Wood pellet verdict

Tr0uble

Tr0uble

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Wow! I officially love it already!

Snip, due to his RER, always has VERY smelly pee, and even a new bale of shavings goes immediately red after just one pee, and in a large area.

Today it took me 5 mins, I scooped out the few poos, I found the wet spot and it came out in 1 small, inoffensive, non smelly little lump....I reckon I filled about an 8th of a wheelbarrow in total!! (Would normally be 3/4 of a wheelbarrow after that long in during the day.

Rhythm is still on the bedmax and he has been in for the same hours as Snip today and his bed filled the rest of the wheelbarrow and stank in cmparision (and his pee is not normally smelly, just normal)

Snip had drunk a lot more that Rhythm too, so should heve been wayyyyy wetter!

Snip normally scuffs his shavings al over the place but the bed was still very neet and tidy, with just a few pelets out of place.

I am officially impressed, and totally converted! A few people said it might take me a couple of weeks to like the system as it takes some getting used to, but I lve it already!
 
I've been using them for a few months now for my wetter horses and wouldn't go back to anything else for them.

As you said, you don't get that horrible ammonia smell which I think must be better for the horse.
 
Yeah that's definitely an added bonus, like I say Snip's pee is in a league of it's own for smell because his RER means he always peeing out toxins/muscle build up!
 
Ah good to hear you like it. I've used wood pellets for over a year now and couldnt go back to anything else. Think they are good.
Because of the price of shaving a few at my yard have just changed over to pellets and so far everyone is happy with them.
 
Well, first full muck out and I'm still convinced! It took me just under 5 minutes (we timed) and all I needed to take out (including wet!) was one, yes ONE standard sized trug! Not even heaped! Snip is normally quite clean and my normal muck out for him takes 10 mins and is 2-3 trugs, so this is brilliant!

This is what I got to the yard to...
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This is all it took to clean it out...
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And within 5 minutes we were back to this!...
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The mats were a bit damp from where he pooed, but not as bad as normal, so some of the dust did stick to the mats (whichs is what the light bits are on the mats!

The wet patch didn't smell at all, and the pellets weren't fully expanded so I recokn I'll be able to leave the wet for a few days before mucking out.
 
Hi there, can I ask a few questions please, how may bags a week do you use to top up with, how many bags did you put in to start with and which supplier do you use oh and whats the cost? thanks a lot, we are thinking of changing over to pellets, our big horses are mucky so and so's and we are getting through loads of straw a week, we do have rubber mats in all our stables, thanks loads xx
 
I can answer some....but I only laid my first ever pellet be yesterday!

I bugt the White Horse Economy pellets, and used 15 bags to start the bed (I think I might put a couple of extra bags in tonight though because I do like a thicker bed than they say to have) I put a slosh of water into each bag and left for 15 mins, but actually it would have been easier to lay them dry and then turn the hose on them because they expaded in the bags and got stuck! lol

The cost of 100 bags of economy was £256...I *think* I'll only need 1, max 2 bags per week for Snip because he is very clean (as you can see in the pics he poos in one place, and although he mashes that about a bit it's not on the bedding so very little wastage.

When I do Rhythm's bed I'll put 20 bags in as he needs a bigger bed, and he'll most likely need 2-3 bags per week to maintain. Currently he gets 2-3 bales of Bedmax per week at a cost of £7.25 per bag, so still a massive saving!

Snip currenty gets one bale of bedmax per week. Both my stables are fully rubber matted too.
 
Oh, and normally I would sweep my mats better than that but I have a broken knee so can't put any real effort behind my sweeping, so everything is a bit grubbier than I normally like!!
 
With the neds beds I used 8 bags initially and i use 1 or 2 bags a week. They're £5.95/ bag. I share a pallet of 40 with a friend. I tend to put a bale of shavings round as banks and this makes it cheaper I find.
 
If anyone wants to get an alternative wood pellets supplier try Liston Equestrian, they are based in East Sussex but I think can deliver anywhere. The pellets are really good and they are a really nice little company. Thier no is 01273 891890

Also, does everyone know that the VAT people are onto all the companies selling the pellets as fuel (lower VAT) and are going to run random checks on customers to see if they have boilers !! eeek !
 
They are very quick and economical, the only thing I would say is that my grey mare is dirtier than she has ever been, even when she was on straw. She has 2-4 bags per week, is regularly skipped out, and has a big stable so theoretically plenty of room to not lie in poo!
But she is badly stained anywhere that her rugs don't cover, and the rug is disgusting.
Conversely, my dun 3yo is absolutely fine on them, although he does live in a turnout rug because he did unspeakable things to his Rhino stable rug in the wet patches.
I wouldn't use them for a grey or coloured horse that I was planning to show, put it that way :(
 
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