Price of bedding!

[Carlos's Mum]

What bedding are you presently using. I've tried a few but seem to get less tightly packed and less absorbent and more costly as time goes on. Would love hear your thoughts on what and why you have a particular brand

 

[Barton Bounty]

I just use sawdust, think its 6.50 a bale now ?

 

[spotty_pony]

I was using straw or wood pellets underneath my straw but they are impossible to get hold of so currently have comfybed (shavings/wood chip mixed) underneath straw

 

[maya2008]

Straw. It’s cheap, local farmer does it 5 min up the road, drainage fine as we are deep litter on earth floors. Rots down well too on the muck heap, and ponies can munch on it when the (extremely expensive) low sugar haylage runs out. I also buy it to mix with the haylage for the ponies who live out, so easier just to get one thing.

 

[Hollylee1989]

Unbranded shavings from our local farm shop, they fluff up lovely. I found personally royalspan doesn't go anywhere and bedmax isn't that absorbant. If you have straw you can buy them I'm the big rolls like hay, think they're £35/£40 (west midlands area)

 

[throwawayaccount]

switched to straw last month.

been on shavings previously and at my old yard i was going through perhaps 2-4 bags a week for both horses. since moving it shot up to 8-10 bags a week (i don't know how because i muck them out the same, i'm guessing it may have been stress related though). obviously i couldn't afford that longterm so switched to straw.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Aubiose in stables, bought in enough for the winter and deep straw bed in the biggest field shelter. (Straw from farmer friend as I just filled up bale sacks from a decent big bale). Local feed merchants straw is pretty poor and doesn't fluff up at all.

 

[TPO]

https://www.cavierabedding.co.uk/

Someone on here recommended them and I've used them for a while now. Even with the delivery per pallet the bales are cheaper than going to the local store (+ fuel and time).

I mainly use their basic chopped straw but also bought a pallet of their miscanthus this delivery. I'm going to try that as a more absorbant base layer.

 

[Boughtabay]

We bale rushes at home for bedding, similar to straw. That is v cheap if you can find someone local who does it.

 

[Surbie]

I've been on shavings and wood pellets in the wee patch, but the shavings have just gone up too much so I am switching to miscanthus, which I don't like cos it makes me cough. If that goes up too much I'll go over to straw. It was a lot easier when I could buy in bulk and store in my garage but I have to buy through the yard.

 

[BSL2]

Aubiose

 

[J&S]

Burley bed in the stables, but i am leaving them out as much as possible to save money. Just in when its really wet.

 

[Horses_Rule]

Switched to straw this year, used to have big deep litter shavings beds but with the price hike of shavings I can’t justify the expense , I’d rather get the muck heap emptied a few more times as it will still work out cheaper!

 

[gallopingby]

Just switched to straw for all but one of my stables, will deep litter and fortunately neighbouring farmer will muck out most next year. Cheaper to pay him for two hours work than buying shaving through the winter.

 

[TPO]

I am switching to miscanthus, which I don't like cos it makes me cough

I had Burley Bed miscanthus and it was awful. It states that it's dust extracted etc but it was beyond dusty. I choked every time I used it and left hours before the horse came in. It was bought specifically for a horse with asthma because of their dust free claims.

I’ve just put down 2 bales of the Caviera miscanthus as the base layer. It was dusty and the second bale made me cough. No where near as bad as the Burley version mind you. I put chopped straw on top and its down a few hours before the horse come in.

I guess my point is maybe miscanthus is always dusty? But in my limited experience I'd never use Burley again and the caviera was much better.

 

[ihatework]

Straw because it’s included in my livery - I add strawmax underneath (given wood pellets are ££ at moment)

 

[ycbm]

Straw supplied by the stables, but it's wheat straw not the more usual oat straw. It makes a lovely springy bed and it's not my problem that it's a bit more difficult to muck out than oat because it's softer stalked and it tangles more. If he runs out of hay he can he eat it if he wants.
.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I miss being on wood pellets but it was too hard to source at the moment so he's on straw at the moment supplied by local farmer.

 

[Surbie]

I had Burley Bed miscanthus and it was awful. It states that it's dust extracted etc but it was beyond dusty. I choked every time I used it and left hours before the horse came in. It was bought specifically for a horse with asthma because of their dust free claims.

I’ve just put down 2 bales of the Caviera miscanthus as the base layer. It was dusty and the second bale made me cough. No where near as bad as the Burley version mind you. I put chopped straw on top and its down a few hours before the horse come in.

I guess my point is maybe miscanthus is always dusty? But in my limited experience I'd never use Burley again and the caviera was much better.

That's good to know, thanks. Burleybed is a new brand to me, though this week some of their haylage has appeared. We usually get Easypack on the yard, I am already mourning my lovely Vida shavings.

 

[chaps89]

At the moment easibed, aubiose would be my bedding of choice, just can’t find it locally. It’s gone up 50p per bale in the last 6 weeks since I last bought some but at £7.85 a bale I think it’s still fairly priced and so much easier to muck out than shavings - more absorbent too

 

[spacefaer]

Chopped rape straw. Love it.
I was getting a delivery of a pallet at a time from a company called Unibed. Worked out at about £6.80/bale. We have tricky access to the yard so I've given up on it.
Now I'm on pro -bed. Not dusty, very absorbent, rots down quickly and I can dump it in my neighbour's field. Can't have wood based bedding as I can't dispose of it
I'd rather be on straw but create too much muck to be practical for disposal.

 

[COldNag]

I have moved back to straw. I have a good supplier at a reasonable price.

I am trying to get hold of straw pellets to put underneath in the wet area now that my wood pellets have run out.

For years I used wood pellets on top of rubber mats, but they are now so ££££ !

 

[SantaVera]

Straw, very cheap from farm down the road.

 

[poiuytrewq]

So many of us are back to straw, I bet if this question had been asked a few years ago the straw users would have been the minority.
It’s also far better for the environment so win win!

 

[Cortez]

So many of us are back to straw, I bet if this question had been asked a few years ago the straw users would have been the minority.
It’s also far better for the environment so win win!

I’ve always used straw, don’t like shavings AT ALL.

 

[rabatsa]

I still have cardboard. Not got the bill for the last pallet full. The extra price is worth it for something dust free that does not affect my wind.

Straw is fed here and the tail end of the large bales gets tipped in a pile in the barn as a daytime wee area when I have stable doors shut.

If I put straw in a stable then the mare will come in from outside to wee and then go back outside. She does not do that with the pile in the barn.

 

[Bernster]

All the yards I know round me switched from straw to shavings! Muck heap issues I think - the cost of moving straw ones.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

After years on wood pellets I’m on rape straw which I’m finding very good, easy to muck out and absorbent. The only thing I find is that whereas I was taking the wet out once a week I find the wet bed gets really hot really quickly so I’m taking it out every 2-3 days. I think it must be because it breaks down very quickly.

 

[Flame_]

I found personally royalspan doesn't go anywhere and bedmax isn't that absorbant.

I liked Royalspan and can't get them now.
Tried Stable Choice but thought they really didn't go anywhere.
I've got Champion Chip to try this time and they were £10.something a bale. I like them better than stable choice but I'm not overwhelmed.

 

[sakura]

Cheapest shavings available! I used to love wood pellets (can’t source them) and Swish Cosy Bed (too expensive)