Straw bedding....

Bustalot

Bustalot

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Hi

Looking to move my horse onto straw bedding to help save a bit of money

Just wondering how much you are all currently paying for a bale of straw? And how many bales you use in your stable in a week. Are they still easy to get hold of?

Also I have a feeling my greedy boy will attempt to eat it !! Obviously not great as colic / and or getting very fat! Any ideas on how to stop this.

Many thanks
Jenny
 
Hiya,

My lad is on straw it takes about 4 bales to fill his stable from scratch (12x14) with banks.
I top up approx 1-2 bales per week (normally one unless he has an "in" day due to weather).
Full muck out once every 4-6 weeks depending on state of stable, i know when it all needs to come out!!
Cost is 2.50 per bale at the moment, but I know of people paying as little as 1.75 and as much as 4, so all depends on farmer you become friends with ;o)
I've just started to use shavings (small amount) under the straw in his "wet" patches, this seems to save me straw, as it soaks it up really well, making mucking out easier too, so would rec. this too!

:o)
 
In the South west I can get it for £2.50 a bale. Used to use 2-3bales a week.

I didnt like it for 2 reasons:
1) The horse smells more on it which was an issue as it made me smell bad which isnt something you want when you work in an office (before you say it I have heard of washing) and
2) He ate more than he urinated on.

I have heard of people sprinkling Jeyes fluid on straw to discourage them eating it but not sure if it works or not. I never tried.
 
I find shavings much cheaper. My horse eats straw bedding so I'd be putting at least half a fresh bale each day (and that's just on a day bed, never mind when he comes in at night). On shavings I can deep litter and only need one bale a week at the most.

RE eating it - I had him on treated rape straw which apparently nothing eats... he still ate it.
 
Pricewise, we get ours from the YO/farmer and they're the massive round ones. We pay £15 and it lasts ages - probably about two months.

My boy has a little nibble at his now and then but not enough to worry me - there was a thread about deterrents within the last few weeks if you search but am sure someone will also advise :)
 
I have mine both on straw and love it, they don't eat it as they get ad lib haylage and tbh that tastes better!
Straw is £2.50 here and is fab quality.
I use 7 bales for a new bed, banks 3ft high bed at least a foot and a half deep (if you stick your fork through and it touchs concrete then there isn't enough! - as i was taught!)
I fully muck out every morning, take 10-15 mins per horse, luckily they're both clean so 1 barrow of muck a day between 2 :)
I use 1-2 bales a week topping them up.
Would'nt have them on anything else and must be lovely for them to sleep on (my mare uses the banks as a pillow!)

And it's warmer in winter, some on our yard are on straw, when the temperature drops their water buckets freeze before mine do!
 
Have you looking into wood pellets?

I find i'm using far less £££££'s worth a week, there isn't eh horride smell and I haven't had a to used my inhaler once when mucking out (twice daily on straw).
 
I pay £25 for the huge square bales which last my 2 about 6 weeks. My beds are pretty huge and they are fully mucked out every day. I don't mind either of them eating it as it means that if they run out of hay (TB doesn't but cob is fat so on rations) then they still have something to eat until the morning.
 
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How much do people use when they've got rubber matting?? We've got very thick rubber matting covering the whole stable and I only use a thin layering of straw along the floor to catch wee and to poo on, and then a bit extra to create some banks around the stable so all in all I use about 3 slices of hay a week (topping up the bits that I muck out) he doesn't seem to eat any of it .... is three slices a week average for rubber matted stables??

xx
 
All my three are on straw as are most people on our yard.We pay £1.50 per bale of good quality very clean straw which the horses love.I also put rubber matting in our warmbloods stable,and have hardly removed much wet bedding,thus this is a big saving.Shavings etc. are financially prohibitive.My three rarely eat the straw as they get plenty of hay and other feed.I grew up using straw before shavings became popular and still feel very biased towards it as a bedding.
 
2 of mine are on shavings, one has to be due to vets advice & the other just eats it, but my other one is on straw as we can't afford all 3 on shavings he does have a nibble tho. He is 13.3 has a big stable so I don't fill it all plus it has rubber matting. He isn't coming in yet, but when he is in I normaly go through 1 & half a week if that :)
 
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