following on from post below - how do you deep litter?

kombikids

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i am trying this at the mo and have been for about 6 weeks - how am i supposed to do it?! im picking out poo and then bringing clean over from the banks to top it up each day. I am using easibed and flax/nedz beds (big bedding shortage here) and about 2/3 bales a week but its looking very messy - does it settle down? its about a ten inches is that ok? do i have to take it out if it gets too deep?

thanks!
 

brightmount

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2/3 bales a week on a 10 inch bed sounds way excessive - are you sure you aren't being too ... umm... anal about your bed?? You really have to disturb it as little as possible and not think about what's underneath, as long as the poo is removed from the top.

If all you're taking out is poo then you don't even need to top it up from the banks - this is what is making me think you might be taking too much out.

If you don't disturb it, it will settle into a marvel of self management, and even if your horse is restless, his movements will disturb the bed less as it gets established.

Some people move the top layer aside and take out the wet on a weekly basis. I don't even do that. I might just excavate a small area if I sense some wet seeping through.

You shouldn't have to put in more than a bale a week. Try Aubiose if you find you are using any more with your current bedding.
 

kombikids

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thanks thats useful

he is a big horse tho - 16.3hh and wees ALOT - most of the bed is darj in colour and looks liek teh wet is coming through a lot.
 

Bay_Beasty

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Hi,

I have had lots of experience with Deep litter with messy/wet horses. The trick lies in laying enough at the start and making sure it is thick enough. Then when you muck out take out the poos and lift the loose shaving of the base, take out any wet bits that are not flat, so the base effectively becomes your concrete floor. anywhere from between once a week to every couple of months have a big dig out and take out more of the wet. Make sure when you have a good dig out that you put bales in that day. it sounds like you are using lots of bedding how much are you taking out each day? it should be about to start to settle so don't give up hope. The other thing i used to do when i started the base was to stamp on it to squish it down and create it to settle. Hope this helps. I am sure with easibed the design is to take the wet out once a week?? but i could be wrong here.
 

BigRed

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I think your problem is that you are mixing different types of bedding, stick with one product.

I use Hemcore which is a Hemp bedding. I use approx 1 bale per week, sometimes 2. I take all the poo out and just tidy the bed up, so it is even on top. When I notice the wet coming through the top, I scrape back the bedding and dig out that section of bed, and then pull clean bedding back on top.
 

kombikids

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ok - i sort of just kept adding more at the start .... i take out a wheelbarrow full a day. m,ost of it is from teh fron of the stable rather than the bed as his stable is so bifg he poos mostly in fron tof the bed but just wees on it. What do you rthink i should do - should i flatten the lot off and stamp on it?
 

Bay_Beasty

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Hmm tricky. The best deep litter beds cover all the concrete so there is no change in level. My stables are 10x12 so when I deep litter it covers the whole floor. This may be where you problem lies. Do you have any photos?? i know this sounds weird but I think it would be better if we could see it.

Man if any one who had never owned horses came onto this forum and read what we write??? what would they think??? we would all be getting the men in white coats to come visit us!
 

KatB

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Ok, sounds like there is too much bedding which is meaning there is too much movement and as a result the whole bed is getting wet!! I would make quite big banks, and leave about 6inches max of bed. The wet should be dropping to the bottom of the bed, and for the first week or too, you shouldnt disturb the base of the bed at all, just take out droppings and keep the bottom flat and even. You can skim the top layer of "loose" bedding ontop to throw up to get all the droppings out (this is very important as droppings ruin the base) but dont touch the bottom 3/4inches of bed at all for the first week. Eventually even the dry stuff on the base with bed down and create a firm "mat" of bedding. 10inches of bed is excessive, and I only use one bale of bedding max a week, and have used a variety of different bedding on deep litter, including easibed (use this at the mo) hemcore, shavings, and chopped straw type bed
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jumpthemoon

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The way I do it is to take out the poos, fork up the clean bed onto the banks as you normally would, then make sure the base is level. Pat it down with your fork and take out any bits that stick up. Then you can put down the clean bed aagin on top. I find this fluffs it all up a bit more again so it's nicer. I would expect to use 1 bale shavings every 1-2 weeks, depending on how mucky the horse was
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Good luck
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kibob

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I completely agree with Brightmount - don't interfere too much and it will start to take care of itself.

I only pick the poos out, ocassionally get a small area of wet that is pulled up to the surface and then I remove that. I rarely use a fork whilst poo-picking, I buy waterproof, rubber gardening gloves and use my hands and a poop-scoop (yes, the men in white coats are getting closer now!!). It is important to add in plenty of fresh bedding especially at the start as the bed is establishing itself.

I have 6 on deep litter beds. One of these sounds just like yours. He poo's at the front edge of his bed. I find he can churn up the front area and pulls the wet to the surface so I just scrape away at the straw here and remove. Do not dig too deep, you will not know where to stop.

Stangely enough, I find my mares deep litter better than my geldings, maybe coincidence. I'd be interested to know if anyone else finds the same?
 

Bay_Beasty

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When I did mine the geldings were better than the mares! odd!! but i thought that was because the mare pee only in one corner of her box and the geldings peed in the middle! but I will let you know when I start deep littering my new gelding as soon as I get my bedding delivered.

I think i might admit myself to a mental asylum after reading this. If you don't see me on here for a while you know why!
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kombikids

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i know i have been wanting to post for ages asking advice but have been a bit scared to write what amounts to a smnall essay on my horses pooing habits!!!

think will dig down to bottom level and start again with it - just not sure how dirty to leave it each day.
 

SunshineTallulah

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I tried to deep litter mine, he is on rape straw bedding, but after 4 days of poo picking, I could smell the wee.

With normal straw, I find it so easy to muck out and I was quite quick at it, now with this new bedding it seems to be taking forever! Perhaps I just need to get used to it.

I poo pick and end up going down to the concrete everyday, cos I dont like the smell of the wee and dont want to leave it in as its not good for him. Plus he is really good at burying his droppings!

Any tips??
 

Bay_Beasty

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I use a chopped rape straw and it is great and absorbing and stays still. but yeah it sounds like you don't have enough bedding down. The smell comes from when the urine is not absorbed by the bedding.
 

MissMillie

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After reading this i'm tempted to deep litter. Mistymoo is an absolute filthy nightmare and wees for england, especially after she knows i've just mucked out! She also hides her poos..digs them up..and rubs her head all over them.

She wasn't supposed to come in grey.
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Jellicle

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I have also been wanting to ask this but felt I couldn't post about it! My horse always pees in the same place, so one part gets wet before the rest, is that okay?
 

bedbug

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So I have started to deep litter recntly.

I have made the bed thicker than it was at first and have found that this stops the wet showing through as quickly.

I too don't have the bed over the entire stable and my gelding is restless during the night so does tend to move it around. Because it is thicker now he doesn't seem to be disturbing it enough so that the wet comes through, though it does show a bit at the front but he does tend to wee towards the front of the bed.

My main concern is becuase he is restless a lot of his poo gets broken down into quite small pieces so looking at the above posts I think the solution is to get some rubber gloves.....I don't like to think what sort of looks I'm going to get from the others on the yard..hehe

Any suggestions for how to deal with a deep litter bed and very small pieces of poo greatefully received as I am getting a bit concerned about it but otherwise this seems to be working great for me.
 

Bay_Beasty

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Rubber gloves are great have always used them and I don't care what people say. Move his hay net to the front of the box which will encourage him to poo in the back corner and maybe keep it more still. I live at home and go out at 8 30 - 9 to give more hay and skip out. not all people can do this obviously but when u leave make sure there are no poos in the bed. (my boy doesn't mess it in he just poos a lot and they lies on it.....Friek). N e hoo flick the banks up too once you have taken the poos out with the gloves and the little bits should roll down the banks and the shavings stay in the banks. Glad this has caused such a stir coz I am just going to start deep littering again and all this talk has just helped me confirm my answer.

Also Jellicle, if your horsey pee's in one spot they just make sure you keep that bit flat in the base. but with a thick base the wet should even out and the patch will spread over a bigger area, but yes it will be fine.
 

lauraanddolly

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I too use rubber gloves with my shavings deep litter bed, much easier for the little bits of poo that fall through the fork.
I've been deep littering mine for years and I wouldn't do anything else now. In my 12 x 12 box I started with 7 or 8 (cant remember) bales of shavings and I add one a week. I only take out poo, if any wet does come to the top I just take a little bit off the top then i chuck up my loose for any remaining bits of poo then put it all back down and flatten well.
I have converted one lady on my yard to deep litter, she is on straw and so far is sticking with it.
Sounds like you started with too much bedding. I'd leave it all in as you have started now but don't put any in for a while, the key is to create almost like a mat beneath the bed. You can't do that if you disturb it too much. My mare is clean but as a guide I only take out a full medium sized tub trug bucket of poo a day, with maybe one forkful of wet, quite often its not as much wet as that. I get comments on how clean she is, and she is fairly clean I've seen better but I like to think its because I maintain my bed well that she appears cleaner than she is.
 
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