With the cost of shavings rising........

Are you retired/too young to work?


  • Total voters
    0

malibu211211

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 June 2005
Messages
1,661
Location
How the hell do I know??? I can barely remember my
Visit site
I wondered what you all bed your horses on?

We have recently enquired about paper and it seems to be cheaper than shavings but just wondered if any of you use it and if you find it easy to work with?

Moving to new yard in the next few weeks (YIPPEE!!!) so want everything ordered and sorted before we go
grin.gif
 
I always used shavings and then moved to straw as it was cheaper and G is so so wet that I was getting through a lot of bedding. He ate it so I decided to try megazorb. Didn't work. Now use aquamax - THE only bedding I have ever found to quell his wetness, and I save bucketloads. I got a pallet delivered, works out under a fiver a bag and I use a bag every 3 weeks! No turning back! I've tried miscanthus before as well, when we've been at our holiday yard.
 
Flax is good - mine are on rubber matting and I'm stingy with the bedding. Managed to use two sacks a month for two (ponio is very clean and small though)
smile.gif
 
I voted rubber mats & straw as thats what we are switching to as soon as the straw is cut & baled. Currently on mats & easibed but the cost of this is goign up to so with 3 to bed over the winter i've taken the cheap option (for me very cheap as hubby is a farmer and we can make our own straw)
 
I have mats and straw.. Was on Shavings up untill a couple of months ago. I just couldnt justify the cost, shavings went up from £5.30 a bale to £7.50, i have to buy of the yard part of my contract (was not warned about increase) so now on straw. cheaper and tbh I love her bed looking all fluffy!
 
Use Bedmax.......used paper once on a TB mare I owned,she would not move on it.....spent all night clinging to one wall,ended up not being able to get her back in box...then spent more money taking paper out and replacing with shavings again....mare would not go back in,so under vet's advice was turned out for a week...then still would not go back in!
crazy.gif


Very expensive exercise in all,this was due to me using paper for my back,as thought it would be lighter.....Yep,most certainly lighter on my bank balance!
frown.gif
 
I tried paper years ago and it was awful, i didn't find it very absorbent and it weighed a tonne when it was wet plus it was hard getting rid of it.

I used to use a combination of shavings and straw and never had any problems with it.
 
I'm using Bed Down Excel on my matting now. I can't always get Hunters anymore and the other makes are rubbish. It's a shavings and chopped straw mix, so far I have found it a bit more absorbant, it shakes up well and it smells lovely!
 
Someone at my old yard used paper and the stinking stuff used to fly everywhere! Her husband would collect papers and magazines from the whole flippin' county populace, then sit and tear it all up, storing it in his garage. Grrrr! I would never use it!

My holiday yard had the cardboard stuff on trial last year and didn't like it. I thought it looked quite good as an alternative to paper.
 
I recently switched from shavings to Aquamax as the cost of our shavings went up rapidly and the quality deteriorated at the same speed!!
frown.gif


Lovin Aquamax!!
 
I voted other--chopped corrugated cardboard
Wet goes through to bottom leaving top dry
Easy to muck out unless your horse stirs everything
Economical similar to paper
Rots very quickly to compost
Doesnt blow about as much as paper and doesnt set in solid lumps
 
I use rubber matting and elephant grass (miscanthus).

I actually deep litter and use less than a bale a week £5.50.

I do a complete clear out once a year and still smells sweet when doing so.
 
Top