How do you store your shavings outside? My Bedmax are waterlogged.

[Tiddlypom]

I bought about 8 bales of Bedmax shavings about 3 months ago, the first time I've bought Bedmax, and have since them stored them outside in a neat stacked pile on the stable yard on rubber grass mats over paving slabs. That's how I always store shavings until I've got enough space in the hay barn as winter progresses. I used 4 bales straight away, and was very impressed with them.

I went to put down a couple more bales today and found that the bales were waterlogged and very heavy. These bales were stacked high off the ground on other bales, so not in contact with the ground. Probably the top third of each bale is waterlogged. Oddly, the plastic wrapping seemed intact.

Very disappointing. I'm used to Thoroughbred shavings getting some wet patches but nothing like this. Am I just unlucky? Two more Bedmax bales left in store - I've currently got a mixture of 3 different new to me brands as shavings supplies have been so erratic.

 

[meleeka]

I don’t normally use them, but I’ve tried them recently and mine were wet too (I also stored them outside). I don’t think the corners are sealed properly.

 

[throwawayaccount]

What a pain

when I was on Bedmax a few months ago, I stored them in my tackroom. (Well, more a big locker adjacent to my stable)

 

[PurBee]

I had the same, but a whole pallet load, that had been stacked outside at the suppliers, then pallet wrapped to send to me. OH had to unload them, they were impossibly heavy 30kg+ each bale, most were drenched.
All i could see were the corner sealing of the bags were not sealed fully - so rain water which lodges in those corners then wicks into the dry bale, and with every downpour, more wicks in.

Thats why yours were saturated which had not been in contact with the ground as rainwater from above seeps in tiny gaps in the seals.

I cover everything stacked in plastic wrap on a pallet outside with a tarp now due to this happening with various plastic bagged goods. They dont touch the ground as the pallet raises the stack and the rain doesnt get in due to thick tarp covering.

Even compost bags, which come in a fairly thick plastic bags, that looks sealed, after being out in the rain for weeks is soaked through.
The clamping hot sealing machine generally works on a timer - it ensures a good seal between 2 pieces of plastic, but at the corners you have 4 layers of plastic to melt and seal together, which requires longer clamping heat-seal timing. Unfortunately, the longer clamp time to seal 4 layers, is too hot and will burn through the seal made of the 2 layer part. There’s no winning, and exact timing is vital, which evidently many manufacturers get wrong, and dont know their bags arent actually 100% weatherproof and sealed, as most are stored in dry warehousing, or outside already fully pallet wrapped.

 

[GoldenWillow]

I use Bedmax and whilst I really rate them as shavings there's usually at least one split corner in the plastic, quite often a small apple sized hole at the end.

 

[LEC]

All my bedmax are stored in a barn - they don’t do well outside as the corners don’t seal brilliantly. I love them but I can see why it’s an issue for people.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Bedmax have pants packaging, not very weatherproof!

 

[ester]

Get your hair straighteners out?! ?

 

[Getbackboys]

just cover with a tarp and stack standing up so water cant pool at the end pockets. bedding works better if slightly damp it stops the urine flow at bottom of bed. not so pretty on top.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I bought about 8 bales of Bedmax shavings about 3 months ago, the first time I've bought Bedmax, and have since them stored them outside in a neat stacked pile on the stable yard on rubber grass mats over paving slabs. That's how I always store shavings until I've got enough space in the hay barn as winter progresses. I used 4 bales straight away, and was very impressed with them.

I went to put down a couple more bales today and found that the bales were waterlogged and very heavy. These bales were stacked high off the ground on other bales, so not in contact with the ground. Probably the top third of each bale is waterlogged. Oddly, the plastic wrapping seemed intact.

Very disappointing. I'm used to Thoroughbred shavings getting some wet patches but nothing like this. Am I just unlucky? Two more Bedmax bales left in store - I've currently got a mixture of 3 different new to me brands as shavings supplies have been so erratic.

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I store mine outside, a few got a few wet patches but they are much more wet once horse pees on them. I just store them against the stable block on pallets,

 

[Getbackboys]

complain and use trading standards as packaging not fit for purpose, call trading standards they will advise you very helpful, i had same with pallet of 20kg haylage mouldy and holes those stacked in the middle, i got a refund

 

[Highmileagecob]

Any chance of building a covered store, like a woodstore? One or two pallets, an upright at each corner with a few bracing bars screwed on, and a lightweight plywood roof covered in roofing felt. For extra protection, a drop down sheet of plastic or tarp.

 

[COldNag]

When I was using shavings I stored on a pallet, with a good tarp on top of the pallet, and then wrapped over the top over the shavings, so the shavings were emclosed and were protected from water from above or from coming from underneath.

 

[terrierliz]

I store mine inside but the wrapping is not great, it’s very thin and if it’s not got a hole at one end when I pick it up it generally has by the time I get to the stable. I also use their strawmax pellets but don’t have an issue with those bags.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Thanks, all.

I am going to report this issue to Bedmax. The contents of the bags should not get so waterlogged stored outside off the ground in just 3 months.

I still like the Bedmax shavings themselves, they make up into a lovely bed which is easy to skip out, but had I known how inadequate the wrapping was I'd have covered them up with a tarp. I've never had to do that with any other brand of shavings I've used, and I've been using shavings for over 40 years. I now have room in the hay barn to store any new bales undercover.

The wrapping seems fairly intact. Btw, the also new to me Hutton Mill small flake shavings fared much better stored the same way, with barely a damp corner or two. And they weren't dusty - a good brand of shavings. Not tried the Snowflake yet. I just picked up in the back of my 4x4 whatever the local feed store had in stock when I was passing. My neds are only in for 2 or 3 hours of a morning for a hay net and a snooze, so I don't need to top up their beds very often.

 

[holeymoley]

That shouldn’t happen, sounds like the plastic is inferior. Much like a lot of things these days, everyone’s trying to be greener and using less packaging which is a good thing but some things just don’t fare up to it. Could you tarp over them too?

 

[Tiddlypom]

Bumped this thread on the back of the other current thread reporting supply issues with shavings.

Bedmax are still available locally, and a reminder to anyone that might buy them for the first time that while they are very good large flake shavings, please store them inside or undercover .

I now have dry storage for these new bales in the hay barn. The waterlogged ones are finished. Interestingly, the other two new-to-me brands that I had of small flake shavings, Hutton Mill and Snowflake, were of good quality and they stayed dry even when stored outside!