Shredded paper as horse bedding?

roshah

roshah

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Hi... I've been offered 25 black bags of shredded paper from the local high school for horse bedding. I've never used it before and I've never heard of it used for horses! I told the member of staff I'd get back to her tomorrow after I research whether or not I can bed horses in it...

Cons
There's the issue of the ink staining their coats and problems if they ingest it...

Pros
on the plus side, it will decay fairly quickly in the dump heap but i imagine it'll be heavy to move around.

Normally my horses live out 24/7 and are rugged up in winter.... but if we have a winter like the last two, I want them inside (hopefully my stables will be finished in time!)
 
You can buy shredded news paper as horse bedding if thats any help.
We had a livery on it once, its good for allergies etc but i wasnt keen myself, as i dont really like shavings either.
But paper is a bedding, people do use it if thats any help :)
 
I used shredded paper mixed in with shavings last year for my boy, I found that the paper didn't "fluff" up enough when he stood on it to make a nice thick bed, but they are pretty absorbent
It also depends on how it's shredded. If it's cross cut (ie into tiny squares) then that's fine and it mixes in well, if it's cut into strips then it's a bit more like straw to much out and can be a pain!
I didn't have any problems using it, and I'm just starting to think about stockpiling it again for this winter (I get it from my work, and the horses are out 24/7 over the summer) - I use about 2 bales of shavings to 1 bag of shredded paper.
good luck!
 
i used to use it :)
the only reason i used it was because mine lived out 24/7 and only came in in pouring rain/snow to allow rugs to dry, i found the paper worked really well, i had it on rubber matting so only enough to absorb the wee.
i wouldnt say no if your'll only use the stables now and again, saves you buying shavings/straw :) you can always try it and see how you and your horses get on with it, not like it will have cost you
good luck x
 
I love paper as bedding - it fluffs well I find, and its easy to top up cheaply (spent many an hour when my horse was on box-rest shredding in front of the telly!!)

It is messy to move about when you have mucked out though - and a bugger to sweep !!
 
I use to muck out a whole yard of racehorses that were on it. Shredded paper on top of rubber matting, but they still had a nice big bed. Easy to muck out as all the wet paper binds together in one clump. Where the worst wet patches normally were, we would put down a couple of whole sheets of newspaper, then shredded paper on top. Cheaper to top up than shavings/straw. I didn't find it very heavy, no issues with ink staining either. The only thing is it blows about too much and a bugger to sweep when the yard had to be sparkly clean all the time!

Also have used shredded cardboard for the lorry.
 
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I use paper on rubber matting for my mare she isnt a wet mare not sure how it would stand up if she was however its easy to muck out and deal with the wet when she does...

It does blow around so you learn very quickly to close the stable door whilst mucking out if its windy and place a poop scooper on top whilst transporting wheelbarrows around the yard.....:D
 
Doesn't stain, looks horrid when wet, decomposes faster than shavings, slower than straw. Good for allergies, horses who eat their bed. Don't like it, 'tho.
 
I use it under straw as I muck out once a week with horses in 24/7 when weather bad. I use paper on floor to absorb the wee and big deep straw on top. no issues with it, as always soaked when I muck out so no blowing around.

I would ask if they have a shredder which does staples as if they do the staples will be shredded in the paper (this is one of reasons I use underneath straw).

If its free then have a trail and if no good put out for recycling people.
 
Used to use it, we got bought in specially and it was square cut, nice and fluffy. Used to use the longer cut bits than I shredded myself for the banks. Was very heavy to lift pee though. Moved to shavings and it was far easier!
 
Used it for a few months and hated it! My boys are very messy and it was a nightmare to muck out! Looks messy also, blows all around the yard. Was absorbant but I used the cross cut newspaper. Used to get stuck in fork, soon changed back to shavings! Shavings were actually cheaper as used to need to top up more paper each week than shavings!
 
The yard my oldie came from used shredded paper, they had their own shredder and would go down to the local recycling bin and take all of the papers home to shred. It was easy to use but weighed a ton when it was wet and clumped together. I would use it again but wouldn't be in a massive rush to do so.
 
Awh thanks everyone for your comments and experiences using paper. I think I will take the bags of paper and have it in storage -- I will experiment mixing it with straw and shavings to bulk up my beds! Thanks again!
 
Just a quick warning - I was offered shredded paper by a local company for use as horse bedding but when I checked it I found pieces of paper clips and staples that had gone through the shredder mixed in with the paper, so be careful!
 
I use it for one of mine, and love it, he had respiratory problems, so I switched to paper and wouldn't go back :)
Others are only on straw as I also have lots of that for free, that would otherwise be wasted :)
 
used it last winter to save on cash - £4 per bag compared to £9 for shavings. absolutely love it, wouldnt go back. mine was actually cleaner and easier to muck out on paper. i'd buy a bag a week and top it up with stuff i'd shredded at home from where my partner and i worked. i used it on top of rubber matting in a fairly thick bed, didnt take much to keep it topped up. I didnt find it heavy to muck out at all, and as we had a trailer rather than a muck heap it didnt blow around too much.
As others have said, be careful where you get it from and be vigilant for staples/paper clips/ plastic/any other random items you can possibly think of - unless you shred all of it yourself you cant guarantee it will just be paper in there.
i tried mixing it with shavings as i had a bale left when i switched over, but didnt get on with it at all - was much better on its own!
 
I you'st to use shredded paper for my pony, it made a lovely warm bed and was easy to use I found. I got it from my work and also the local council, so it was free.
 
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