Free Sawdust offer

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moneypit1

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When I went to local sawmill yesterday I noticed a mountain of bags of sawdust. I asked what they did with it and they said I could help myself. Question is, although it would be free (I use rubber mats in stables) I am concerned about the dust. Unfortunately someone else gets the shavings! What would you do?
 
Absolutely don't do it! I used to get free shavings from my neighbours pine funrtniture shop and they were a nightmare, real dusty and my horse developed a cough through it that, whilst gone, does now rear it's head if given even slightly too dusty hay...not worth it. I learn't the hard way!
 
I know people who use the left over shavings from coffins. They pay £10 and take away whatever they want. This is used on 6 horses, 4 of them are oldies and one is currently on boxrest.

The stables are light and airy (they're in a barn) and the sawdust has water sprinkled on it froma water can which really reduces the dust.
 
I have a friend in stroud who has a window making company.

He pays £160 to have a skip taken away every 2 weeks full of it.

I spoke to him last week about the quality of the shavings, and he bought a bag home to show me.

It is much better quality that the stuff you buy in the shops, but the machine is a planer which has blades, not a saw just produces dust.

My biggest problem is figuring out how to transport it as its not going to be compressed like the bales I get from countrywide.

I might see if I can get some big aggregate bags from the gravel merchants to give to him
 

I would always say no, no and no again to anything that is straight off a shop/wood turner's floor - regardless of what machinery, sorry.

The shavings you get from shops are dust extracted and fit for purpose as bedding. Anything that is 'raw' like that IMHO is not suitable, regardless of whether you wet it or not.
 
Some people where we are get cheap shavings from the mill and it is really dusty and usually full of fag packets, rubbish and sometimes nails and other bits of metal. I wouldn't use it for my horse even if it were free.
 
Thank goodness for this post!! My boyfriend was considering getting a load of shavings from the saw mill because they were so cheap. I definately won't use them now!! He can use them for the dogs but NOT my horse!!!
 
I am just about to do the same.
Our local sawmill bags up the shavings and keeps the hard and soft wood seperate.
Will give it a try and top up with normal shavings.
Should be OK for deep litter I would have thought
 
I used to get free shavings (but NOT sawdust) from a company which made pine window frames. They were in a little hut thingie at the back and the liveries took a trailer and lots of bags, then filled them up, avoiding the dusty stuff at the bottom.
I'd avoid sawdust like the plague though.
S
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ok not about sawdust but just another warning about free shavings. My dad used to go to a mill and bag them for me and they were lovely but one day I found nails and bits of sharp metal in them. I told dad I didnt want them anymore but he said there couldnt have been nails in them because of the machine they go through and kept bringing them. I used to put them straight on the muck heap!
 
For years we got all our shavings from a friend who had a furntiure making business. We would take the horse trailer down and fill it up. Was only 15mins away so went down once a week to once a fortnight storing any extra in spare stable.

We never had problems with objects etc in the shavings but then it was a very small operation (owner and I think 2 apprenticies hand making furniture), and they were very meticulous. Only reason our supply stopped was because his own daughter started riding and there wasn't enough as a continuous supply for her and us!
 
i go round the corner to the local wood yard £1 a bag and i have had no problems however they are in high demand as alot of people with rabbits etc go for them so you sort of have to dive in
grin.gif
have a look and see if they are dusty if they don't seem bad i don't see the problem
 
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