Shavings Bed Banks?

[Pidge]

Sorry I know this should be in Stable Yard but more people viewing on here. Pidge is on rubber matting but has a deep bed and banks as he always rolls and is messy so the deeper the bed the easier it is to muck out. If he hasn't disturbed the banks how long can I leave them as they are without turning them over? I leave the bed up in the day so the rubber matting can dry out, but wasn't sure how often to turn the banks over?

 

[KatB]

I turn them over then turf them back up every other day. Encourages dust and spores otherwise. I dont bed on matting though, but dont think would make much difference??

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I turn 1 x bank a day (I also have shavings (bedmax) on rubber matting). I only add new bedding to the banks and use the bedding from the banks to make up the bed (if that makes sense). Banks seem to stay fresh and not go musty this way.

 

[vic07]

every time i take the wet out, i pull down banks and put new ones up with clean shavings.

 

[Pidge]

Right so make banks with new shavings and use old shavings in the main part of the bed. Would it matter if I only did this at the weekend as am pushed for time in the week and when I say he has big banks he has BIG banks!

 

[_OC_]

I use Bedmax and "fluff" my banks up with a pitch fork as a normal shavings fork can make hard work of it-I have rubber mats but do bed down deep and use high banks!

 

[pottamus]

I am afraid I leave my semi-banks well alone! They don't move or get disturbed so they are left until I have a spring clean and empty his entire stable!!! Although I throughly muck out every day and do not deep litter at all so it all stays fresh and dust free that way.

 

[Tia]

I bank because all of my stables have always had stone walls. However I only sprinkle the bed down. I have never been able to understand either why people will spend hundreds of pounds to mat-out a stable only to use the same amount of shavings they did when on concrete .......

The point is - you need enough shavings to sop up the wee ....... and that's it!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Had to keep my mares shavings bed 6-7" deep prior to rubber matting or she would go through to the concrete floor. Now have rubber matting but keep bed 3-4" deep to soak up pee (she is a dirty troll) and have banks as I only put new shavings in at the weekend, so use banks to top up the bed. Did try having a smaller bed, but rugs and horse ended up really dirty and both stank!!!!! If I had a choice I would have a earth floor, but rubber is the next best thing IMO.

 

[Pidge]

Because he scrapes his bed down to the floor so he can roll, hence the rubber matting. If he has a small bed he treads the poo everywhere messing up loads of shavings so I end up taking out 2 full barrows of soiled bedding. If I give him a deep bed his poo ends up like 'chicken nuggets' with a coating of shavings of them which means less shavings wasted and I only take out a barrow of waste each day. Believe me I have tried different variations on his bed and this works best, less waste and I can do a full muck out in 30 minutes.

 

[H-J]

I agree JM7 I have rubber matting and I must admit he has little banks but a thin layer of shavings to poo on so that it is quicker and easier to muck out, surely the more bedding you put down the longer it takes to muck out!!

 

[CJ1]

Im pushing for time so Mon-Fri its a case of 'skip out' and remould banks then the weekend all the wet comes out and i turn the banks over.

 

[debbielinder]

my mares bed prob about 15 inches at the mo its huge but i love it only takes 15 mins for me to muck out and fill her haynet. the banks are left big cos she has been known to get cast occasionally i usually siv right through the whole thing once/twice a week. but shes mucked out fully every morning i think the bigger her bed the cleaner it is and the cleaner she is

 

[not_with_it]

I try to disturb my banks and base as little as possible. I take wet out everyday but I know my horses spots where she wees so it means I dont have to move any of the bedding.