What is the best way to manage a shavings bed ?

Flibble

Flibble

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Ok so I am now forking out for expensive shavings. I am using them on Rubber matting and I want a beautiful bed.

The lad is out in day and comes in every night. What is the best way to manage a nice shavings bed without putting loads in every week. (Dont say make him stay out of it
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He has 3 banks and a middle and always pees in the same place.
 
Thank you Scotsmare lovely answer but 'the wrong one'!

Ok so how do I manage it so its nearly beautiful and get away with a bale every 9 days say ??

He is fairly clean as now I have control (DIY) he has a haynet the size of Mars so most of his poo is in one general area with a little extra dotted around to keep me busy.

If he doesnt feel the pee bit is up to standard he drags down a section of his bank.
 
Nice Clean Boy - remove pee patch and any sift out poo. Move dirtier shavings onto where you have taken out. Rake cleaner shavings (from banks?) to where dirtier were. Add more shavings to banks as necessary.

Filthy Slut of a Mare - remove all shavings daily and replace as she has peed and pooed everywhere, box walked it into a nice mess and probably tipped water bucket over for good measure
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Would it be easier and more effective if I started off with tons of clean shavings in the banks and then topped up as and when or less shavings to start and then keep adding if you get what I mean??

I have a very fetching pair of gloves so that I can sift by hand!
 
TBH I don't think it would make a difference. What I do find that helps though is on day 6 or 7 I dig out the banks and spread everything out all 'fluffed up' before building the banks again. This seems to give me another 1 or 2 days.

Hope this helps.
 
I would start of with biggish banks and I personally wouldn't top the banks up unless they really needed it - so if I did my lad this way I would probably only have to put in new stuff every three or four days, if that, as he is very clean and has very dry poo!

I do a similar thing with wood pellets and shavings, except I operate more of a deep litter system as I have no matting.
 
Do you actually need banks? I just find that the banks get dirty and/or dusty which negates the benefits of having shavings. I lift the poos by hand then sweep around the wee patch and then make sure it is swept properly. I find that by putting in a little bit of shavings as you need works better than full bales.

I got a new groom last year who was worried by how clean the beds were but was pleasantly suprised when she did them the same way as me! Mine are on EVA mats and use about a bale per week per horse max. the picture below is not a new bale!
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Start off with large banks with approx 1-2 inches deep of shavings in the middle. Remove poo by (gloved) hand and remove wet as normal. Once a week, turn all of your banks over to fluff up the bed (I do this on the day I add fresh shavings). Put your fresh shavings into one bank (I rotate which bank each week), so that as you make the bed, you pull down a forkful of new shavings each day.

I use 1 bale per week on a clean, but very wet, mare.
 
fair enough, my boxes are about 15x14 so plenty of space - i did put smal banks in when i had 12x12s. Really difficult to have immacualte beds with them unless you skip out very late and again very early!
 
Leonard is now on Part livery and the YO's beds are beautiful, they are huge, Lens bed had 9 bales on to begin with ontop of rubber, the beds are thick with decent banks the trick is to semi deep litter.... this horrified me a first but I'm a convert, she removes all droppings daily with gloves but only removes the wet once a week (Fridays) Len is wet in the same place, it allows the shavings to do their job and absorb without being distrubed, meaning less waste Lens only had 1 shavings on a week.The bed also covers the full stable so less time sweeping back only for them to walk in and push it all forwards in ten seconds. His bed looks beautiful is virtually white and I find it takes minimal time to muck out when I do him at the weekend.

Previously I was removing the wet daily he had a srawny bed that was trashed and I used 2 shavings a week, it was expensive to lay the bed and get it established but I'm now saving money.
 
Hmmh thats very interesting I was pondering the semi deep litter as I have used this before and been happy with it.

9 bales Eugh!! thats £60 maybe if I get a piece of canvas and make him a very big nappy??

Love the name Leonard for a horse he sounds lovely.
 
Thats exactly what I do. I skip out in gloves every day getting all the poo out but I leave the wet. I put 2 bales of shavings in a week at the same time. I mix one bale of shavings in with the loose stuff and the second bale goes on the banks and some sprinkled on top. When I skip out I just pop some more clean shavings down from the banks each day which keeps my bed looking nice and clean and fresh. I lift the wet out once a week which is when I will then put the new shavings in.
 
I get the poo out daily.....pick up bits of hay etc and disturb the bed as little as possible.

I take the wet out once a week at the weekend and then put down a new bale or two.

Easy peasy!
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ETA...I have a big trug that I take in the stable, don't even need a barrow unless its to get the wet out
 
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