Using Shavings with Rubber mats

Flibble

Flibble

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Gloucestershire
www.annamason-art.co.uk
My current stable has rubber matting and I prefer some bedding on top. In the perfect world I would want 3 small banks around the edges and a couple of inches in the middle.

I muck out am and pm and would like some advice on the best combination of shavings quality versus absorbancy etc.

What are my chances of keeping it down to adding half a bale perweek and not having a smelly boy??

I am willing to muck out with a teaspoon and pair of tweesers if need be.

I ask this question as I started doing research on the internet and drowned in the options.

What do you reckon I should reasonably pay for a 120ltr bale ??
 
I use shavings and mats - I have a VERY tidy mare, and I use a bale every 2-3 weeks, and am fastidious about clean beds.

Is he very wet? If so, I'd imagine you would struggle more to keep to 1/2 bale per week, but if not, then I am sure you would manage.

I have my beds like you describe, 3 banks and a small bed.
 
God,wish I had one like that my lad is on rubber mats and two
bales shavings a week minimum in winter! He is such a dirty so and so. Mind you before the mats we had 3 to 4 bales a week. Now that they are £8 odd a bale .....
 
I've got rubber mats on the front third of the stable, deep litter shavings bed at the back two thirds. Totally and forever pong free and the bed has been down almost 2 years now. Wet stays in, poo taken out. When he's in for a few hours in the summer 1 bale lasts a good month coz it's just skipping out. When he's in overnight in the winter I get through a bale every 5 or 6 days. But my deep litter beds are seriously deep and luscious. Bank of fresh shavings goes at the back and you draw down a new layer daily. Makes such a lovely clean immaculate and fresh bed that it truly is a shame to allow Sunny back in it! If I was stingier, 1 bale would last a week. Not sure what size 120 litres is but I buy an ordinary sized, fancy-free bale from my local feed shop, approx £8.50 a bale since the prices all shot up last year. I wouldn't use free sawdust from a friendly local sawmill because it's usually choking dust that settles everywhere.
 
I know the sawdust its like wood flour.
It was included in my Livery but they cant even get that now.

How serious is the increase in the price of shavings -

I have stopped having my hair coloured and am going gracefully grey as I worked out it will pay for good shavings!!!
 
I use shavings with rubber mats
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The mats take up a fair bit of the room in the stable, so the outer edge were they don't cover have banks. I have a proper bed over the actual mats. Mare can be quite messy, she hides her poos as she is a lady!
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Poo and wet are lifted everyday. I put in a full bale each week during winter (she is currently out fulltime) using Halmac shavings which are lovely
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Gosh.....errrrrrmm I bought them in November.....I think they are from White Horse??? They are big flake shavings, and they are FAB!
 
Like GinaB my mare is messy, the little one not so bad. But I have to take the wet out daily as its that bad, everything gets mixed into one
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I use Dutch shavings (Alspan) they are fantastic!! But I go through 2/3 a week for big beast and littly was having 1 in the winter - at £12 a bale its not funny!!
 
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