Smelly bed

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Charlie31

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I'm currently using chopped straw bedding. I used to use it years ago for my old pony and really liked it but now I'm not so impressed.

The problem is that it smells! I bought one that's treated with eucalyptus and I take the wet out every day but still it seems stinky.

We have very airy stables which helps (god knows what it would be like in a more enclosed stable) but horse has mild respiratory issues and I can't imagine that this is going to be very good for him. Sadly I bought in bulk so have about ten more bales to get through before I can swap onto something else.

Has anybody else encountered this and did you come up with any solutions to stop the stink?
 
I think if you are going to use straw long straw is best as it is easier to move it around and lets the air circulate better. I dont think you can beat Bedmax shavings or Easibed for a sweet smelling bed.Meantime rubber mats or/and some cheap shavings to soak up the worst underneath.?
 
I have an elderly pony whose bed stinks. He has very loose droppings and a wet bed and I give him herbal supplements which may make him smellier. I overcome it by getting through quite a bit of straw daily and I spray the floor and the straw lightly with green gloop and an anti urine smell additive mixed with water in a small hand sprayer.
I also use Equissentials spray to freshen the stable. I hope this helps.
 
Do you take the wet out ever day?, put bed up to air . .and re set at night. I used to do this when I had a horse on straw . . . Very pleased im on shavings now . .although, if you don't take the wet out every 2 days, shavings can also start to smell ; )

also depends how deep you lay your bed also.
 
Do you have mats? If wet gets under mats it can smell pretty bad. We are on chopped straw and lift it daily, no smell. It is also deep enough that wet does not get under the mats. If the mats do get bedding under we empty and re-set the mats.

It is certainly not fresh because the horse is clean, as Jay wees a lot and does elephant droppings!
 
YasandCrystal said:
I have an elderly pony whose bed stinks. He has very loose droppings and a wet bed and I give him herbal supplements which may make him smellier. I overcome it by getting through quite a bit of straw daily and I spray the floor and the straw lightly with green gloop and an anti urine smell additive mixed with water in a small hand sprayer.
I also use Equissentials spray to freshen the stable. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Yes that's very helpful thank you. I hoped that products like this existed but didn't know what I was looking for. I'm going to order both the green gloop and the Equissentials and hopefully they'll help. The annoying thing is that the horse is pretty clean and tends to wee in one place and still it smells!

jumping.jack_flash said:
Do you take the wet out ever day?, put bed up to air . .and re set at night. I used to do this when I had a horse on straw . . . Very pleased im on shavings now . .although, if you don't take the wet out every 2 days, shavings can also start to smell ; )

also depends how deep you lay your bed also.
Click to expand...

Red-1 said:
Do you have mats? If wet gets under mats it can smell pretty bad. We are on chopped straw and lift it daily, no smell. It is also deep enough that wet does not get under the mats. If the mats do get bedding under we empty and re-set the mats.

It is certainly not fresh because the horse is clean, as Jay wees a lot and does elephant droppings!
Click to expand...

Yes, I take out the wet and lift and air every day and it's a deep bed. We are on mats which I think doesn't always help (have wondered about ditching them on several occasions) but I don't think the pee has got under them and it's more the bedding itself that smells. I've used all sorts of bedding over the years and never had this with shavings or pellets so I'll be swapping back as soon as I've used up the batch I've already bought.
 
Can you use a layer of pellets under the chopped straw in the main pee patch to mop up the urine and hopefully reduce the smell?
 
As above really... Either the wee needs to drain away (sloped floor, not puddling under mats) or you need to soak it up. (Chopped) straw will keep horse off the wet but not do either of the other things.

For draining
- change floor - obvs unlikely most people can do this
- remove/seal completely/wash underneath mats
- take bed up as you are doing to air

For soaking - sounds as though anything in the wee corner will help :-)
 
The yard I'm at has a minimal bedding system (which if I'm honest I wouldn't use again) and I bought some anti-bacterial disinfectant powder from Equimins to combat the awful ammonia smell. I sprinkle a handful on the wet patches every evening and then sweep the bedding back over. I also lifted the mats and put some underneath initially. It has eliminated the smell and also my horses runny rose and intermittant cough. Very good value at a little over £25 for 5kg. Been using it for 2 months now and not really made a dent in it.
 
Beds smell when the urine soaked bedding becomes exposed to the air. Either make the bed true deep litter, ie deep layer of saw dust/shavings on the bottom then a good layer of straw on the top - then leave it alone - only pick up droppings.

When you muck out and get to the floor sprinkle a good layer of garden lime on the floor - it will help neutralise the ammonia smell.

Sawdust is absorbent so good for wet horses, straw allows urine to flow through to the floor - so good drainage is essential.
 
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