Sawdust as bedding.

[mandy4727]

What are people opinions on this. I know I have old books saying not to use it as it over heats etc etc. But then read on websites that there is nothing to prove this as if wood caused this then shavings would have the same effect. The thing is i can get sawdust for free and wondering of a couple of bags of this a week along with my normal shavings would help save some money. There are guarenteed no screws or nails in the sawdust. Of course would make sure the horse was out of the stable when put down and would mix with the already down bedding so it would "dampen" the sawdust effect. As I know sawdust is dustier but the stables are very well aired and open and would only use one bag a week just to make bedding go further.

 

[MACCIMOO]

I use to get bags of sawdust free and i mixed it in with my shavings,though it gets wetter than shavings,maybe because it is finer,but ok for a not to wet neddy,also is more dusty however much you mix it in

 

[Biscuit]

It is quite normal in other countries to keep horses on sawdust only. If it is get too dusty/dry you can dampen it ever so slightly and also pack it a bit.

I believe sawdust takes longer than straw to disintegrate in your muck heap and you would need to set it aside for a while before using it as fertilizer. During this process it would heat up.

 

[amandaco2]

i use a mixture of the dust and shavings for mine
find the sawdust actually helps stop the wet spreading as much and compacts down to make a really solid bed.i use about 8bales and dust then add 2 bags of shavings to start
then use about 1/2bag shavings to top up.take the wet out every 2 weeks(or 4 weeks for one horse as shes really dry) and put new dust down at the base of the bed.

 

[gothdolly]

we kept our horses on shavings for years as we got them free from the mill. There were no problems. I now mix free sawdust with my shavings to make it go further. Mine both cough on straw but not on the shavings/sawdust mix. i also like the way that sawdust compacts to make a solid bed and makes the wee easier to contain IMO.

 

[wowser]

i have rubber matting, i put sawdust under the shavings, it soaks up wee better than anything saves me loads of money, pony has slight copd it dosent effect her, i wouldnt do it if it did, i cant use straw, though ponies only have pee corners

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

The last yard I was at they used freebie sawdust from a local mill. Yes, it was incredibly dusty and left a fine film over everything in the stable (probably over horse's lungs too) but the real problem wasn't nails or screws, it was the unexpected massive chunks of wood and huge sharp splinters. Also, the sawmills used lot of hardwood and I really didn't like the fine, red dust that created. Never knew of a horse that had a problem but then you don't know what problems it could cause down the line a way?