Miscanthus or Elephant grass bedding

[JenHunt]

I'm trying to find something cheaper than shavings that isn't straw (my sisters horse has hayfever, and the straw aggravates it) and I was just wondering if anyone had used this before? what was it like, was is good and easy to use? did it work out better value than shavings? if not then why did or do you choose to use it instead of shavings?
saw this place in H&H this week...
Colehay Miscanthus Bedding

 

[LankyDoodle]

Our mare used to go onto it when we took her to our friends' place in Cornwall, as she needed shavings but they used this. It really suited her, although it isn't as soft and fluffy as shavings, and doesn't provide the big white bed that shavings does; but we're not really into that and it didn't bother us one bit. I think it is slightly cheaper than shavings and is probably a little easier to muck out as the bits don't stick to the poo so readily.

 

[htlmales]

Love the stuff
I have a deep litter miscanthus bed - seems to be best after experiments.
Its great if you don mind mucking out with a pair of gloves (quickest way) every now and then I go through it with a shavings fork and throw the dry against a wall and bin the wet - the elephant grass piles up and droppings roll out, simples.
I put my big lad on it as I have asthma, and my horse is a bit of a messy lad, tends to do a few laps and dragged deep litter everywhere, dragged straw bed everywhere.
In the end I put down rubber mats so that that urine could drain away, I built a retaining "bump" in his stable by cutting a rubber mat into 6 foot by 18 inch lengths laying a 6inch by 2inch plank flat and screwing the matting in an ark onto the 2 inch sides (like a rubber road hump)
The bump keeps half his stable as a bed, he has to pick his feet up, so bed stays put, its rubber and collapses so no problems with getting cast or laying on it
and it saves me filling his whole stable with miscanthus, rubber matting was not cheap though
easy easy bedding, very clean - seems to take a while to settle and work properly though
good luck

 

[lucym]

i tried it last year when shavings prices rocketed, but my horse ate it, so couldnt use it.
i found the best way was to deep litter, was too wasteful if mucked out fully everyday imo
some people at my yard use it, and seem to go through 2/3 bales a week!! like everything i suppose its how economical you are

 

[supagran]

Any chance of a piccy of your "hump" - sounds intruiging (sp)

 

[Janah]

I used to use elephant grass and was very pleased with it until I tried Bliss. Absorbes the wet much better and is lighter to muck out. Bliss is abit more expensive but well worth the extra.

Jane