Help me decide on the best bedding!

[Tilda]

Hello all

Next week my new loan horse will be arriving and he apparently has a bit of a dust allergy so I am not going to be able to bed him on straw as I have done with current horse. He has always lived out with with his current owners so I don't know anything about how clean he is etc..I have had so many suggestions from different people and am now struggling to decide so thought I would see which one is the most popular on here and give it a try.

I don't really want to increase costs too much and I was buying large bales of straw at £25 that was lasting me 2 months with my mare. I had her on full livery one day a week but am able to have the same service with a skip out instead which will save me a further £17 a month so therefore I am looking to spend about £30 a month on bedding.

My friend uses a flax type bedding for her mare and deep litters and skips the poo during the week and takes the wet out at the weekend using about 1.5 bags to top up which costs about £35 a month. I quite like this as it is super quick but she has rubber matting and I don't so am worried about it being uncomfortable for my boy.

The other option which has been suggested to me is wood pelletts but after doing a bit of research I'm not sure this will work out any cheaper and again looks a bit uncomfortable!

Finally there is shavings but without rubber mats I think this may cost me a fortune!

My stable is 12x18 ft but I usually leave about 4 or 5ft at the front bedding free for hay etc.

Also if anyone can recommend any reasonably priced bedding suppliers in Northamptonshire that would be great.

Thanks all x

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Mine are deep littered shavings beds up until three months ago they had no rubber matting and were fine. We have the base which soaks up the wee then about 4 inches of lose fluffy shavings on top so they have something to lay on. We have the poop out and then put the loose shavings up.on the banks then back down to fluff up the bed and leave the base. I got through two bales a month each of wooburn shavings at £6.95 a bale.

Hope that helps.

Xxx

Ps which side are you on if its mk side pm me

 

[Tilda]

Thanks slightly confused I am in east northants between Wellingborough and Peterborough.

 

[nikCscott]

Wood pellets- I have asthma and have not had a single tight chest whilst using the pellet- when I used to take my inhaler a couple of time each muck out on straw or shavings- and they are so economical

 

[ecrozier]

Swapped to wood pellets this year after being on shavings for many years and straw prior to that. Can't believe it took me do long. They are brilliant, economical, quick and dust free and make a compact mattress like bed. I have one large young horse who likes to make his droppings into a sort of mulch of poo, he would go through 2 bales of shaving a week at minimum £6.50 per bale. Other boy cleaner but does a lot of droppings. Halved my bedding costs and can muck out both stables into one barrow most days, and do whole lot (feed change rugs turn out muck out do nets and make feeds) in about 45 mins now inc a 10 min round trip to one field!

 

[Tilda]

Thanks all

Those of you with wood pelletts what make do you use? do you buy them locally or order them on line? How much do you pay?

Thanks again x

 

[lynseylou1]

another vote for wood pellets! I use them with runner matting so dont have a deep bed with the pellets. I buy them from pets at home (about 18 for 2 x 30 litre sacks last me 2 weeks)as cannot find a local supply and dont have the cash or storage to but them by the half pallet. I fnd them as cheap as most other things and I have a bad back so are a dream to muck out.. light as a feather. Hardly any gets wasted when u muck out and rots down v quick so great for muck heap as well!

 

[sjoukje]

Thanks all

Those of you with wood pelletts what make do you use? do you buy them locally or order them on line? How much do you pay?

Thanks again x

Hi, I use liverpool wood pellets. They are brilliant. Check out their website. The more you are able to buy, the more you save. I keep my Friesian stallion on them and have done so for several years. So easy to clean out but you do need to muck out every day for them to be really effective.

 

[Tilda]

Thanks for the recommendation sjoukje I am glad I asked as I was under the impression you could skip them out and deep litter them. I have been mucking out daily anyway as my mare is on straw I was just hoping to save some time and some money towards towards the bedding on the full livery day but if I need to pay more for him to be comfy so be it

 

[nikCscott]

I full muck out my pellet bed every weekday (as I have he time) and just skip out the poo on weekends- there other great thing about pellets - NO SMELL!

I get mine from http://www.phillipsanimalbedding.com
They will sell 1 bag to 1 arctic load- and they guy was really helpful and even helped me set up a bed to show how to do it.

 

[Tilda]

Thanks nikCscott so I might be ok to have him skipped out on that one day the rest of the time I have time for a full daily muck out. Thanks also for the link I will have a look

 

[noblesteed]

I've used various types but gone back to Nedzbed pro, £8.25 a sack lasts 1.5 weeks though my horse is very clean. I use rubber mats underneath. It doesn't need a full muck out every day, you can deep litter though I muck out every other day just cos I like to. It's quite deep and cosy, dust free. My horse is grey so I don't like him lying in his wee and it holds it at the bottom. I also like it because it is a bi-product (rape straw) that would otherwise not be used, and the farmer can spread it on the fields so he likes it too.