Straw pellets vs wood pellets?

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Paint Me Proud

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I've been using miscanthus pellets for about 4 years now and am debating whether to try something different.

How do wood pellets compare? They appear to be cheaper but are they as absorbent?

Any brands better than others?

Thanks in advance
 
I use straw pellets from strawpelletsltd,,I think they're slightly cheaper than wood pellets and you don't have to wet them before using as they break down more quickly. Also, if getting rid of your muck heap is an issue, straw-based products are much more acceptable to gardeners.
 
Slightly Foxed said:
I use straw pellets from strawpelletsltd,,I think they're slightly cheaper than wood pellets and you don't have to wet them before using as they break down more quickly. Also, if getting rid of your muck heap is an issue, straw-based products are much more acceptable to gardeners.
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Yes it's the Pro pellets from pelletbeds I've been using so familiar with them, going on prices online they are more expensive than wood pellets. Interested in how wood pellets compare to these.

How do you manage your pelletbeds bed as mine seems to be getting really mucky really quickly :(
 
I have tried all three. I got tired of watering wood pellets so tried miscanthus and then straw pellets. I found I used far more of these compared to wood pellets and the beds didn't look as nice. In the end, I discovered that if you lay wood pellet bags down flat and made a U shaped slit, pull back the flap and add hot tap (or kettle) water it steams the pellets. They fluff up really quickly and make a much drier, more absorbent bed than pouring them into a wheel barrow and using the hose like I used to do. I have stuck to this method ever since. However, I have gradually fallen out of love with pellets due to how dusty they are and that in reality, unless you have a very tidy horse that doesn't wee too much, you have to use more than the recommended 1 - 2 bags a week (more like 3-4) to keep the bed looking nice and pale. I have moved some of the horses onto chopped miscanthus now.
 
I've used wood pellets and now use straw or miscanthus pellets. My main reason for moving away from wood was because most of our muck heap goes on the garden and I don'[t think wood pellets make good compost. I find the miscanthus pellets slower to break down than the straw so I tend to mix them both into the bed. I'm not fussed about the colour of the bed. I buy my straw pellets as fuel (5% VAT)but find they migrate to the stable, if you understand what I mean. I strongly object to paying an additional 15% because they have a horse lying on them!
 
I didnt like miscanthus or straw pellets as much as Aquamax wood pellets tbh. Found them dusty and not cheaper as for my mucky horse, I easily had to use 2-3 bags a week for him. I also didnt like the way they compacted into the horses feet. Changed to chopped straws instead (trying to not use wood products due to having own muck heap) and prefer it all round.
 
I used wood pellets for a long time - either Five Star, Aquamax or White Horse Energy all of which I find very good. I tried straw pellets but whilst they were fine for some of the horses a few of them just walked in and started to scoff the lot so I had to move them to new stables as I was worried they would colic with the amount they were trying to eat. With the horses that didn't eat them I found that they got dirty looking very quickly and moved back to wood pellets.
 
That's interesting, during our very wet winter and Spring my farrier said he thought my horses feet were so good because of the bedding. I do agree they can be a bit dusty, they were no worse than the wood pellets, although both my horses can cough on straw neither do on any of the pellets. How do you find the chopped straw breaks down, is it much slower than pellets? I'm always ready to change if there's something better.
MotherOfChickens said:
I also didnt like the way they compacted into the horses feet. Changed to chopped straws instead (trying to not use wood products due to having own muck heap) and prefer it all round.
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oldie48 said:
That's interesting, during our very wet winter and Spring my farrier said he thought my horses feet were so good because of the bedding. I do agree they can be a bit dusty, they were no worse than the wood pellets, although both my horses can cough on straw neither do on any of the pellets. How do you find the chopped straw breaks down, is it much slower than pellets? I'm always ready to change if there's something better.
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all of mine are barefoot-I just found that it balled up and their feet didn't get a chance to dry out. The mucky one, who arrived with bad thrush, well I couldn't really get on top of it until I changed bedding. I won't use long straw at home as they are interior stables but I do at the farm where they have an open fronted barn and its the best for feet imo.
I guess it doesn't rot down quite as quickly as straw pellets but its hard to tell as my muck heap isn't in constant use. It is easier to get people to take it though!
 
MotherOfChickens said:
all of mine are barefoot-I just found that it balled up and their feet didn't get a chance to dry out. The mucky one, who arrived with bad thrush, well I couldn't really get on top of it until I changed bedding. I won't use long straw at home as they are interior stables but I do at the farm where they have an open fronted barn and its the best for feet imo.
I guess it doesn't rot down quite as quickly as straw pellets but its hard to tell as my muck heap isn't in constant use. It is easier to get people to take it though!
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I also use wood pellets best have found for wet horses, does dry their hooves v quickly which am not sure is a good thing, I love them apart from the dust that they create an a lot of it, have heard people lightly spray them every day an stops that problem though.
 
I use wood pellets Autumn,Winter and Spring, then switch to Bliss during the summer, as I find pellet beds horrendously dusty during hot, dry weather.
 
Auslander said:
I use wood pellets Autumn,Winter and Spring, then switch to Bliss during the summer, as I find pellet beds horrendously dusty during hot, dry weather.
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Done much the same this year only I am using either Raviera (chopped rape straw) or Softchip depending on how wet the horse is. Will go back to wood pellets in the autumn.
 
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