Ecobed - any good?

[CatStew]

Hello,

I've recently moved livery yards, our old yard provided hay and straw for us, so we never had to worry about bedding, however at the new yard we have moved to we need to supply our own, which isn't a problem, but I'm unsure of what to get for the two horses.

As winter is (unfortunately) not too far away I think I need to pull my finger out and get some bedding sorted out really. The horses will only be stabled overnight when the weather is really bad, and will be turned out the rest of the time. From speaking to another livery at the yard, their horse was stabled overnight for about three months last winter.

The other two liveries on the yard use White Horse Wood Pellets, from looking over their stable door though it looks really dusty to me and I wouldn't be happy to put Polly on it as she can be sensitive to dust - this is still bedding from last winter though so I assume that it should be watered before being used again? I'm also interested in learning more about Liverpool Wood Pellets.

Somebody we know has recommended Ecobed to us, I have contacted them and asked for a quote, but due to storage issues we'd only be able to have one pallet at a time, which consists of 28 bales, so I think we would have to have a monthly delivery of one pallet per month. Has anybody used Ecobed though? From looking at the website it looks ok, but just thought I'd ask for some HHO (friendly) advice please?

Here is the website: http://www.ecobed.co.uk/

 

[CatStew]

Anyone?

 

[WestCoast]

I use it for my small animals (chinchillas, degus etc) because I am allergic to dust. I can confirm it is dust free and wicks away urine well (at least on a small scale) and doesn't get too smelly.

Paula

 

[katherine1975]

I use ecobed and love it, much more absorbent than shavings or straw and rots down really quickly on the muck heap.

 

[WestCoast]

That's interesting - I always wondered what it would be like on a muck heap.

Paula

 

[CatStew]

Thank you, I'm swaying towards this rather then wood pellets - may I ask how much a pallet costs please? I did email the company earlier, but not heard anything back yet.

 

[Old Bat]

I use it for all of mine except the cob, who eats it!!!!! Its good stuff, dust free, easy to use, and rots down well.

 

[WestCoast]

I have bought mine from these guys for years: http://shop.earthlyenterprises.co.uk/ecobed-pallet-24-bales-uk-delivery-55-p.asp

Paula

 

[RutlandH2O]

I love it! I use it for my Shire horses, so we're talking about an enormous amount of pee and poo. It banks beautifully, is not dusty at all, it's not edible (at least to my lot), it doesn't take up too much room on our muck trailer, and rots down well. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

[CatStew]

I use it for all of mine except the cob, who eats it!!!!! Its good stuff, dust free, easy to use, and rots down well.

Thank you, I do worry about my big welsh to be honest, he is a horse shaped waste disposal unit. He pulled the velcro bit off my riding glove yesterday and ate it before I could pull it out his mouth!

I have bought mine from these guys for years: http://shop.earthlyenterprises.co.uk/ecobed-pallet-24-bales-uk-delivery-55-p.asp

Paula

Thank you, that's interesting, it's not stupidly expensive either!

I love it! I use it for my Shire horses, so we're talking about an enormous amount of pee and poo. It banks beautifully, is not dusty at all, it's not edible (at least to my lot), it doesn't take up too much room on our muck trailer, and rots down well. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Thank you, I think it might be a winner!! I take it you just use a normal shavings fork to muck out?

RutlandH20, I'm guessing you're not too far from me, I'm in Northamptonshire - do you have a local supplier at all?

 

[Spyda]

OP: any idea which pellets the other liveries use from White Horse Energy?

I've just ordered half a pallet for delivery. Initially I'd ordered their 'unbranded' 15kg bags but after reading the info on the site, I've switched my order to the Verdo 10kg bags instead (same price!). Here's the gumph from the website about the differences between the pellets they sell http://www.whitehorseenergy.co.uk/wood-pellet-comparison (the 'unbranded' ones are said to be fairly dusty). I'm wondering if these are the ones your livery friends are using? I'm hoping the Verdo ones will be much better dust-wise and with absorbancy. Time will tell!

 

[katherine1975]

I use one of these to muck out my cardboard bedding http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...equine+poo+picker&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&itbs=1

 

[nuri]

I use it and love it, dust free, very light to muck out and rots down very well. I must add I use it with rubber mats underneath but have a proper bed on top. I found it cheaper to get pallets from Thorogoods than direct from Ecobale.

I am currently using paper and also love that ( only got one in and can pick up bales from my tack shop so don't need a pallet).

Used pellets prior to this had 2 horses coughing that had never coughed previously. They say it is dust free but by its nature it is small particles. Also a pain to have to wet particularly when taps froze in winter.

 

[Mongoose11]

Bummer. I was getting enthusiastic about this bedding until someone just wrote that their cob ate it. If there was going to be another horse that eats it, it would be mine.

 

[CatStew]

Sorry I can't quote as I'm on my phone. Spyda I'm not sure but I assume it's the budget pellets they have as they're quite dark in colour. When I was researching a few weeks ago I decided that I'd go for the premium if I did get them.

Thanks Katherine re the mucking out tools, that looks like quite a handy little thing! Similar to what we use to pick droppings out of the school.

Nuri, thanks, I'll have a look at thorogoods, thanks for the tip!

I know billie! This is worrying me, but I think I'll have the same issue with whatever bedding I use!!

 

[Old Bat]

Bummer. I was getting enthusiastic about this bedding until someone just wrote that their cob ate it. If there was going to be another horse that eats it, it would be mine.

Ooops, sorry! I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen it, and she wouldn't stop. Had to remove it very quickly. I can send you some in an envelope for a test drive on yours if you like???

 

[Spyda]

Sorry I can't quote as I'm on my phone. Spyda I'm not sure but I assume it's the budget pellets they have as they're quite dark in colour. When I was researching a few weeks ago I decided that I'd go for the premium if I did get them.

Phew, that's a relief!! The cheaper ones are a bit darker than the premium ones so hopefully I wont be disappointed when my delivery turns up.

 

[CatStew]

I'll check tomorrow as they still have a few bags left in the barn from last winter and I'll let you know for definite!

 

[Spyda]

I'll check tomorrow as they still have a few bags left in the barn from last winter and I'll let you know for definite!

Would be reasuring to know, thanks. Maybe I'll have to consider keeping them more moistened down than normal if they're likely to be too dusty.

 

[RutlandH2O]

Hi CatStew, I use a normal muck rake and handled scoop. It doesn't need anything special. I have been purchasing my Ecobed from Pearce Recycling. They were a bit naughty, though. They raised their price .50p a bale, which is quite disheartening when a full load is bought (a load being 14 pallets of 28 bales each).

 

[jojo5]

Have used Ecobale (not Ecobed but presumably the same kind of stuff- corrugated card squares) for years now for my gannet/ cob. He has never eaten it! I love it as it is easy to muck out, totally none dusty and very clean. The yard i am at now has rubber mats under it but i used it before directly onto a concrete base - obviously a thicker bed there. Wouldnt want to change.

 

[Mongoose11]

Ooops, sorry! I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen it, and she wouldn't stop. Had to remove it very quickly. I can send you some in an envelope for a test drive on yours if you like???

Ah, that's very kind. I have just ordered a pricelist from their website and it says that they will send a sample in the post so I will try offering it to her. The thing is a greedy fatty cob standing on the yard with me holding it out to her is one thing but her alone of a night time and having scoffed her hay would be an entirely different thing all together....

 

[CatStew]

I'd just like to say thank you to everybody who has contributed to this thread! I don't start threads here on HHO very often for fear of being shot down in flames, so was a bit nervous about it!

I think we will go with this and see how we get on. I just need to work out how much we will need - I would rather order too much rather then too little. Our stables are huge at 15x15 foot so I think I'd probably need about 10 bales per stable to set the bed up. Would it be reasonable to expect to put one bale in per week per horse? They'll be stabled from 8pm until 6am and turned out during the day. I'm worried about storing it as we don't have a huge amount of space in our barn and will also need to put feed and hay in there too. Would the company be ok to deliver one palet per month? I requested a price list today but realise that this would probably work out dearer then ordering several palets at a time.

 

[katherine1975]

Hi. I get my ecobed from a local store but when I phoned the company last year they said that the pallets can be stored outside. On a concrete stable 12x12 I used 5 bales to start a bed then one bale per week. We now have eva mats so I'm using much less bedding. Also, using the poo picking scoop and rake has saved me a lot of wasted bedding.

 

[CatStew]

^Thank you again!

Maybe I'm over estimating the amount of bales I will need! I'm not sure if there would be anywhere on the yard where we could store the pallets other then our designated area in the barn. I'll ask the question though!

 

[WelshD]

Depending on where you are in Northants you could buy smaller amounts from Tower Farm Saddlers just over the border in Warks, they claim to be the cheapest for bedding in the UK, their Ecobed is £6.15 a bale

Obviously if you are the other side of the county it wouldnt be cost effective!

 

[CatStew]

Thank you, I hadn't thought of tower farm to be honest! Do they deliver at all do you know? I have a sports car and my mum has an estate and we don't have a trailer or anything so we would need to have it delivered. Also thinking about it, I'm wondering if welland valley feeds stock it at all, they're much closer to us and they do deliver. Think I'm going to have to make a few phone calls!

 

[[69117]]

I'm just going to be really irritating and say that I loathe both Ecobed and wood pellets.

I like proper beds with big banks, and so my liveries and my own horses are either on straw, shavings or paper, and nothing else. Wood pellets seem like far too much faff for a bed that doesn't look terribly nice, and I went to a 3 day event where Ecobed was supplied at the stables... I ended up taking the whole lot out after the first night and finding a local shavings supplier who delivered to me.

But I'm REALY fussy....

 

[Jnhuk]

How much does it reduce your muckheap?

My horses are currently on good quality rubber mats with Bedmax shavings for banks and light bed. However, my muck heap is growing and with all the wet weather, not dared asked the local farmer to come and uplift as it would trash my field. Gardeners have helped taking some away but now curious if worth trying this bedding to help the situation.

So far, the only disadvantages are if your horse eats it? Any other disadvantage over traditional bedding?

 

[RobinHood]

We have bedmax, ecobed and thirsty bed wood pellets.

The ecobed on it's own is horrible. It's not absorbant enough so the wee runs underneath in a big thin patch. I also find it hard to get the small bits of poo out without throwing out too much bedding.

I also don't like the wood pellets on their own - too dusty!

What works really well is bedmax and ecobed mixed together, with wood pellets underneath. The bedmax makes it look nicer and the ecobed is heavier and makes the bed more stable. The wood pellets are really absorbant and the wee clumps in a small patch. This arrangement means the only bedding being thrown away is the wood pellets so you hardly ever need to put more bedmax or cardboard in.