Mucking out straw beds

[shortstuff99]

I really hate straw and after having cobs can't use straw unless I want to spend my whole life battling feather mites. My Spanish potato also has dust problems and straw makes that worse too.

What I use is a base layer of straw pellets (better and less dusty then the wood pellets and don't need watering) and then beddown excel on top. Makes a lovely thick bed, takes me hardly anytime to muck out and they aren't laying in wee either.

 

[Baywonder]

I used to love straw beds. So did my old boy. He ate every scrap of straw in his stable, and only left the pooey and wet bits.

Needless to say I quickly changed to using shavings!

 

[Cortez]

I used to love straw beds. So did my old boy. He ate every scrap of straw in his stable, and only left the pooey and wet bits.

Needless to say I quickly changed to using shavings!

Yeah, I had one like that too; he also relished chopped straw and straw pellets, so he had to go on to shavings (the large fluffy ones). I hated mucking out his stable and my swear word vocabulary expanded mightily during his tenure.

 

[southerncomfort]

I realise this is unconventional but I use the same scoop and rake that I use for poo picking outside to remove droppings and then use a pitchfork to lift out the wet.

I just find its quicker and easier on my back.

 

[tatty_v]

I realise this is unconventional but I use the same scoop and rake that I use for poo picking outside to remove droppings and then use a pitchfork to lift out the wet.

I just find its quicker and easier on my back.

I do that too. A long handled fork is also handy to prevent back pain. I’m a big fan of a straw bed but my new Shetland is so wet that I’m struggling. He was better on shavings, even though I hated sifted the flipping things!

 

[atropa]

For cost and making a big comfy bed, straw is hands down my favourite. Yes the smell does cling during mucking out but worth it. Best stable set up I had was straw bed on earthen floor....bliss.
I used a shovel to pick up the poo, place edge of shovel at edge of poo pile and jiggle to bounce poo onto shovel. Then a 3 prong fork to fork up clean, remove the wet, bed back down and add clean if needed.
Now on chopped straw since I moved yard which is probably about the best baled bedding I've used but find myself missing my previous earthen stables

 

[Shoei]

I have 3 on straw and I muck out daily and put the banks up. They all have massive, thick beds and I only notice the smell if the wet is left in or they don't have thick beds. My husband has also commented that they don't smell in comparison to our friends yard.
To muck out I generally use a trusty old pitch fork

 

[windand rain]

Personally rubber mats are the work of the devil when it comes to stinking stables. Especially those with a bucket of shavings thrown down. I can smell them from the car park at big yards

 

[Dave's Mam]

Personally rubber mats are the work of the devil when it comes to stinking stables. Especially those with a bucket of shavings thrown down. I can smell them from the car park at big yards

In my experience, rubber mats only work for cleanliness if there's drainage below. If not, wee pools & goes stale. I'd rather bed onto the floor & lift & air it every day.