SplashofSoy
Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever used it and any advice?
shredded cardboard bedding
- Thread starter SplashofSoy
- Start date
kerilli
Well-Known Member
if it's chopped into small squares, it'll be like the Ecobed cardboard bedding I use, that I really rate. I've tried everything else but keep coming back to it - it's really clean (doesn't break down to dust with use, unlike most other types of bedding), warm, easy to muck out, mulches down fast or burns, wormery worms love it. can't really fault it.
extremely piggy pig-horses will eat it though, as i discovered earlier this year, but that's just 1 horse, in many years of using it, and to be fair she didn't colic on it. (she was being deliberately starved overnight for a stomach videoing session, and decided she was desperate enough to eat her bed...! never had another horse eat it.)
hope that helps.
extremely piggy pig-horses will eat it though, as i discovered earlier this year, but that's just 1 horse, in many years of using it, and to be fair she didn't colic on it. (she was being deliberately starved overnight for a stomach videoing session, and decided she was desperate enough to eat her bed...! never had another horse eat it.)
hope that helps.
LucyPriory
Well-Known Member
and it soaks up the pee really well too 
K27
Well-Known Member
I really really have tried to like it, but I just can't!- I tried the shredded cardboard a couple of years ago, had 3 horses on it and I got through 50 bales in one month, I started their beds up with plenty of bales but I found that I was getting through a bale a horse a day in trying to keep their beds and banks built up. I have allergies so can only really use Paper or card bedding, so was most disapponted when I was getting through so much of it.
I use the dust extracted shredded newspaper bales, but a couple of months ago there was a shortage and I couldn't get it delivered to me in time for when I wanted it so I decided to give some different cardboard ago, that was not shredded but it was in postage stamp sized squares, again I got through it too quickly, and reverted back to the paper.
The plus points are that it is very cost effective and makes a springy bed and best of all it is completely dust free so is really for both horses and humans! everyone has different preferences though so you may love the cardboard!
I use the dust extracted shredded newspaper bales, but a couple of months ago there was a shortage and I couldn't get it delivered to me in time for when I wanted it so I decided to give some different cardboard ago, that was not shredded but it was in postage stamp sized squares, again I got through it too quickly, and reverted back to the paper.
The plus points are that it is very cost effective and makes a springy bed and best of all it is completely dust free so is really for both horses and humans! everyone has different preferences though so you may love the cardboard!
3DE
Well-Known Member
Love it
Old Bat
Well-Known Member
I have 2 ponies on it and the cob on flax. Its easy to manage and dust free which is a huge bonus. Having wintered one wet pony on flax last year and cardboard this, I can safely say that it is not as absorbant as flax so more bales are used, but less dusty, so, horses for courses. (Cost per bale is cheaper)
I tried the cob on it the other day....spent ages clearing out all the dusty flax and treated her to a brand new cardboard bed...half an hour later she was still eating it! So, at 8 in the evening, there I was clearing out a whole new bed and replacing it with flax again, plus very wet bran mash, and colic watch for the rest of the night. However, like Kerilli, who was the saint who pointed me in the Ecobed direction a couple of years ago, no colic!
I really rate it with the right pony and would have all of mine on it if I could! Thank you again Kerilli!
I tried the cob on it the other day....spent ages clearing out all the dusty flax and treated her to a brand new cardboard bed...half an hour later she was still eating it! So, at 8 in the evening, there I was clearing out a whole new bed and replacing it with flax again, plus very wet bran mash, and colic watch for the rest of the night. However, like Kerilli, who was the saint who pointed me in the Ecobed direction a couple of years ago, no colic!
I really rate it with the right pony and would have all of mine on it if I could! Thank you again Kerilli!
Old Bat
Well-Known Member
PS, my cob wasn't starved, just a piggy pig!
chestnut cob
Well-Known Member
Hate it!
We had it at the yard for a while. I couldn't get on with it because I deep litter and it was just not absorbent enough, turned into a soggy mess quickly. I also tried to do a full muck out on it but found I was taking too much out. Found I needed at least twice as many bales in as shavings to have the same thickness of bed so it worked out more expensive.
We had it at the yard for a while. I couldn't get on with it because I deep litter and it was just not absorbent enough, turned into a soggy mess quickly. I also tried to do a full muck out on it but found I was taking too much out. Found I needed at least twice as many bales in as shavings to have the same thickness of bed so it worked out more expensive.
kerilli
Well-Known Member
Welcome!
Yes, I forgot the most important thing, which I kind-of take for granted, it is very absorbent!
I use 2 bales a week for the clean horses, and 2-3 bales a week for the utterly filthy horse.
Also forgot to say that it's super-quick to muck out, and odourless too.
On the Ecobed website they have details of the results of scientific tests that show that far fewer bacteria grow in it than in other types of bedding.
Yes, I forgot the most important thing, which I kind-of take for granted, it is very absorbent!
I use 2 bales a week for the clean horses, and 2-3 bales a week for the utterly filthy horse.
Also forgot to say that it's super-quick to muck out, and odourless too.
On the Ecobed website they have details of the results of scientific tests that show that far fewer bacteria grow in it than in other types of bedding.
Brandy
Well-Known Member
I really like it too. Mine live out now but only recently, the last few years I had them on the ecobed type cardboard - squares.
It took a bit of trial and error, but I found the best way was too start with a nice sized bed, so put plenty in, and then pick out poos during the week, and then take the wet out at the weekend. I would take the odd fork of wet out whenever needed too.
If I took all the wet out every day, I ended up putting loads of new bed in and it was not a cheap way to do it! However, taking the wet out at weekends meant I would only put one bale per week in. Which at £5 a bale from my yard was quite cheap.
The thing i found was that the wet patch after one day, would continues to soak up wee for 3 or 4 more days without getting any bigger. It doesn;t smell either.
I don't know what it would be like if horses are kept in a lot, or with very messy horses - one of mine is average and one very clean.
It took a bit of trial and error, but I found the best way was too start with a nice sized bed, so put plenty in, and then pick out poos during the week, and then take the wet out at the weekend. I would take the odd fork of wet out whenever needed too.
If I took all the wet out every day, I ended up putting loads of new bed in and it was not a cheap way to do it! However, taking the wet out at weekends meant I would only put one bale per week in. Which at £5 a bale from my yard was quite cheap.
The thing i found was that the wet patch after one day, would continues to soak up wee for 3 or 4 more days without getting any bigger. It doesn;t smell either.
I don't know what it would be like if horses are kept in a lot, or with very messy horses - one of mine is average and one very clean.
Old Bat
Well-Known Member
I work mine the same as Brandy and use around 1/2 a bale a week for the clean pony and 1-2 bales a week for the wet pony. Some weekends I can get away with just topping up with a bale and not taking the wet out. Its very easy and quick to do...
jodie3
Well-Known Member
I tried it on my cob with COPD and I couldn't get on with it either!
It wasn't Ecobed though, don't think it was branded, just strips of cardboard.
I found that the bed started off looking lovely and deep but seemed to somehow go to nothing even though I wasn't taking much out. I found it quite heavy and not easy to see the poo either.
The plus side was that it was definitely dust free.
It wasn't Ecobed though, don't think it was branded, just strips of cardboard.
I found that the bed started off looking lovely and deep but seemed to somehow go to nothing even though I wasn't taking much out. I found it quite heavy and not easy to see the poo either.
The plus side was that it was definitely dust free.
pottamus
Well-Known Member
I moved onto this for my horse with COPD a few weeks back and am happy with it. It is very absorbant and easy to find the wet stuff underneath. Horse seems happy with it.
I will not swap back to shavings due to the reduced dust but do find it takes me longer to muck out as the bedding sticks to the poo and I would rather pick some of it off and leave in his bed than have it chucked on the muck heap.
I use 1 bale a week as he does not have a deep bed at all but it would be better to use 2 bales a week if you could afford it! I shred paper from work and top up with that underneath instead.
I will not swap back to shavings due to the reduced dust but do find it takes me longer to muck out as the bedding sticks to the poo and I would rather pick some of it off and leave in his bed than have it chucked on the muck heap.
I use 1 bale a week as he does not have a deep bed at all but it would be better to use 2 bales a week if you could afford it! I shred paper from work and top up with that underneath instead.