Laying shavings correctly - help

P

pheline

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 January 2011
Messages
51
Visit site
Hello this may seem like a silly question.

My friends have asked me to muck out their horses a few times a week, my boy's on straw (I've always used straw) so I'm not used to laying shavings.

I'll muck them out, get rid of poo and get rid of the wet shavings this is all fine, I leave it to dry against the wall then attempt to lay it; but I can never seem to lay it 'right' - the bedding doesnt soak properly because it's not 'compact' enough I'm told and I can never get it flat enough - oops.

Any advice or a step by step guide to doing it correctly?
Bit of a cheek but I need a little help!

Thank you :)

Phe xxx
 
It is a question of compressing everything down, leaving in a little damp bedding helps with this unless they are the types that insist on pristine white bedding every day. I kick the shavings fork against the banks and front to get square edges and then pat down the banks to get them uniform and pat down the whole bed to compress it, if there is a big shovel available this does the job really well too
 
Lyndsay said:
Im not being rude but have u ever heard of the saying "if your not happy with my work then do it youself!!!"
Click to expand...

Exactly!
OP, it does sound as though you are perhaps stirring the shavings up a bit too much. Just take out the muck and the very obviously wet shavings from the top. If your friends want the bed 'compacted' you will have to leave some damp to hold it all together. I think you are being too conscientious!
 
Gosh I think I'm the only one who doesn't give a damn if my horses bed isn't immaculate! I get all the poo out and any wee near the top but making it up I couldn't care less how nice it looked. Mainly because my horse likes kicking his bedding around so after 10mins it looks awful :p

Someone better call the rspca on me :D


p.s this isn't a dig at you OP :)
 
I think the secret is not to disturb it all. I used to fork it all up and let the poo's drop down but it takes ages and you end up with a dirtier looking bed, so I now pick the poo's up and remove the worse of the wee (mainly as if I dont he mixes it all in!) I add clean a couple of times a week.
 
:eek: The only tool that touches my beds if I am not digging them out is a rake! Soil floors so excellent drainage, semi-deep litter, I take out the wet patches every 3 or 4 days.

Muck bucket and latex gloves work fine for me, bend down, flick the dung into the bucket, rake up wet stuff, shove that in the bucket then rake the top flattish again. Job done. Fresh shavings go on top if and when. I don't do banks.

Ask your friend to demonstrate exactly how she prefers the bed done, that way you know you are doing what she likes and she can't say anything because you are only doing what she showed you to;) That's what I would do anyway, whether I was doing someone elses beds or showing someone how to do mine. (Mind, if someone wanted to do mine, then they can do what the heck they like as long as they don't use a weeks worth of bedding every day)
 
I haven't mucked out for ages but used to remove one bank every day rotating the three of them and spread it over the middle after I had removed all the wet patches and dung. Then rebuild the bank with the excess from the middle, this allowed it to dry out.
The secret to laying them perfectly is first use a fork upside down then a yard brush..(yes I really was that fussy!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top