Making bedding go further

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Lady_Bug

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angelsonhorseback.co.uk
I'm currently using basic shavings at £6.90 a bale. I was using roughly 8 bales per week, but the ridiculous cost of 10 bales last month made me get some rubber mats to try and reduce costs. I have only got enough for half his stable, so a large area for his bed.
I was hoping to use a bale a week, but don't think my current shavings are that great as the bed doesn't look as clean as I'd like. I've been putting banks around and a thin layer of bedding over full area of mats to soak up wee. This works fine, but I would like to find a bedding which lasts a bit longer preferably. He's not incredibly wet, usually pees in the same spot.
I'd like something which I can gradually mix with my existing shavings.

I would quite like to try the Liverpool wood pellets but can't afford a huge load of them.

I think my local suppliers can get bedmax/easibed or aquamax or something like that - do you find this bedding is more economical? I don't mind paying a little more per bale if it lasts a bit longer!
 
EIGHT Bales a week?????? For ONE horse????? That's over a bale a DAY??????

My horse has bare rubber mats at the front third of his stable and a deep litter bed at the back two thirds. I use about a bale and a bit a week to maintain the deep litter bed and it is fragrant and warm and inviting. Had it in place for a year and a half now, no probs.

I can't imagine how you get through 8 bales a week but if you now have mats for the front half of his stable and allow eg 3 bales to start a deep litter bed off, you should be getting through just 1 a week very soon.
 
Woops - 8 bales a month, 2 a week
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1 bale last a week for two stables with thick equi-mats with me.

I would say that I leave the front two thirds bare & put shavings at the back third with no banks. I put enough down so that you can't see the mats through the shavings, probably a couple of inches.

In the morning it's been spread over the whole stable & I just sweep it all up & out. Not everything comes out, the back corners are usually still clean.
 
I'd go with just bedding on the back where the mats aren't and then deep litter it. It takes a bit of getting used to but Daisy is snug and cosy and doesn't mind that her bed isn't glowing white.

Alternatively, you could do what our YO did last night and turn all the lights off in the stables, its amazing how little people took out of the stables when you couldn't see the colour
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I've been lucky enough to get free shavings for my horses for the last 11 years but I am struggling now due to the credit crunch everyone seems to be flocking to my timber yard and there are none left for poor old me. I have a large stable - I think its 14ft by 12ft. As it is longer from left to right than from front to back I make my bed is the part furthest away from the door, ie the short side of the stable - in a dressage arena F would be my door, and H,C, and M would be where my bed is. That means I get to use less bed as there is less surface area. My banks are left alone and the floor is changed. Dad mucks out my horse at lunch time when which is when he is turned out, for 3 or 4 hours (no more due to colic) so Dad just leaves a very small bit of shavings down for him and doesn't put any new in, so when he comes in for the one-two hours before I arrive after work he can mess on that - (he is on rubber mats). Then when I get there after work I can mix some new stuff in with the old and make his bed if that makes sense.
 
can you potty-train him? don't laugh, they usually want to do a wee when brought in, and if you get them used to the idea of you standing close, whistling, and holding a bucket under, it saves a lot of bedding... good for killing weeds near the stables too!
 
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can you potty-train him? don't laugh, they usually want to do a wee when brought in, and if you get them used to the idea of you standing close, whistling, and holding a bucket under, it saves a lot of bedding... good for killing weeds near the stables too!

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We have a potty trained horse on the yard - and can attest to the amount of bedding saved. He actually never pee's in it anymore.

I have to say 2 bales a week at this time of year is about average I'd say. And I actually use about 3 - and am on rubber matting.
 
i use one bale a week and am alternating between more expensive shavings, and a nedsbed local alternative. also experimenting with deep littering, and it seems to be working. horse is fairly clean, so can get away with it, and i am thinking along the lines of maximising the absorbency of the shavings, and taking out the wet every 2-3 days
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OMG I use a bale of shavings every 2-3 weeks!!! On rubber mats and my shavings look white as white all the time.

I use about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of bedding with banks to the sides on the back half of my stable (rubber mats). I am fairly OCD about picking all the bits of poo out with a close tyned fork. Helps that my mare is quite dry and has her hay on the floor on the front.
 
I suppose I need to give myself a little more time to adjust to not needing as much bedding! He has always been very good at getting through to the concrete, even with a really thick deep littered bed. The mats are brilliant and I will be getting more to cover the rest of the stable in April. No money until then! Maybe then I'll try it without banks, but his bed looks so odd without them.

I've managed to source a supplier of one of my favourite beddings, Bed Down, and have decided I will mix their traditional chopped straw with the bale of plain shavings I have left and get a couple more of their mix of straw and shavings. I find they go a lot further than these budget shavings we get at the moment, plus they've just gone up in price.

AmyMay - I probably wouldn't be as fussed with using 2 bales a week if they didn't need to be in at night all year round. Unfortunately this problem of shavings shortage isn't going to end in the summer, so I need to find a cheaper system now
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Mine is potty trained - he does his wee when he comes in into a bucket - obv goes again overnight but I take far less bedding out - only ever needed 1 bale shavings/bedmax a week to maintain full bed (no mats) - definitely harder with a mare though!
 
Mine is also potty trained - goes when he comes in, again at 9pm check & before breakfast! Still does plenty during the night but he is a very wet horse so it does save me bedding.

Another tip, if you can bear to put your NEW shavings UNDER the bed instead of on top you actually end up using less as they are more absorbant!

I put about a quarter of a bale under the bed, and bank the rest in the corners, then take about 2/3 forkfuls every day from the corner to put under the bed!
 
I might try getting him to wee in a bucket, but not sure my sharer will like the idea!

I had my mare on straw, but as far as I can remember she was a lot easier to muck out - probably because of the straw!
 
Try hemcore its £9 per bag you need 5 for stable then semi deep litter .I have two disgusting horses lol and use a bag per week.I have a clear out about once a month then add fresh bag they are really clean and comfortable on it and it smells fab lemon grass.Its very absorbant so you could use it on rubber matting and not bother deep littering.
 
I use paper bedding, its free from the council and comes ready shredded. They come in20kg bags. My boys have rubber matting so that reduces the amount of bedding i use even more. I find it easy enough to work with aswell!
 
I have my very wet disgusting horse on shavings and use one bale a week, he bed was started with 8 bales (he stable is 12 x 16) and one bale a week keeps it this size, during the week I only take out the wet at the front and then take out all the wet in the middle on weekends, I never move the banks. I am very OCD about picking out all the poo and do the bits by hand as this saves shavings. he does have rubber ratting too but bed is big enough to be used without.

I have my mare on Woody Pet and use one bag per week, I think they work out at £4.75 a bag. I would only use this with a horse that isnt too wet.
 
ha ha, I've spent the last couple of days trying to catch my boys wee in a bucket and they've both been horrified. One even managed to stop mid flow and then go again 5 mins later when I'd left the stable, little sod! I will perseveer though in a quest to have nicer beds to muck out
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