Pellet beds and little bits of poop! Pellet master or aquamax fork?

[Siobhanelizabeth]

Hi all. I've bitten the bullet and moved to a pellet bed and love it! However, as my mare tramples her poop about, there's bits that are too small to get caught in the shavings fork. It's so annoying! Has anyone tried the fynalite pellet master or aquamax pellet fork?Are they much better? Tia

 

[9tails]

Aquamax's pellet fork's tines are slightly too close together. Some of the unbroken pellets get caught in them and it annoys me as I dislike wasting any bedding. I have a basket fork head from ebay that cost £9.99 and it's excellent. Search Deep Shavings "Future" Basket.

 

[Myloubylou]

Don’t have dexterity to pick up every last bit of poo with fork so do muck out & then go over with gorilla big tidee (speedskip as was) as find I can flick the little bits into the scoop with the rake

 

[Rosiebelle]

I pick up the worst with a fork then go back with gloves and gorilla tub and pick out the bits by hand. I sadly find it quite therapeutic, its my quite time for the day with no one annoying me.

 

[9tails]

Rosiebelle, I have a garden riddle for a real proper clean. Little bits of poo, little bit of hay, it's so satisfying.

 

[Rosiebelle]

wow going to have to look into that

 

[ester]

I just chuck it up the banks so they roll down and if they are super small pick them up with a shovel.

 

[9tails]

Do you use pellets, Ester? Because that amount of chucking up of pellet bedding is detrimental to the base.

 

[ester]

ah not on top, I use them on the bottom in the wet spots but only do the chucking up once a week when the base comes out anyway.

I do also have a very tidy beast who does all his droppings by the back bank anyway so usually just chucking up that bit does the job.

 

[Rosiebelle]

I only use them on the bottom of the bed where by boy is wet. I have soft chip wood fibre on top. Only take wet out once a week.

 

[Penny Less]

I have just bought a garden riddle, first night in on lovely clean bed and minced poo everywhere. Just wondering if its going to do my back in though bending down !

 

[9tails]

I have just bought a garden riddle, first night in on lovely clean bed and minced poo everywhere. Just wondering if its going to do my back in though bending down !

One of those fan shaped metal garden rakes is really helpful to pull all the hay together for a good riddling. The hay raking also seems to catch a lot of the little bits of poo so you only have to do a few riddles. If you're anything like me, be prepared to prod pellets through the riddle holes.

 

[Penny Less]

Scratch that about the garden sieve, holes too small to let the unbroken wood pellets through Im back to the drawing board

 

[FortheloveofBlagdon]

My friend always dons rubber gloves and a tub, you get all the bits and shes done quicker than me on shavings with a rake. I'm now going to be doing the same thing as I want to save as much bedding as possible!

 

[Meredith]

This probably better done without an audience but I use rubber gloves, shallow skip, knee protectors (I hate wet or stinky knees!) and wheel barrow or big skip. Then perfect an elegant “bunny crouch” shuffle with the shallow skip between your knees.
I do this daily and remove the wet section when needed.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I use a fork then pick up the odd bit by hand with my younger horse. My old boy is really messy and I have to fork it up and let all the bits fall down before lifting them out then any really small bits I can’t pick up mixed with pellets I put in the area where he wees cover it with nicer bedding and then it’s taken out next day when it’s wet. And the cycle goes on.

 

[Chianti]

My pony is fairly good about pooing round the edge of the stable so small bits of poo aren't too much of an issue. For me the main disadvantage to a pellet bed is the single bits of hay that seem to get everywhere. I go over the surface with a shavings fork but would love an easier answer.

 

[9tails]

My pony is fairly good about pooing round the edge of the stable so small bits of poo aren't too much of an issue. For me the main disadvantage to a pellet bed is the single bits of hay that seem to get everywhere. I go over the surface with a shavings fork but would love an easier answer.

Metal fan rake.

 

[SEL]

I have given up and now have 1 bed that is shades of green (she makes poo lasagne with her bedding) and the other that looks like a tornado has been through it. Sadly we are surrounded by horses who neatly poo on the surface of their beautiful white beds so their owners can lift the poo off, sweep back and 'ta da' all done. **grump**