Does anyone still actually use straw for bedding?!

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tootsietoo

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I'm moving my four into new stables this week and the thought of the cost of putting down four new shavings beds is scaring me! And I have a plentiful supply of pretty cheap straw from the next door neighbour so I would really like to use straw. It just seems a bit quaintly retro with the array of different types of bedding that you can buy now! I don't think any of mine particularly have a problem with dust but they are all quite greedy good doers.

I just wanted to hear that some people do still use straw successfully, to reassure me. Anyone? :)
 
Yes I do. I also have a petrol chopper which chops hay into chaff or straw into these light fluffy small pieces, making the straw go further and more absorbant.
I still think a big straw bed is the most inviting.

I had them all on rubber mats last year, but will not be this winter as these are different stables - so it will be interesting how much straw I use. I also buy those huge 8ft x 4ft rectangular bales to keep costs down. :)
 
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I love straw beds!
And I can get rid of hay nets this year too, my old horse was on shavings (yard policy) :mad:and a box walker so hay on the floor/hay bar ment I used so much shavings I had to use hay nets.:mad:

This winter new horse and new yard so, straw and hay put on the floor=happy horsey, happy pocket and more time to ride etc :D:D:D
 
:rolleyes:Horses who gorge on straw beds are at risk from colic and high weight gain.i dont use straw i use shavings.straw is bulky to store and non absorbsent.sorry but dont like it.
However if its cheaper for you and your horses not bothered by dust you have to weigh up the pros and the cons
 
Loads of people at my yard use straw - I'm one of the few who use shavings and I pay extra for it :rolleyes: Only reason I use shavings is because horse is messy and also likes to eat straw, so opted for shavings instead :) xx
 
If using straw with good doers then best to spray with a sprayer bottle (like for house plants) filled with very dilute disinfectant, it's just enough of an off-put to stop them chomping. If it doesnt work, up the concentration a little.

If your horse doesnt have any dust problems and its nice clean straw in a well ventilated stable then I dont see a problem with it, altho I personally prefer wood pellets as there much less bulk to muck out and the horses seem to think it is a lovely forest floor to lie on; I think deep straw bed liking is more to do with us human like of comfy beds and duvets than horses actual likes, in the wild they would lie down on a firmish dry surface.
 
I have used straw for the past 25 years and unless I had to for veterinary reasons I wouldn't change. I have never had a problem with dust, its quick and easy to muck out, I pay £20 for £150 bales, and am lucky enough to be able to store it easily.
 
aintgotnohay said:
:rolleyes:Horses who gorge on straw beds are at risk from colic and high weight gain.i dont use straw i use shavings.straw is bulky to store and non absorbsent.sorry but dont like it.
However if its cheaper for you and your horses not bothered by dust you have to weigh up the pros and the cons
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In all my years i have never known a horse colic from eating straw, if horses eat their bed then yes they will gain weight but i like to feed ad lib hay so normally not an issue. I also find that a well kept straw bed is better for the horses feet in that there are fewer instanses of thrush etc.
Most beddings are bulky to store but will grant that straw is not as tidy as shavings.
I would always use a straw bed if at all possible, it is by far my favourite bedding and they look so comfy all snuggled up in the straw!
 
Allover said:
In all my years i have never known a horse colic from eating straw, if horses eat their bed then yes they will gain weight but i like to feed ad lib hay so normally not an issue. I also find that a well kept straw bed is better for the horses feet in that there are fewer instanses of thrush etc.
Most beddings are bulky to store but will grant that straw is not as tidy as shavings.
I would always use a straw bed if at all possible, it is by far my favourite bedding and they look so comfy all snuggled up in the straw!
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Thats just my personnal experience of straw.what doesnt work for some works for another.i deep litter on shavings.it works best for me.:cool:
 
The yard I livery on has hay and straw included in the price. I used to be on straw until last year when I put matting and shavings down as she was eating too much of her bed. I do like a nice fluffy straw bed though.
 
tootsietoo said:
Thanks. As ever there is no right answer is there. Will just have to try it and see. I haven't used straw for 20 years!
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bet you find its not the same as it was in the good old days.im moving mine into a stall later today.got to make more cut backs and stalls on our yard are only £10 per week not £25 as a stable is.he will still be on shavings then aswell.
 
Where abouts are you aintgonohay - i did not know any yards still had stalls - I used to keep my 3 poines in stalls - gosh those were the days - they were all fancy and had beautiful iron works and fancy balls for some reasons

X
 
Gingerwitch said:
Where abouts are you aintgonohay - i did not know any yards still had stalls - I used to keep my 3 poines in stalls - gosh those were the days - they were all fancy and had beautiful iron works and fancy balls for some reasons

X
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in staffordshire.the stalls were derlict i believe but were done up few years ago using the original fittings etc.its a bit of a thing of mine old buildings and old skool ways of horse keeping.when i moved fe weeks ago was in new american barn part but didnt like it then a stall came up.theres block of six.just getting the hang of the old wooden stall log and rope again.
 
Just started using Rapasorb - rape straw chopped up very small. It seems lovely, but its only been a week! Very absorbent and about the same price as shavings eg 7-8 pounds a bale. I used 4 to make up a bed and certainly don't envision putting more than 1 in every 10 days or so.
 
My horse and the yard i work on use straw and i LOVE it, cant stand shavings myself.
I believe if a straw bed is done PROPERLY it doesnt smell, my boxes do not smell, and always look good, in my opinion. I find it vastly cheaper than shavings as well.
We have a couple of horses who eat a bit of their beds, and we have never had a colic incident from eating their beds, they just gain weight. After all horses are designed to trickle feed after all.
For the ones that have a tendency to pig out, we dig in the fresh a bit, so it is slightly less appetising, but the bed is still clean, they do just fine.
I find it quite ridiculous the stigma straw is getting these days, its perfectly absorbent and does not smell, as long as it is done properly!!
 
Having recently gone back to straw as the my new yard sells it cheaply, I'd forgotten how much you reak of wee when mucking out on straw. I used to deep litter the shavings at my last place but find I prefer to remove the wet stuff every day when using straw. Hence I'm leaving it as long as poss to bring him back in for nights!
 
Straw can be expensive in livestock areas and these days, with combine harvesters, it is cut late so it fragments and creates dust. I was going to use sand but someone warned of sand colic (I think probably nonsense) so I am using pea gavel just in case which works well. Just rake up the poo. Being free draining, the stables are also dry.
 
I have always had mine on straw, but the pony who has lived on straw for over 3 1/2 years has now decided to eat straw,
she scoffs the hay and then starts on the bed !

shes prone to gassy colic so looks like is shes on matting and shavings this winter, will probs be cheaper for me in the long run though as i full skip out every day , every bit of poo and wet and then put lots of dry in !

now i just have to get round to doing it !
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
I think deep straw bed liking is more to do with us human like of comfy beds and duvets than horses actual likes, in the wild they would lie down on a firmish dry surface.
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Trying telling that to my TB!!
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I love straw! Only time I didn't use it was when I was on a yard that wouldn't let me.
 
Just started having a horse back in a stable again.

I use straw as it comes with the livery. I have a patch that doesnt drain well so put aquamax down, that didnt work.

For a whole month now I have not touched the base and just removed droppings, I had a bit of wet to take out today in the corner that doesnt drain. I dont sweep the front either and the whole floor is covered, its easier to muck out (This stable is about 14 x 12) Not sure how long to leave the base to remove it. It doesnt smell yet.....

However I used a shavings bed for a night, as my stable was being painted and she trashed it poos everywhere, I love straw. Just the deep bed, massive banks.

Oh I bed on wheat staw I found barley straw really stringy?? But I feed barley straw mixed with hay as shes a fatty, but doesnt really eat her bed.
 
aintgotnohay said:
:rolleyes:Horses who gorge on straw beds are at risk from colic and high weight gain.i dont use straw i use shavings.straw is bulky to store and non absorbsent.sorry but dont like it.
However if its cheaper for you and your horses not bothered by dust you have to weigh up the pros and the cons
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Agree with this bar the colic statement.
 
For 31 years myself and my family have used straw, my mother and father for years before that too, except for 1 pony back in the late 80's who we put onto shavings due to an allergy. That pony, and his stable got many strange looks - 'a pony on shavings'! It seemed it was so ab-normal then.
I am happy to use either, muck out either BUT straw is still convieniant (sp!!) to us and the horses.
And, for another note, I have never heard of eating a straw bed causing colic - but you say you learn something new everyday!
 
I have 9 on straw, wouldn'u use anything else. Hate shavings, they are dusty leaving a coating on everything including your clothes and hair. I have had the odd livery on shavings and my house was much dirtier with shavings all over the place.

I have rubber mats in all stables with straw bed in the corner. Works perfectly for me. Muck heap does get large after the winter, but it is then spread onto the fields, so start anew each year.
 
I use straw for my TB. I can buy it from my YO at £25 for a massive bale which will last me quite a while. Haven't tried deep litter yet but might do this winter and see if it is a bit cheaper. I used shredded paper at one point but it didn't look appealing, was very messy and didn't look like it was very warm!
 
I have 2 on straw (on rubber matting) and their beds always look cosy and warm. Cheap, quick to muck out, only downside is the smell of wee soaks into my boot soles, hair and clothes :( Straw beds don't smell, only when you disturb them to muck out. New horse is on yard next door, on shavings - luckily he is quite clean so only use one bale a week, but I can go into his stable in a morning in work clothes and not smell of horse wee, so that's a bonus! :D
 
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