Deep litter?

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White socks

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I usually deep litter in winter. I have a shavings bed (yard rules) They live out all through summer. I am interested how you all manage your beds and how you keep them clean? Mine is very dirty this year- I think poor weather = coming in earlier of a night :(
 
I kind of deep litter and I think the key is to start with a good, deep bed. I fully muck mine out every 2-3 weeks and her bed is still dry and clean on top at least a few inches- it probrably could go much longer without the wet taking out but it would be a bigger job for me at the end of it ;).

I have seen some owners try to deep litter before on rubber matting with shavings. They didn't put loads of shavings in as they had rubber mats but the horses beds were always wet and smelly as they wern't thick enough.
 
I too think its all down to keeping a deep bed. I've not made mine deep enough this year (a little experiment of mine which didnt work out!) So I'm about to order a few more bags of bedding to make it deeper! Lesson learned methinks!
 
I find that it takes a while for a deep litter bed to fully settle. Billy's is 18months old, I never take the wet out (unless it comes to the top) and just put fresh bales down once a week, it's always nice and dry on the top and the underneath can be as disgusting as it likes, as long as it doesn't touch him or me :p
 
BillyBob-Sleigh said:
I find that it takes a while for a deep litter bed to fully settle. Billy's is 18months old, I never take the wet out (unless it comes to the top) and just put fresh bales down once a week, it's always nice and dry on the top and the underneath can be as disgusting as it likes, as long as it doesn't touch him or me :p
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Do you not worry about the build up of ammonia?
 
there is no smell of ammonia if it is managed properly. There are some stables with litter beds 3years old!! The ammonia is actually worse in the newly started beds or straw beds as nothing to soak up the wee. They all have a few inches of clean ontop of the deep stuff
 
i have been taking mine out every 8 weeks and every 2 weeks i pull the clean bed off the top and scrape off some of the deep litter on top as i dont want it getting too deep and i want to keep it level without moving it but it is dry still and there is about half inch of clean bedding on top and it doesnt move :) the bed is only about 3 inches deep as i dont want it too deep :)
 
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