cost cutting bedding - shavings

[ngrace]

Hi

I have to use shavings on my yard as they buy it in bulk and want to make money!
Does anyone have any tips on how to use as little as possible? I have matts aswell.
Thanks!

 

[Paint it Lucky]

You could try deep littering it, just take out the poos and a little wet daily. If you skip it out regularly it will stay cleaner.

 

[wowser]

if you have mats dont use any bedding, or if you have a mare just put some in the corner

 

[loz9]

I only give my horses a light sprinkling to soak up the wet, they are also on matting. Between the 7 of them (including 2 messy foals that share a big stable) i only use around 3bags per wk. I dont mind the small beds with big banks, but some people think im mean!

 

[ngrace]

lozz do you have banks then and a small layer on the floor?

 

[vallin]

My yard is the same, so I just have big banks, and then a small layer on the floor to soak up the pee. I then just brush out the layer in the middle and put anew sprinkling down. I use maximum a bale a week and that's only cos she likes to box walk and destroy her banks

 

[loz9]

my banks are the usual size that i would have for a thick bed prob about 12" tall & i take bits out of them to make the daily bed. When the banks get small & will top them up with the new bag/half bag. On the floor there is literally a sprinkling that covers the mats, its probably about 1cm thick max.
just read vallin's post so ditto that!
i have used this technique on a horrendously wet 17.2hh box walker & it was they cheapest way. Even with deep litter he was using 2-3bags/wk. But works equally well with clean horses. It has also meant that i can muck out 6stables in around 30mins.

 

[miss_c]

Mazzie used to have it all banked up, and then just a sprinkling on the mats, and I shovelled the lot out every day. A bale of shavings lasted me 2 weeks.