What would u do with this pellet bed

Rosie'smum

Rosie'smum

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I've got a very thick solid Base of wood pellets. But it's solid of wet. Would u keep it and just keep adding fresh on top or get rid and start again? I wanted to get rid and have pellets on bottom and shavings on top. She's a very wet mare and currently going through 3 10kg bags every 4 days.

 
I'd get rid and start again especially on mats. I've only used pellets for wet patch base and something else for main bedding though, but do like them for that.
 
Well what I want to do is move the mats to the front and have her bed on the concrete. I had all the intentions of getting rid of it this morning but then had second thoughts about it. So thought I'd ask here 😊
 
But you would have to lift the bed anyway to do it? If that were currently on concrete and could be left undisturbed I might leave it.
 
It's too wet so I would remove all of that and only save the pellets that are light and dry to use as a base before adding new fluffed pellets. What brand of pellets are you using?
 
That's what I was thinking it needed to be gone. But wanted ur expert opinions 😊 they are wood fuel pellets the yard provides.
 
I would give it a good fork over, turn it over as if you were digging the garden. Might sound strange but you'd be surprised how much dry stuff will be under the wetter stuff (unless it's sopping of course, in which case I'd take out the sopping bits first but still leave the rest.) Then I'd rake it over, allow to dry through the day and then either add dry pellets or something else on top later on. I certainly wouldn't get rid of all that bedding without trying to rescue some at least to form a good base for next time.

I thought beds seem a lot wetter this year, both pellets alone and a straw bed too, no particular reason and mine are on hay too, not haylage. I'm experimenting with semi deep litter with the straw one (droppings out but trying to not disturb the rest and lots of clean straw on top; it's working better than if I fully mucked out down to the floor every day although I'm wondering if that is more due to having rubber mats in, not bare concrete so the wet doesn't get away better than on straight concrete but I can't be ar$ed to take them out!) The pellet beds, I have added a top layer of some micanthus rough chopped which brighten them up a bit; just skip out mainly and when I add more pellets I scrape that away first then add it back on top. Early days yet but it seems to be OK.
 
Use a snow shovel to scrape it back/to the side.
Remove all the stuff that is properly sopping wet.
Pull the mats to the front.
Re-lay the old damp stuff as a base onto the concrete then top up with loads of fresh.
 
After you initially lay the bed it will settle and compact so as long as its dry where it has compacted you shouldn't have to touch the bed. If it has absorbed as much as it can absorb and has gone hard then it needs to be removed. With a gelding its easier because they usually pee in the middle so I used to remove the wet and put an unactivated bag in the hole, when they pee in it it will activate itself. The system that is used on the yard I'm on is that any added gets added to the banks as unactivated pellets then as the middle is removed when wet enough the outside is then used as the bed and new added to the banks again in a cycle. My horses bed is always lovely, we use Aquamax
 
we had mats in my old yard and the straw beds were always wet till we took the mats out. i think straw is better without mats but shavings seem to work well...
 
(This is my 3rd attepeMt to reply!) So 4 of the big wheel barrows later I emptied the stable out of the wet. It was about 8 inches deep in places. Moved the mats to the front and spread out remaining pellets across the back. Had a gap between the bed and mats to used half a bag u soaked across the bed and soaked remaining for the gap. The put bale of shavings on top. It's looks so much better.
Thanks for the replies.

Picture to show how thick the bed was.



Extra pellets added.


Shavings on top.


Happy pony 😊
 
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