Deep litter bed Mon-Fri

[CobsGalore]

Who does a deep litter bed Monday to Friday, and then does full muck outs at the weekend?

I'm thinking of doing this with mine. Is it ok to do with straw on concrete?

How long does it take you to muck out at the weekend?

Do you just take the droppings out an then add more straw on top?

 

[bitlessbill]

I've just started experimenting with this. I have tried a two week bed twice now and was amazed to only get one and a half wheelbarrows out at the end. I do keep my bed very thick though and my horse is only in 8 hours a day as he lives out at night.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I was on two yards in Germany where they deep littered. The first took nothing out and then just threw a bale of straw in when needed. By the end of the winter the horses were two foot taller. I moved after a while as he was in 24/7 and we both hated it.

The second yard deep littered weekly. Nothing removed, new straw daily then all taken out on a Saturday. It was in a barn so lots of horses all on concrete and the smell a bit overpowering. I used to remove the droppings every day as he was a dun and the stains difficult to get out. The horses were out daily on paddocks with sand so the feet didn't suffer. That was 30 years ago and they are still doing it now.

The stables stay very warm and my new horse who is fine coated and comes from the same yard wasn't rugged till he arrived here.

Personally I am not a big fan but some people like the system and it is good in cold weather or if you are short of time. Putting lime on the floor and then using an absorbent material helps with the moisture and the smell apparently but never tried it.

 

[ester]

yup and have done with straw on concrete with no issues. muck out at weekend perhaps 15 min?- he is quite tidy though.

just take out droppings and add a piece or 2 of straw on top on days that needed (prob bout half bale in week- then another half on full muck out day)

I much prefer it as they get a deeper and warmer bed. No smell issues until you lifted it.

 

[Arniebear]

I do this with one of mine cuz he's a skanky bu8ger!! I mean he's really rank and i was having to take 2 full wheel barrows out a day!! Now i just skip out and lay more straw on top of the wet then fully muck out on a sat and sunday! Cant wait for him to live out!!!

 

[buddylove]

I do, but I use wood pellets, I much prefer them to straw, as it is not a back breaking job to muck out, it is economical - i only top up 1 bag a week per stable, and it even seems to encourage them to be cleaner in the stable!! Love them!!

 

[saddlesore]

I used to deep litter on shavings and the base was down for two or three years! I mucked it out right down to the base every day and scraped off surface wet and let the rest pack down. Tbh I'm not sure it saved me time or money but it was much warmer and a godsend with a horse determined to cap his hocks!

 

[jakkibag]

I do, I take the droppings out everyday, pack any loose straw back into a square, top up with clean straw and then proper muck out at the weekend, down to the base.
I have five small ponies, four of my boxes have rubber matting so I can have a much shallower bed, and one just on concrete! I used to do it with shavings, but get free straw now, its cosy, not smelly ( as above, until you lift the base) and will get emptied when ponies are turned out for summer, I change to shavings in the summer for the ones who go showing and day boxes!

 

[Hippona]

Yes, I do....skip out mon-fri and put fresh straw on top- lift the beds on a weekend.
Beds are lovely, deep and clean- it helps if your horses are not trash monsters.

I can't do it with the mare cos shes a minger....I have her on rubber matting and straw and sweep it all out every morning put fresh down every evening.

 

[CobsGalore]

Thanks for the info. Think I'm going to give this a go. He is pretty clean in his bed an it seems silly moving his whole bed everyday just for a few wet patches.

At the weekends, do you take everything out or just muck out down to the concrete as you usually would?

 

[tallyho!]

When I deep litter, I deep litter for winter!! Lol!! Horses are in at night if they come in.

I just take out poop. Put fresh in once a week and its about a foot or maybe two deep by the end of winter. She has to take a step up into the stable. The whole stable floor area is covered not just the traditional patch at the back.

Come spring, I need good couple of hours to take out but dead easy really. Gives your nose a clear out!!

We all do this. Economical, warm soft but firm bed that doesn't slip and not much smell. That is until the spring clean.

 

[ester]

just muck out as usual - not wasting clean straw!

 

[CobsGalore]

just muck out as usual - not wasting clean straw!

Thanks! That was a bit of a silly question really...!!

 

[horsefeed]

I deep litter all winter, take droppings of the top, Sweep front section of stable and top bed up if needed. If wet straw come to the top I remove that and if I can patch that is particularly high compared rest of bed will remove that too. Bed is less a foot deep so far this winter, it is lovely and warm and solid so doesn't move when he rolls on it. Its very dry on top, doesn't smell at all unless disturbed and stable rugs are nice and clean still.

 

[Becca-84]

I do this with chopped rape straw. My pony is very wet but the rape straw is so super absorbent, I only have to take out one and a half wheelbarrows at weekends. Previously I was getting a heaped wheelbarrow every day. I skip out all poo during the week, but don't ever have to add more bedding, because the base layer just keeps on absorbing and top stays clean. I do have my bed quite deep but it doesn't ever move so he never hits concrete. When I remove the wet, I put all the older bedding on the base and banks, then add a fresh bank on the top. Much, much easier and quicker.

 

[Gazen]

I do quick muck outs during the week (i.e skip out and remove the worst of the wet) and then scrape the floor at the weekends. It is great, I take out about 0.5 barrows a day, and that is mostly poo and then 1.5 to 2 barrows at the weekend. I put down about 0.3 of a bale every 2 to 3 days, so about a bale a week. Also any straw or hay seeds / dust that falls from the bales in the storage area gets put down on the floor of the stable and the straw put on top as it is great for soaking up the wee. It will only get put on the muck heap anyway, so it may as well do something useful in between.

 

[PollyP99]

Really interesting this thread. I am slowest on my yard by miles and I take 2 or 3 heaped barrows out everyday put 1 section of large bale straw in. I get straw included in my livery so I guess I'm being wasteful, if I was buying by the bale I wouldn't put fresh in every day I doubt, hmmm. Need to skip out only and restrict myself to 1 barrow out I think!

 

[Gazen]

I think it also depends on your horse. My mare tends to mess in the same place, so tend to 'target' that area during the week.

 

[Goldenstar]

I did this when I worked . Mon to Sat I took out all droppings levelled the bed and recovered the hard under layer with loose straw . I added straw only once during the week on Wednesday
On Sunday I put the horse in the field after hunting on sat and mucked out properly left the bed up for the floor to dry .
It was a very big stable and it worked really well.

 

[L&M]

I find straw harder to deep litter with unless the horse is tidy and not wet. I tried it with our youngster, and despite topping up every day with fresh straw, by the end if the week his bed resembled a manure heap (despite taking out droppings!).

I now deep litter him on shavings and it has been a life saver - top up with a 1/2 bale twice a week and locks the wee in a lot better.

But every horse is different so a matter of experimenting.....

 

[tallyho!]

I find straw harder to deep litter with unless the horse is tidy and not wet. I tried it with our youngster, and despite topping up every day with fresh straw, by the end if the week his bed resembled a manure heap (despite taking out droppings!).

I now deep litter him on shavings and it has been a life saver - top up with a 1/2 bale twice a week and locks the wee in a lot better.

But every horse is different so a matter of experimenting.....

Not deep enough and you have to do a but of "knitting"!! But yes you're right, each is different.

I bedded my disgusting yearling filly on this and I found it has to be knitted in well so she can't dig it up. The bed doesn't move even if I try with the blunt end of the fork!

 

[vallin]

I do this on wood pellets and it's fab, takes 5 minutes to muck out and then 2 minutes to seep back during the week, then take wet out at the weekend.

 

[AmieeT]

I have shavings and deep litter until each day off lol! Might change soon tho as driving test coming up soon so hoping to go down in the AMs (finally!!) And put the bed up to air lol x

 

[PorkChop]

I do this, but with a miscanthus bed - normally use one to two bales a week.

 

[lizness]

I do this but with straw and shavings. Do a shavings base, a bag lasts approx 2 weeks. Get free straw but a bit limited. Shavings seem to do a better base. Saves me a load of time (and straw I think). Shavings are expensive but seems worth it in time to ride etc.

 

[Abby-Lou]

I personally find the urine over powering on deep litter, I have thick field guard mats & one bag of shavings a week very clean and not smelly