Mucking out with shavings. How do you do yours?

[mandy4727]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am thinking of putting Calli back on shavings this winter. So going to start putting a couple of quid away aweek to hopefully pay for them, so I don't notice as much in winter when I have to buy them. I must admit she is a very very dirty horse so am prepared for the extra expense using shavings. But because she is so dirty she stinks so much on straw. And so do we any my car!!!!. So how do you do yours. I dont think I did it right last time I was on. Was determined only to use 1 bale a week. So she didn't have much bed although it was deep enough. And I hated it being grubby looking so took the wet out every single day. 1 barrow a day plus half a barrow of droppings in the morning. So was quicker to muck out in morning but not in the evening. Not really trying to save time but the smell is horrid and Calli is obviously sleeping in that horrid smell all night. I want to use as little as possible but want to have her with as good a bed as possible. She has a large stable and a haybar!!!

 

[merlinsquest]

rubber mats and 1" of clean bed each nite!!!

No smell at all, and physio says it wont hurt him...I was worried he would not be comfy!!! Ahhhhh

 

[dozzie]

rubber mats and 1" of clean bed each nite!!!

No smell at all, and physio says it wont hurt him...I was worried he would not be comfy!!! Ahhhhh

Ditto!!!!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I'll ditto the rubber mats. Add another 2 quid a week and by winter you'll have enough to buy some rubber matting and plenty of shavings.

 

[alicep]

My Mare is filthy so i have matting in an 'L' shape at front and bedding the opposite 'L' shape at the back. she wees all in one section of the bedding and it runs straight under the matts. so i just deep litter and have a good ole muck out and lift everything at the weekend. would normally put about a bale of auboise and one of shavings in on sat

 

[miller]

We don't have mats (no money at moment) and both on bedmax with full deep beds, my lad is clean, OH's mare mucky.

We do a full muck out every morning putting bed up onto banks - I use all 3 banks, OH moves his either side as mare is wet across back of stable.

Beds left up all day for floor to dry and brought down every evening - I use a bale every 10 days or so (we muck out into old shavings bags and I never half fill it) OH uses a bale approx every 5 days (he 3/4 fills his bag daily)

 

[MagicMelon]

Mats are brilliant. I just put a square of shavings down which is usually what they pee and poo on. I wondered if my horses would be comfy but TBH Ive found them sleeping on the mats perfectly happily (I thought they might try and squeeze onto the shavings square but they dont). Takes me about 3 minutes to muck out! Mine arent in very often though, the stables open up onto the paddock so I just leave the doors open so they can come and go. In this case, I dont put any shavings down, just rubber mats. So all I have to do is sweep them out sometimes

 

[Pasha]

I use rubber matting and bedmax (find it more absorbent and less dusty than hunters)... I do a full muck out every day and leave the bed up to dry/air. I only use one bale a week and his bed is huge and still very new looking

 

[xxcharlottexx]

mines on deep litter shavings. (though he doesnt poo or wee on one side of his stable so really i only have half a stable to muck out

)

So just take out the poo's during the week. Then sometimes at the weekend will take out some of the wet at one side as he usually wees in the same place so it can get quite dirty

then top up with a bag of shavings per week... for me works out the same as when i used straw and is easier to muck out!