Rape seed straw

I have used Bliss bedding for a few years (chopped rape straw) and it's great - highly absorbent and composts very well. I use a bale a week in the winter - you only need to "dig-out" once a week and poo pick daily. I do have a small dig-out of significantly wet patches as and when required and will top up the bedding if necessary.

My mare is very wet and is stabled on rubber mats - she has a very deep bed of Bliss with banks.

I have no experience of "neat" rape straw, but imagine it would be quite coarse?!
 
My YO started using it last week for a couple of the full livery horses and she hates it! She says she needs to use twice as many bags as she would shavings (each bag costs £5.60, so it costs over £10 a week compared to one shavings bale at £7 each), the bed moves around and she's generally pretty unhappy with it.

However...the people who loaned my last horse from me bedded him on it and they loved it. She always had a huge bed down and although it doesn't look pretty because of the colour, it did look like a good, comfortable bed.

Sorry, two differing opinions are probably not helpful!
 
I use the chopped stuff and have done for a few years now. I really rate it, its very absorbent and find it stays where you put it - I don't like shavings as I find they fly around all over the place! I do a full muck out at weekends, and during the week just leave wet, with exception of whisking out any very wet spots (normally only once about midweek!).

Both my boys are quite messy - they pee in the middle of their box and churn it up, but they are very quick and easy to muck out with this. Mare is clean and as such when she is in I have about a 2 minute muck out job to look forward too!
 
My mare did eat it!! I use comfy bed now - but bliss seems very popular. Needs to be put down as a deep bed to start with though..
 
Doris68 said:
I have used Bliss bedding for a few years (chopped rape straw) and it's great - highly absorbent and composts very well. I use a bale a week in the winter - you only need to "dig-out" once a week and poo pick daily. I do have a small dig-out of significantly wet patches as and when required and will top up the bedding if necessary.

My mare is very wet and is stabled on rubber mats - she has a very deep bed of Bliss with banks.

I have no experience of "neat" rape straw, but imagine it would be quite coarse?!
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Hi just wondering what you think of the bliss bedding? Does it cause rape seed to grow on your muck heap/fields when spread? Just because when I used nedz bed it caused it to grow and the farmer stopped me from using it, but my horse needs dust free bedding but it cant be shavings (farmer doesnt like that either) Would be very greatful for your oppinion. :)
 
like the person on the previous page, I use comfybed and find it works very well. Sits down nicely, no dust and cheap as well...my bedding bills are about half of when i ewas using shavings and mucking out takes me under 5minutes a morning
 
zrh1992 said:
Hi just wondering what you think of the bliss bedding? Does it cause rape seed to grow on your muck heap/fields when spread? Just because when I used nedz bed it caused it to grow and the farmer stopped me from using it, but my horse needs dust free bedding but it cant be shavings (farmer doesnt like that either) Would be very greatful for your oppinion. :)
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Never had any rape grow on my muck heap nor anywhere around it! I've been using it for about 5 years, so I think I'd have seen some by now....but I haven't! It really is much more absorbant than shavings and it compacts very well.
 
i use rapeseed bedding with our horses and love it! its really absorbent and smells lovely! i get it delivered to me and pay £4.80 per bale plus delivery
 
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