Clearing out stabl3e to change to wood pellets

I just did it for ease. A purely pellet bed I find much easier. I have built up nice pellet banks now but because it is all pellet, it always looks good and always easy to work with.

That's just ne though...I have never been good at mixing bed...my ocd can't handle it :-)
 
I mixed pellets in with my existing shavings bed as I didn't want to waste the clean shavings. It worked fine for me, and now I add shavings to my wood pellet bed every now and then as I prefer the consistency of the bed with a few shavings mixed in!
 
Thank you for your reply Hollybear- did you add water to expand the pellets before you put them in or did you put them in dry?
 
i'm trialling pellets under shavings atm - moved most of the shavings to make banks, put a layer of pellets down (didnt water) then put an inch of shavings on top. Best thing i've ever done. Don't think i'd like a full pellet bed as I don't like the idea of having to water them.
 
I got pellets about 6 wks ago. I too kept my shavings. I like the
Mix. Shavings keep it fluffy as otherwise it would be too heavy for me and not fluffy enough
 
i've been using pellets for a few months now. i do the same as Ginge Crosby, layer of pellets & then shavings on top & shavings for the banks. works well for me
 
If you have shavings left. I would use these for the banks an put pellets down in the middle or you won't get the benefits from them the same :). I'd activate them how ever it tells you.
Ps if you use warm water at the time of the year they work quicker :)
 
Just converted my last stable from rape straw to wood pellet bed (all others are on wood pellets). I mucked out the stable fully and kept the clean bedding that was left and made banks with it (I don't use banks in my other stables). I put a new bag of pellets in a wheelbarrow and cut a large cross in the bag, use a hose to water the pellets, after a few minutes tip the pellets out of the bag into the wheelbarrow and add some more water, give them a good mix, check again in about 5 mins and give a good mix again. Empty into stable and repeat (I tend to have 3 wheelbarrows on the go!).

Make sure the bed is a decent thickness - it is a false economy to make it too thin. You don't want all the pellets completely broken own as then you risk the bed being damp. A good irk through when you put them in the stable will help break them down.

To the person who doesn't like the thought of watering pellets for a bed- as long as you don't overwater them they are not damp. If you read the instructions for Aubiose and Hemcore they also recommend watering them.
 
I knew someone that did just add dry pellets to a very big deep litter bed for a really old hoprse it seemed to work fine for her the horses wee made the expand I would never soak the pellets to dust anyways best to leave with a few whole ones in
 
At first I added water but only 2/3 of what they said. Now I put a thin layer of old dirty shavings at the bottom. Sprinkle pellets on top then put the rest of shavings/activated pellets on top. Works really well as I am also using shavings at the bottom that normally I would have thrown out including the dust. (that's what i put down at bottom under pellets)
 
Oh, I'm going to go against the consensus here. I made the mistake of adding a bale of woodshavings to top up one of my pellet beds. (It was the last one and I didn't want to waste it!) Mucking out was a nightmare as shavings wouldn't go through fine pellet fork and wet pellets (which are usually really easy to take out as they clump together) just clumped around shavings. I'm not sure how having shavings banks on a pellet bed would work. Does it not just all end up mixing up together?
 
We don't add water to wood pellets at all. I know it's what they tell you to do but I have never understood this as it's basically reducing their absorbency before the horse has even been in to do a wee! If you put them in dry they stay absorbent for much longer.

As above poster my experience with mixing wood pellets with other bedding has not been a good one! I find a pure pellet bed so quick and easy to muck out - even for the dirtiest of horses (and ours live in) - if we run out and have to use shavings or paper until the next pellet delivery it then takes several days to get the bed back to normal!
 
teasle said:
Thank you for your reply Hollybear- did you add water to expand the pellets before you put them in or did you put them in dry?
Click to expand...

I added water to the first few bags to start off the bed, but not anymore. Seems WP and shavings is pretty popular! :)

Fiona36, I always muck out with skip and gloves so don't have this problem, I also find it easier to find and remove the wet patches as I can easily feel what is soaked and what is just a bit damp, so don't take out too much.
 
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I have to agree that mixing shavings in is a nightmare for me too. A pure pellet bed is so quick and easy to muck out either by hand or fork but with shavings in the bed I find the droppings end up getting buried whereas they sit on top of pellet bed. I find the bed 'clumpy' to level off with the shavings in it.
 
So interesting! I am coming to the time of year when the boy needs to come of the straw bed and i am quite taken with the idea of wood pellets, looks so easy to use, our yard has LWP so supply is not a problem but the beds look so dark which i dont like, do have rubber mats in the stable so really dont need big bed but call me old fashioned i do like a pretty bed! Torn between wood pellets/bedmax or a mixture of both - confused!!
 
Hi again- i just started adding wood pellets to my bed and had no trouble and now my bed is pretty much fully wood pellet. It works very well- quick and easy to muck out. Yes, wood pellet beds look less attractive than shaving beds . I think that it depends on the person and how light and plentiful and fresh looking a bed they like to keep. Personally I am housing an Irish bog cob and not a well bred real princess . The bed is clean and absorbant , fairly deep and very adequate.
 
I ran my straw bed right down to put in mats and to start pellets. I prefer adding a bale of coarse wood chippings (Equichip) to bulk out the bed. I've stopped watering the pellets as I agree, it reduces absorbency to wet them in advance. I'm adding a bag every week or so but lifting most of the bed then putting fresh pellets under then putting banked up bed on top.
 
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