Hardwood Shaving/Sawdust

[Persephone]

Is this safe to use as bedding?

Some people at the yard have found a free supply. I seem to remember somewhere in the deep dark corner of my mind that it is carcinogenic.

Anyone know?

Jo x

 

[YorkshireLass]

It is fine.. but beware of sawdust from dark coloured hard woods. It will stain your horse. If your horse is not mahogany coloured, it will be if it has a bed made out of the stuff.

Also, any saw dust that contains varnish or tanalising stuff is dodgy. That is carcinogenic. That is why it is illegal to burn things like fencing rails on a domestic fire! Some woods are poisonous to horses, but then again horses will happly munch on a tanolised or creosoted fence, or a sycamore branch with no problems.

The downside of free sawdust is that it is very dusty and you can not gaurantee what it is made of, unless it comes from a pine saw mill.

I have used hardwood sawdust for donkeys years with no ill effects. I use it as a base, well packed down, and then put a layer of bought saw dust on top.

 

[Persephone]

Well that's great info. Thanks!

I'm not using it, but thought I might need to have a cow about it being used in the box next to my horse.

I think they are going to use it as a base with straw on top.

Hopefully won't cause any harm then. (Well to my horse anyway)

Jo x

 

[ajones]

my hubby is a joiner and i use the shavings he makes while working its dust extracted and the lads are extra carefull for me . my horse has copd and its done him no harm. i think i save about £10 a week on shavings this way.

 

[Ashf]

I've got a load of soft wood shavings from my Joiner friend. He does a lot of work in Oak, but the shavings were no good as the wood is so hard, they have to slow the feed down in the wood molding machine and this results in it chopping the shavings into dust rather than shaving it into shavings if this makes any sense.

Better to use soft wood when they come available as the dust could be a problem with the other stuff !