Have to think about bedding ! Urrrrrr

ghost&secret

ghost&secret

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2011
Messages
54
Visit site
I am moving my neds at the end of the month - and will have to now think about bedding supplies and what to use etc - at my current yard that I rent (small private yard) the straw and hay came free in with the rent of the cottage and yard. This was dropped down to me on a monthly basis and was exceptional stuff - never had to complain and the muck was removed for me again free, weekly so the matter of a straw muck heap growing to the size of a small house in a matter on weeks didn't concern me !!!

However after six years of blissful ignorance of bedding - it now looks like the subject should be debated in Parliament !!

I have looked at Sundown - chopped rapestraw

BedMax - large shavings

Safemix - mixture of shavings and shredded soft wood fibre

Cushionbed - chipped wood - looks a bit spikey to me

So any opinions and any other I should consider ?

Stabling two White Grey clean geldings :D

Thanks xx
 
I have a piebald who is exceptionally clean. We go for a mixture of bog standard shavings and bedmax- which ever my bank balance allows ! Timberflake's not bad aswell.
 
Toffee44 said:
I am toying with the idea of trying some woodpellets.
Click to expand...

Have looked at Pellets - but they looked a bit of a phaf so have dismissed them - maybe wrong but the idea of having to soak them or water them seemed time consuming

And although they seem cheap ££ per bag - how many bags would you need to use - Two/ three bags per week would equal a shavings bale - which is simple and easy to plop into stable !

ummm - :confused:
 
We use Rapport or Hemcore, basically the same stuff. It's really absorbent and smells nice when it's fresh down :D
Oh and it's unpalatable so they can't eat it (a bonus for my greedy cob!) :D
 
I have to say, the one I keep returning to is chopped rape straw. It's great IMO! highly absorbant, lightweight and not dusty.

My recent dealings with even the best shavings (hunters) have found them incredibly dusty.

The newfangled woodchippy things, although absorbant are incredibly heavy.

Aubiose / hemp are just very expensive. Although do make a nice bed.

woodpellets... I'm just not sure of!

The only other type I do like is flax... I am probably going to mix that with my chopped rape straw if I can get my hads on any 'wet' bales from my supplier!
 
GypsyTheCob said:
We use Rapport or Hemcore, basically the same stuff. It's really absorbent and smells nice when it's fresh down :D
Oh and it's unpalatable so they can't eat it (a bonus for my greedy cob!) :D
Click to expand...

But its not! It's made by the same people but Rapport is Rape Straw and Hemcore is HEMP. They are different but do have similar properties.

Rapport is much cheaper than Hemcore too! ;)
 
ghost&secret said:
Have looked at Pellets - but they looked a bit of a phaf so have dismissed them - maybe wrong but the idea of having to soak them or water them seemed time consuming

And although they seem cheap ££ per bag - how many bags would you need to use - Two/ three bags per week would equal a shavings bale - which is simple and easy to plop into stable !

ummm - :confused:
Click to expand...


You only water them a bit when you first put them down. You need to put down about 8 bags to start the bed off, more if you like banks, then for the 1st week don't take any wee out, sounds gross but it works and doesne't smell, then you only take out the wet when it really won't absorb anymore, then put the new bag in its place, mix through a little but try not to disturb the rest of the bed unnecessarily. They say one a week, but I used to use 2, if you can afford the 1000kg it works out about £3.50 bag so is cheaper than one bag of shavings and I'm finding I'm putting 2 in sometimes at £8 a bale so it would still be cheaper. I wouldn't mind trying the Liverpool ones, but its stumping up the £200+ to buy them to keep the cost per bag down
 
Last edited:
Toffee44 said:
I am toying with the idea of trying some woodpellets.
Click to expand...

I use pellets and think they are brilliant, my mare isn't particulary clean either, but only spend £3.84 a week on a bag of pellets, you can get them delivered bulk from Liverpool Wood Pellets and select what size of bag you want, or you can just get them in a huge great big bag and take what you need from them, but you would need somewhere dry to store them that they wouldn't get damp.
 
Oh My - what a mine field !! will look at Liverpool Pellets - keep an open mind

Flax I have heard is excellent but seems difficult to get and expensive - heard due to harvesting / weather conditions in Europe

Is hemp similar ?

Like the Sundown stuff as feels very soft but yes I can imageine it would go a bit clumpy and get messed in quickly = more bedding taken out = more in --

*pauses for thought* ! lol
 
ghost&secret said:
Have looked at Pellets - but they looked a bit of a phaf so have dismissed them - maybe wrong but the idea of having to soak them or water them seemed time consuming

And although they seem cheap ££ per bag - how many bags would you need to use - Two/ three bags per week would equal a shavings bale - which is simple and easy to plop into stable !

ummm - :confused:
Click to expand...

You just have to water it once when you initially put the bed down, then I just add a bag a week on the bottom of the bed and don't water it.
I do know people that do continue to water, but they put the pellets in a big skip bucket and half fill it with water, go and muck out another stable and then go back and put the broken down pellets on the bed, each to their own.
 
Flax is finer than hemp. Admittedly I haven't used it as a full bed - just as a sprinkling for a 'day bed' but I do quite like it.

If your options are those listed in your original post I would definately go for the chopped rape straw. IMO
 
I have mine on a mixture of chopped cardboard (the shredded egg box kind) and shavings. It works really well, is very absorbant and does not smell. My skewbald mare who has 4 white legs did not get any stable stains last year which is unheard of.

I used to use chopped straw, but gave up after a month as the beds just stunk (I also reeked after mucking out, which is not good as I have muck out before work!) Straw is just not absorbant either in its normal form or chopped up!
 
I'm currently using Rapasorb which is a chopped rape straw. Makes a lovely dust free fragant bed, absorbant, easy to muck out and most importantly, as I have limited space for a huge muckheap, and neighbours, it rots down really quickly! Costs a little less than shavings I think too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top