Price of straw? Cost effective bedding?

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AGAGE

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Since it's been so cold, we seem to be going through ridiculous amounts of straw. Both my boys are on straw and mucked out twice a day, as Ted chooses to only go out for 2 x 20 minutes per day, just long enough for me to muck out!

Admitedly, I do give them huge beds, as want them to be as comfortable as possible and don't want them to them to be cold. I follow the motto that if I wouldn't sleep on the bed myself then my horse shouldn't be expected to. I can't deep litter as Ted is far too wet, and needs wee removed at least once a day. The boys also enjoy eating the straw, once they have finished their hay, but don't mind this too much, as keeps them amused and out of trouble.

We currently pay £1.60/ bale of reasonably good straw, this includes delivery. Is this price about right?

Just wanted to check as we seem to be buying so much of it and want to make sure we are getting a reasonably good price.

Have used shavings in the past but found the boys much harder to muck out, and found the variety supplied by our feed man to be more dusty than the straw!

Can anybody recommend a cost effective and warm/comfortable type of bedding?
 
I would say thats a pretty good price, i have been paying £3-£4 for a bale recently in the south. I am just about to try wood pellets, will see how i get on and let people know
 
how many bales are you going through a week?

perhaps look at getting the big round bales of straw instead?
we buy these for £6 and they last for ages.
 
I pay £1.65 and used 15 bales last month so would say you are about right. Aslo my friends on shavings are using more at the moment and I dread to think how much they are paying
 
Well I pay £1 a bale inc delivery but Im only 10 minutes from the farm so its only the farmers time Im paying for... your price isnt far off.

Have you tried a bucket load of dry wood pellets under the bed on their pee patches ? It soaks up the pee and makes a big difference to the amount of straw that you have to take out each day. I use a bucket load every weekend when I lift the whole bed. Daily Im only removing the wet patch and leaving the rest of the bed untouched. The wood pellets dont mix with the bed, instead forming a thick layer of compressed sawdust that I lift using a shavings folk every weekend.

I also have mahoosive beds and I reckon on one bale of straw a day for 4 horses. At £7 a week its infinitaely cheaper than any other type of bed.
 
Sounds as if we have got a good price then. We are going through around 1-2 bales per day since snow started.

Will see if feed man can get us round bales.
 
We have anything between 4 and 6 in at any one point, a large round bale of straw (really good quality) I think and lasts us around a week...
 
i pay £2.20 a bale up here in NW, and I only use a bale a week, they are big bales though and are very compact. Before i went onto straw for the winter, I was on shavings and at £8 a bale, it was getting bloomin expensive! I find straw much quicker to muck out, even though its abit messier, if its saving me £6 a week x 52 weeks=thats £312 a year back in my pocket to spend on other things!
 
We are very lucky a friend is supplying us huge square bales at a very low price ok OH has to pick it up using the pick up, but at least we can give the neddies huge beds without worrying about the cost too much.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well I pay £1 a bale inc delivery but Im only 10 minutes from the farm so its only the farmers time Im paying for... your price isnt far off.

Have you tried a bucket load of dry wood pellets under the bed on their pee patches ? It soaks up the pee and makes a big difference to the amount of straw that you have to take out each day. I use a bucket load every weekend when I lift the whole bed. Daily Im only removing the wet patch and leaving the rest of the bed untouched. The wood pellets dont mix with the bed, instead forming a thick layer of compressed sawdust that I lift using a shavings folk every weekend.

I also have mahoosive beds and I reckon on one bale of straw a day for 4 horses. At £7 a week its infinitaely cheaper than any other type of bed.

[/ QUOTE ]


That sounds a good idea, been thinking about trying wood pellets with straw. Thanks.
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try getting it from a farmer rather then feed person as it will be cheaper, and if you have place to store buy in bulk and pick it up yourself to save you money. i think straw prices have gone up recently
 
[ QUOTE ]
try getting it from a farmer rather then feed person as it will be cheaper, and if you have place to store buy in bulk and pick it up yourself to save you money. i think straw prices have gone up recently

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Both straw and hay prices have gone up but thats only because everyone is short and needing to stock up, prices go up for the best quailty stuff, wet summer was the cause.
 
We get the really really large rectangular bales from the local farm - about 250kg for £10. You have to pick it up yourself but it's so cheap, it's unreal!
 
I don't think you can beat a nice straw bed. Shavings are so expensive now and my dirty horse has 2 bales of shavings and 1 megasorb per week. If I could have him on straw I would like a shot.
 
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