cough badly laying a new bed, then to a lesser extent mucking out daily.
Horse seemed fine at first though so carried on as I’d bought a load.
It was easy to muck out and economical. I think it would have worked deep litter.
My horse started to cough severely though and we couldn’t get on top of it. As a last resort he was on 100 steroids a day. We did 3 courses of that before changed his bed and *touch wood he’s been steroid free since