Wheat or barley straw?

[Hoof_Prints]

Shavings person here , looking to buy a large amount of straw as the ponies are going to live in a big barn whilst I'm away for a short while. I've read a few threads but am still unsure what's best ! They will probably eat some of it, but I want a nice fluffy and less dusty bed. What should I go for ? I'm in Leicestershire. TIA

 

[ihatework]

Shavings person here , looking to buy a large amount of straw as the ponies are going to live in a big barn whilst I'm away for a short while. I've read a few threads but am still unsure what's best ! They will probably eat some of it, but I want a nice fluffy and less dusty bed. What should I go for ? I'm in Leicestershire. TIA

At the moment whatever you can get hold of that is good quality!
Round here it’s pretty sparse!

 

[Seville]

Wheat is less palatable than barley, but I have used both. Mine nibbled a bit on barley straw but not excessively. Good luck finding any. I buy from a local farmer otherwise its hard to find.

 

[tallyho!]

barley is really soft, and palatable but I doubt many would eat straw over hay unless its to satisfy a particularly big chew urge...

 

[cauda equina]

One of mine came out in hives after being bedded on barley straw.
I don't know if he ate it, or if just lying on it was enough to cause a reaction

 

[poiuytrewq]

This year I've had wheat, barley and oat straw!
The oat was amazing, super easy to muck out and just lovely. Sadly ran out quickly!
The barley I found they ate, was a night mare to muck out as it kind of all tangled up and was hard to separate and worst of all made them all cough, even though it didn't appear dusty (and I'm asthmatic!)
Hated it.
The wheat, I'm still using. I like it, they do eat it bit not overly. The straw i currently have is particularly good compared to a lot I think (not used straw in years and this is much nicer than I remember!) so I'd say go wheat but check the quality first!

 

[Pinkvboots]

The straw quality round here was terrible this year so I switched the one I had on straw to shavings, but I always bought barley the wheat I find is like short sticks and not easy to muck out.

 

[willhegofirst]

Mines on Barley, as it's what we can get hold of, straw is in short supply and not very cheap now as a lot is going to be used in bio burners, around me anyway.

 

[tallyho!]

The thing I don't like about straw these days is that it's awful quality like you all say... short and dusty. It must be to do with the short cropping variety they all grown and the glyphosate dousing they do to mature the seed-heads before harvest (horrible really).

Organic wheat straw is pretty nice (I sat on a bale at a wedding and thought it was lovely stuff ) and I've just looked online and a link came up for some being sold on preloved.

 

[horsemadelsie]

I find barley straw is usually less dusty and much fluffier, but with more allergic reactions- I know a couple of horses who have come up in rashes from being on it. All of mine are fine, but I am allergic so I use wheat! (plus they eat less wheat!)