stable bedding..... what do you use?

[jordanross]

I had daphi on straw to start with but found it hard work.( so i thought) so i put her on shavings. obviously this was twice as expensive but i thought if it makes less work for me.....i dont care about the cost...however i found shavings to be worse than straw! grrrrr it all clumps together with the pee and i found it harder to seperate it.


so what do you use ? which do you think is best? Im back on straw now but i still think there must be an easier option?

 

[Bens_Mum]

I used Chorley Bio-wood pellets. They cost about £3 per bag and have saved me a fortune with two very dirty horses. You need about 10 bags to start the bed and then I put 1-2 bags per week in. I did try Aquamax to start with which is £7.49 a bag and for me seems to do exactly the same thing!

 

[CaleruxShearer]

straw, for me definitley the best option, I get unlimited really good quality straw included in my monthly livery price. Also Shearer would be a nightmare on shavings, he is better the more bed he has.

 

[ribena73]

I like straw because it looks comfy and warm, but you're right it is a pain in the bum to muck out. My fave is rubber matting and flax as you don't need such a deep bed with rubber matting so it works out cheaper in the long run, and flax breaks down quicker than shavings. Different people use it differently, I have friend who just sprinkles it around to absorb wee and then sweeps it all out in the morning, I used to put a bag down a week and just skipped out really wet stuff and poo during the week.

 

[jordanross]

shavings seemed a good idea to me. i was wanted something to soak up the wee a bit better....it deffo did that...a litle bit too much though. LOL and at 11 pound a bale of shavings....( not very big bale either) I thought ..this isnt worth it. if it worked how i wanted it too, i wouldnt mind the cost.

chorley bio wood pellets...is that like wood chippings? I dont like the idea of that , she loves to roll and lay down so it needs to be soft. somebody said cos i have rubber matting down she would be okay on that alone...but i dont like the idea nor would i put her down on just rubber matting

 

[jordanross]

Ribena im the same with straw i just sorta skip out the wee and muck, i havent yet needed to clear the entire stable out yet..... do you think thats ok? I always worry the stable isnt clean enough but i think it is.... its always dry and clean anyway

 

[Bens_Mum]

Chorley bio-wood come in pellet form then you water them and they go in to a really soft bedding like shavings. They are absorbent too.

 

[GinaB]

I use shavings on rubber mats, but ponio still has a decent bed on the mats. I pay £6.90 for a bale.

 

[jordanross]

whilst we are on the subject how much do you guys pay for a bale of straw? Im currently paying 4.50 a bale. although its a pain to muck out... I think its cheap, cos it seems to last a while. i can top up with just one bale throughout the week which i think is very good going really... considering i do muck out almost a quarter of a bale each morning with the poo and wee! i still seem to mange with one bale a week. that said she does have banks almost as high as her now too lol

 

[merlinsquest]

Crikey, if that is a standard bale then that is very expensive.....

When I was buying straw I paid £1.25 delivered!!! I obviously had to have about 20 bales though

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Wood pellets - have done straw (4 barrows a day to muck out my filthy boy!

) and shavings (mare has lami so straw not an option) and will stick to the wood pellets. They are not only cheap but easy to muck out and maintain with no smell and you can make the beds as deep as you want. Mine are both on deep beds as they like to lie down and snooze!!

 

[Pixxie]

I use Hemcore (which has just gone out of business

)

it is amazing stuff, very very absorbant and if you use if correctly, it absorbs all the wet and sets up a base if you like that takes care of itself with its own microbial system.

as i said Hemcore have gone out of business now but Aubiose and Bliss are effectively the same thing just not quite as absorbant, but they rot down just as quickly, no odour, about £7 a bale, but i use about 8 bales to set up and then just one bale every 2 weeks does me fine for topping up so actually works out very cheap

x

 

[Chico Mio]

I have a good 'underbed' of matured wood pellets (about 2 months old now) in FBs box which make a comfy bed and I have just started getting shavings free from my local sawmill as a top layer. Remove wee patches and any poo he hasn't just trashed into the bed daily and chuck in more shavings. MoM, like most old mares is a bit wet so she has much the same but goes through it faster so her underbed is younger.

 

[H's mum]

I use Corley Biowood pellets which make a lovely soft bed - really (and I mean REALLY) easy to muck out - I can do both stables including haying, watering and feeding in 20 mins

Really nice company to deal with too - extremely helpful and efficient

And soooo cheap - I use 2 x 10kg sacks a week to maintain my beds.
Kate x

 

[Ottinmeg]

i use corley pellets as well. take the wet and muck out daily which takes 5 minutes and fills half a wheelbarrow.

 

[Coffee_Bean]

Ours are on flax.

 

[mizzymoo]

i use shavings but find them costly, reading the above posts im interested in Corley Biowood pellets any ideas of a supplier in surrey??

 

[ForeverBroke_]

Have you thought about bed down? You can get the chopped straw so its like staw/ shavings all together

The bales are about £5-6.50 and one bale goes a very , very long way.
Smells sort of nice too

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

[ QUOTE ]
i use shavings but find them costly, reading the above posts im interested in Corley Biowood pellets any ideas of a supplier in surrey??

[/ QUOTE ]

There are several suppliers - they all deliver to anywhere in the country.

 

[Gucci_b]

I use Megazorb, no dust, easy to muck out, keeps the smells at bay, gr8 stuff

 

[Bowen4Horses]

um, if you're buying normal sized straw bales, you're being over charged.

i pay 80p per bale. delivered. whilst i know that's cheap, the max around here is 1.50 a bale...

 

[spotty_pony]

We use a type of wood pellets, they are absorbent and easy to muck out.

 

[Ranyhyn]

Aubious - I love the stuff!!

 

[H's mum]

It's free uk delivery
www.corleybiowood.co.uk
Kate x

 

[brighteyes]

Is she eating her bed at all? Good straw can be tempting enough to add unwanted extra to a horse's rations. Our ponies supplemented their meagre (but adequate) allowances with the stuff and totally threw our diet plans. Mind you, it was soooo nice I would have munched on it...

I prefer non-edible bedding and am on the Nedz Pro equivalent 'Sundown Yellow' at £5.95 a bale. It's chopped-and-dust- extracted rape straw and as well as being VERY absorbent, it rots down quickly and smells lovely. I mix in half a bale of shavings (£7.30 atm) every now and again and as long as we get them fed before they go whizzing round their beds, mucking out isn't too bad!

I think your supplier is charging outrageous prices

 

[Cash]

Both are on straw, always with big banks...i think i would choose straw given the choice of that, wood chips or shavings (only ones i've experienced maintaining!) and i think there's something really satisfying about a clean straw bed!! Don't find it too hard to maintain either- gets skipped out every day, then do a complete clear out every week.

 

[DunRoamin]

I use Shavings as Buzz cant breathe very well with the dust from straw, i like bed max the best but uf i'm honest i get what ever is cheapest nd never pay more than £8 a bale, i did consider chopped straw but i dont know wat the dust contet is loke?? Buzz is also very very clean so only needs 2 bags a week

 

[DiablosGold]

I'm on straw because that's what the yard are using at the moment, however my horse has developed a cough. Luckily he's getting turned out full time soon.

I find shavings easier to muck out personally, although love the look of a deep straw bed.

 

[Quadro]

i use straw but if you were to use a shaving type stuff i would recommend bedmax its very springy and provides could cusioning for the horse also smell nice not bad 2 muck out either

 

[christi]

I use Aubiose , 1 bale every 7 -10 days in winter, and 1 bale every 14 days in summer..... very cost effective ! even though its £10 per bale here.