Nearly burnt my stables down!!! - I am stupid

[filly190]

Last week I changed from straw to shaving, decided to do this after work and got completely knackered. So on the last of my three stables, I decided to pile the old straw and muck outside the wooden stable and cart it to the muck heap at the weekend (daylight!!!)

I left the straw pile for four days and on Saturday began the task of barrowing it to the muck heap (which is miles away).

Got to the bottom of the pile and to my horror it was full of grey cinders where the heat had built up. I felt the stable wall, where it had been piled against and it was warm.

I think if it had been left any longer there would have been a fire. I cant believe how stupid I had been.

Because I was changing over to shavings I had deep littered for a few days before, so not to completely waste the bedding.

I am so ashamed, shocked and horrified at myself. How stupid could a person be, it just did'nt enter my head that the heat could build up so quick etc.

I have learnt such a vaulable lesson, I hang my head in shame.

 

[the watcher]

How scary!..a valuable lesson for anybody else who underestimates how quickly the heat can build up. One of the things I look forward to on really cold days is muckheap dancing it satisfies 2 needs, first the need to warm up my feet, and the second need to build something that looks like a thatched cottage (anal I know)

 

[Weezy]

Yikes!

t_w - on cold days you can always find me on the muckheap sorting it out too!

 

[Nailed]

it always amazes me that deep litered boxes dont set on fire.. but i suppose the constand fresh wee helps to stop it burning.
lou x

 

[filly190]

I had'nt considered that possibility. I only deep littered for a week, made me feel better about chucking out a load of good straw. But you have made a very interesting point. If people are deep littering, the heat will be increasing, I wonder if anyone else has got something to add about that.

My pile of straw was only a weeks worth and the weather's cold and it had also been raining.

 

[MillionDollar]

Yikes that is very scary!

I deep litter on straw, muck all the wet out every few months and i've never found that heat builds up and i've never heard of a deep litter bed lighting up. Prehaps its because the horse walks, wees and lies on it??

 

[brighteyes]

I must admit I have heard warnings about the possibility of deep litter beds heating up and setting alight, but no anecdotes of it actually happening. I think the bed might have to be very deep and not churned up? Our beds (Nedz and Shavings) don't seem to be hot when we muck the wet out every week. Before everyone goes 'eek', ours have two stables each, and are very clean, non bed wreckers so their beds do stay tidy. If they fail the low-nose test before the full muckout day, they get done sooner!

 

[Weezy]

Well most people deep litter their pens here (they are huge) and there is never any heat build up, nor does it *break down* like on a muck heap - it compacts, sure, and gives you a fab surface for the horse, but nothing else untoward (however the walls and floors are concrete)

 

[the watcher]

I semi deep litter in winter, taking out the droppings and very wet bits everyday, but otherwise leaving the shavings in to made a firm base, a good clean out once a week...I am not sure that the bed is actually deep enough to hold the heat, and I don't think shavings build up heat with quite the same speed.

I wouldn't dream of doing it with straw though, because a deep straw bed is just nasty..never thought of the potential for fire

 

[Weezy]

Oh you must come and see my pen, it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL - seriously, not at all smelly and I never touch the wet

 

[filly190]

I had only done it for a week, because I was switching from straw to shavings. Normally its a complete muck out every day with straw. I had felt that I could have a lazy week before the swop and use all of my remainding straw so I did'nt feel so wasteful.

Now I am back to shavings, which I had previously always used. I had tried straw out because I got a third horse this year and thought it to be more cost effective. The switch to shavings was because I find them quicker to muck out. My muck heap is a good long walk and one barrow on shavings to three on straw when you are working full time, does make a difference.

 

[the watcher]

I agree on the shaving being less work! I can muckout 3 stables into one big barrow each day, the boxes on straw do a barrow full each (mine is heavier though)

Weezy - don't know how you do it, I have never seen a deep straw bed that wasn't horrid - are you putting a bale on every day? Will have to do an inspection tour LOL

 

[MillionDollar]

Mines lovely too, never had a problem with it as long as you put some clean straw on top every now and again, and i never let it get wet on top- that would be nasty! But i don't touch the wet until after 6 months probably.

 

[Zebedee]

I'm also a fan of deep littering, & have never had a problem with beds becoming wet & / or smelly! When I do have a mega muck out there's usually enough clean straw left to make a large deep bed.

 

[Weezy]

Nope I put in 2 bales a week - and believe me the pens are HUGE!

Seriously come and see, I defy anyone to tell me it is less clean/nice/hygenic than a normal straw bed!