Wood pellets (again) how deep do you go?

[Toffee44]

How deep do you make the bed?
At the moment my bed is about 4" deep. I'm used to straw a foot deep. I don't want to put straw on top as mare dirty. I am on mats.

Should I make it a bit deeper or is it ok?

Using LWP premium and loving them 5 min muck outs and then 20min taking out wet every 6 / 7 days + 1 new bag.

 

[muddygreymare]

I'm on the same pellets and take the wet out twice a week with a bag of pellets down once a week. My mare also has mats and the bed is about the same thickness as yours. I wouldn't make it any bigger but that's just me

 

[cobgoblin]

Stand on the bed and drop suddenly to your knees. If it hurts the bed is too thin! We use about 3 inches on very thick rubber mats for heavy cobs.
Hi(waves) been lurking for a while.Someone gave me this tip and I've always found it very useful.

 

[Clippy]

Stand on the bed and drop suddenly to your knees. If it hurts the bed is too thin! We use about 3 inches on very thick rubber mats for heavy cobs.
Hi(waves) been lurking for a while.Someone gave me this tip and I've always found it very useful.

Hi!

Mine are 3-4" deep and on mats. I think it's about the right depth and unbelieveably easy to manage

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Stand on the bed and drop suddenly to your knees. If it hurts the bed is too thin! We use about 3 inches on very thick rubber mats for heavy cobs.
Hi(waves) been lurking for a while.Someone gave me this tip and I've always found it very useful.

Christ, I'd never be able to get back up again!

Mine aren't as thick as that: possibly I'm a mean owner. I'd say a max of two inches on matting. I have added a bale of Easibed just to eke it out, the bed was far better this morning with this in it. I stupidly left two bags emptied and soaking into a barrow yesterday: blasted thing overflowed!

I muck put by sieving it so hardly any bed gets removed. Am I alone in this? Does anyone treat them like shavings and muck out by chucking it up and letting the poo roll down the banks? Do you have banks?

 

[Spyda]

I have mats and use a 4 inch layer of wood pellets (wetted when laid) with a bale of shavings around the edge for banks. My mare is very active in her stable and stirs everything up over night. I can scoop out one or two poohs with the shavings fork but have to remove the majority of dung by hand into a skip as it's all in bits scattered through the bedding. She also pees quite heavily in the back corner and I generally have to remove the wet every 3rd day and add a bag of pellets or two. It's still quicker to do than a shavings/miscanthus/straw bed and cheaper too. But I sure wish my horse was tidier in her stable - I'd love to be able to muck out in 5 mins and only use 1 bag of pellets per week!

 

[Toffee44]

Since wood pellets she's very tidy unlike in straw. Any wet in the week I take out some if I can see it if not take the hard stuff out at the weekend. She doesn't normally wee at the door, not sure what that was about.

 

[Toffee44]

That takes me 5-10min to muck out you can see my small banks.

 

[Queenbee]

Stand on the bed and drop suddenly to your knees. If it hurts the bed is too thin! We use about 3 inches on very thick rubber mats for heavy cobs.
Hi(waves) been lurking for a while.Someone gave me this tip and I've always found it very useful.

I love this tip

OP, my bed is about 4/5 inches deep on mats... Ben lies down every night , I'm sure if you pushed the straw down compact as if you were lying on it it wouldn't be nearly so thick as your wood pellet bed.

 

[Queenbee]

Christ, I'd never be able to get back up again!

Mine aren't as thick as that: possibly I'm a mean owner. I'd say a max of two inches on matting. I have added a bale of Easibed just to eke it out, the bed was far better this morning with this in it. I stupidly left two bags emptied and soaking into a barrow yesterday: blasted thing overflowed!

I muck put by sieving it so hardly any bed gets removed. Am I alone in this? Does anyone treat them like shavings and muck out by chucking it up and letting the poo roll down the banks? Do you have banks?

Nope I sieve out with a fork, then I scrape at the bed with the fork till I expose the wet clumps and lift them out. Then I fill in the hole and fluff the top layer up, I pop one 15kg bag in a week

 

[Auslander]

Mine is laid in half the stable, about 3/4 inches on EVA mats. He's never gone through to the mats, so I'm happy it's thick enough. I don't have banks, and take the wet out once a week. Am currently experimenting with haynet placement, as he leaves one elephant sized poo mountain on the mats, and another in his bed, which he then churns about lying down/getting up! I reckon that if I get the second haynet in the right place, I can get all poo mountains on the mats, and have a nice tidy bed in the mornings!

Edit - I have an Aquamax style fork,which has made it SO much easier to muck out!

 

[charmeroo]

Yes I sieve the bed about once a week. My tb boxwalks and wee's for england!! Fortunately, wee in the middle - poo all round the outside but mashed into little bits!! So no - not always quicker to muck out, but wet only comes out 2/3 times a week and at least the bed stays nice and dry. Add about 2x10kg bags of LWP a week which I think is quite good for a dirty horse!

 

[Lego]

My bed is probably about 4" deep minimum, and I have a small bank along the back wall, which is mostly made from rape straw. I average out at about 2 bags of bedding per week, but have a huge stable and very wet horse