Pellets. How many sacks do you use a week?

[Wagtail]

For those of you who use wood, straw or miscanthus pellets, how many bags do you use a week? I keep reading that people are only using one sack a week. I use an average of three! Even my two cleanest horses get through two bags a week. At the moment they only go out for three hours a day in the all weather turnout, so this maybe one reason? Thanks.

 

[Ilovefoals]

I use 1 -2 a week for my big gelding and only 1 every 10 days or so for my daughters pony (both wood pellets). Mine are out roughly 6hrs a day and are pretty clean. I just take out the poop and once every 2 weeks I remove all the wet. Usually put in 2 bags that day x

 

[xRobyn]

When I was using wood pellets on their own I was doing 2-3 a week. I moved him onto comfybed but was still going through one bag every 3/4 days. I've currently got him on a mix of the two. Using about 1 sack of comfybed every 10 days and 1 sack of pellets a week.

 

[dollymix]

I use 2 per week on straw pellets

 

[oscarwild]

I use 1 15kg bag a week on my mare. She probably could go 10 days without one but i always put one in same day every week. She is out 3hrs max a day as they on half day turnout.

 

[Liane]

Currently mine are out 10-12 hours per day, the clean one has 1-2 bags a week (15kg) and my 17.1hh very wet and dirty horse has 2-3 a week (15kg).

I really do find though (especially with big horse) is that he is a lot cleaner and I use quite a bit less if he has a deeper bed, when its not as deep he mixes the wet in more, whereas with a really deep bed the wet stays at the bottom and in a smaller and more compact 'lump'.

oh and I take my wet out once a week and turn over the whole bed.

 

[Lego]

I put two as an average...

My cob is currently in from around 330pm - 830am, so is getting through a lot more bedding than earlier in the year.

I dig the wet out either alternate weeks, or when the wet rises to the top - whichever is sooner. In a month, I probably put in about 6 bags wood pellets, and maybe two bags of something else to give it a bit of texture ie megazorb, rape straw.

 

[Maesfen]

It all depends what size bags you use I think (you didn't say in poll!)
I have one mare who churns her bed up and is wetter than the others (they are all out from 9 - 4 each day) but the others aren't too bad at all. I also let the bed build up (on mats) as the thinner the bed the wetter they are which isn't as economical I find anyway. I use 15kg bags and add one every 5 days although grubby mare will get two bags sometimes; the weather makes a huge difference as if it's dry the beds are better, if damp, the beds are damper too but if it's dry the next day the bed won't be half as bad as you thought.
I also find that if I make the bed go another day (which it will) I then regret not putting a bag in that day earlier; definitely one of those times when you shouldn't put off today what you can do tomorrow. At the same time I think it's easier to keep a bed nicer if you add new earlier rather than later, it takes a lot less work. It also helps if you are religious about raking out any dropped hay each day as that clumps it up.

 

[Wagtail]

It all depends what size bags you use I think (you didn't say in poll!)
I have one mare who churns her bed up and is wetter than the others (they are all out from 9 - 4 each day) but the others aren't too bad at all. I also let the bed build up (on mats) as the thinner the bed the wetter they are which isn't as economical I find anyway. I use 15kg bags and add one every 5 days although grubby mare will get two bags sometimes; the weather makes a huge difference as if it's dry the beds are better, if damp, the beds are damper too but if it's dry the next day the bed won't be half as bad as you thought.
I also find that if I make the bed go another day (which it will) I then regret not putting a bag in that day earlier; definitely one of those times when you shouldn't put off today what you can do tomorrow. At the same time I think it's easier to keep a bed nicer if you add new earlier rather than later, it takes a lot less work. It also helps if you are religious about raking out any dropped hay each day as that clumps it up.

Some very useful tips, thank you.

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

2 bags a week of the Verdo ones!

 

[alfiesmum]

i was using 2-3 per bed , i thought it was great until i deep littered and it stank! the horses and their rugs stank! tired stovies and verdo, both the same for me i am afraid

hence i went running back to shavings

 

[muddygreymare]

I have two horses on LWP brand pellets. My mare who is really good in her stable gets a bag down a week and wet taken out once. My sister's youngster box walks and is generally a messy little b*gger so he gets two bags a week down with the wet coming out 2-3 times a week. Every few weeks he gets it properly dug out and 2-3 bags down then to keep it going. He is getting better though slowly

 

[Sparkly Snowdrop]

When my horse was stabled on a night in winter I was adding one 15kg bag every 10 days or so.

 

[Wagtail]

I recently changed to straw pellets from wood, but my mare eats them so has to stay on wood. Typical of her, won't eat her supplements without loads of mint being put in, but eats her bedding. Thankfully I found out straight away, otherwise I could have been looking at colic. I am currently trying a pallet load of miscanthus pellets to see if they are any more economical.

 

[Wagtail]

we use between 1 & 2 15kg bags of straw pellets - we get ours from pelletbeds.com we tried there miscanthus pellets also, but found we needed more bags

That's useful, thank you. I am using miscanthus pellets from Liverpool wood pellets at the moment and find they are better than the straw pellets from agripellets. However, I may try LWPs straw pellets. Are the straw pellets you use quite dark?

 

[mycocorocks]

That's useful, thank you. I am using miscanthus pellets from Liverpool wood pellets at the moment and find they are better than the straw pellets from agripellets. However, I may try LWPs straw pellets. Are the straw pellets you use quite dark?

hi wagtail - there was only one delivery early last year when they were a little darker but we have generally been very happy with them. They told me the colour depends on the straw so there will be a little variation

 

[_Rach_]

I put a bag in on a Wednesday and then one on a Sunday. One at one side then the other etc. I take all the poo and the wettest bit every day

 

[zandp]

I've been putting 3 a week averaged out over the month for 1 horse and 1 to 2 a week for the tidy horse. The messy horse's bed was awful and although i had it quite deep when I went away for work my YO mucked out and left it a small layer so the bed got horribly wet.

I've just given up, having been using LWP since April and have moved onto Rapport mainly because my feed shop had run out of hemcore and suggested this. Initially I had both pellets and Rapport in but I've now removed all the pellets. Her bed is nice and dry, it's quick to muck out and doesn't move as much. I put half a bale in a week per horse so it's also much cheaper.

 

[cm2581]

3-4 BUT bags only 10kg.

 

[HOWEN]

I put down one bag every week between to horses. Both beds are lifted everyday, and it works very well. Horses are turned out at 8.30 - 3.30.

 

[Clippy]

I use 15kg wood pellets, currently using 2 a week but could probably get away with a bit less. Horse out when dry/frosty but in when wet.

Wouldn't change to any other bedding as it's cheaper and quicker than anything i've used before