* wood pellets used dry from the start? *

sadly, my shetland thinks that the pellets are nuts... so can't do that.

however, with raff i often put in 2 bags at a time without wetting them so there is a large amount of pellets whole in the bed, by morning they are practically all swollen/gone.

i think the problem with having a fully dry bed is that they won't be comfy at all for the horse to lay on. also, a 'thick' layer of dry would result in a HUGE thick bed. i'd guess it quadruples in size...
 
Nope - I do use mine dry but only if well covered under a thick bed of straw. Dont think I could cope with the worry of them being eaten....
 
I start the beds by semi-soaking the WP first, then I add dry WP into the bed when needed. I occassionally semi-soak a bag to spread on the top too.
If you started off the bed using only dry WP, the bed would take ages to bed down. The horse would just scatter them everywhere (or mine would!). Plus I'd be worried they'd try to eat a few.
 
If you start off a new bed and do not wet they won't be as absorbent as they could be so you would really be throwing good bedding away.

If this is an on-going bed it depends on how wet your horse is. I find I don't have to wet (with water) any of my beds, as I just mix in the new pellets and the existing wet dries off as they absorb them.
 
im on LWP, have started a brand new one yet again as he is so wet on them, ive added 2 bags monday dry, by tuesday gone completely, bed damp and its 6inches thick and smaller than id like (this is the 4th experiment on these things), yesterday 5days later, 2 bags added soaked, gone completely by the night, bed damp

theyre just not coping at all with his wetness, any ideas im thinking megazorb would be better? as he has had in excess of 100 bags now trying to find a bed that will last longer than a week before its soaking, so its almost like value toilet paper, using loads instead of paying a bit more for better quality which is why im thinking megazorb may be better?

any ideas or suggestions to get him a decent dry bed that lasts very welcome!
 
Be really interested to see what people think about WP's as I tried it for a week and gave up.........I don't think I gave it long enough and possible wasn't doing it "right" so be grateful for any advice.......sorry shires didn't mean to hijack......
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I started a wood pellet bed with 12 x10kg sacks (12 x12 stable) and spray hosed them for what seemed like ages *while standing there saying to myself that, that this is wrooooong - wetting a bed*
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. TBH, it took a lot longer than 15 minutes for the bed to fluff up but it was lovely the next day. I add about a bag a week dry and mix it in to the existing bed, especially the damp areas and the pellets fluff up over the next few days.

Not a pretty bed but it works well for me!
 
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im on LWP, have started a brand new one yet again as he is so wet on them, ive added 2 bags monday dry, by tuesday gone completely, bed damp and its 6inches thick and smaller than id like (this is the 4th experiment on these things), yesterday 5days later, 2 bags added soaked, gone completely by the night, bed damp

theyre just not coping at all with his wetness, any ideas im thinking megazorb would be better? as he has had in excess of 100 bags now trying to find a bed that will last longer than a week before its soaking, so its almost like value toilet paper, using loads instead of paying a bit more for better quality which is why im thinking megazorb may be better?

any ideas or suggestions to get him a decent dry bed that lasts very welcome!

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Try a brand of wood pellets that produces kiln dried pellets suitable for equestrian use, not stuff for burning. You will find that they are a lot more absorbent.
 
I couldn't handle them with my very very wet mare - I still use them for my very clean filly but it never looks nice but is quick and easy to clean out - I do prefer thick straw though it looks much cosier and clean.
 
i used to be on hunters/bedmax years ago before the prices hiked. then i was on straw which i dont think can be beaten for warmth - but my pony ate a LOT of it, it stank when she was pissy / in season and was a pain to store.
ive changed to LWPs just over a week ago.

in 11x12 stables i started with about 8 bags. i left them in bag and added boiling water (ive read on here it fluffs them up quicker) and just over an hour or so later i tip them out leaving probably about 10% of the bag unsoaked. IMO if all left unsoaked they would not work as designed to, be fairly abrasive, and annoying as would roll about all over the place.
i dont know if this is the 'best' way to do it, im trial/error'ing as its new to me.

one of my mares is relatively clean, leaves the poo on top - she is brill to muck out on them i just take the poo out and rake bed over. taken out the wet patches after a week.

my other mare walks hers around so its hidden. i leave the bottom layer untouched (til i turn it after a week) and chuck the top layer up to find poo then rake over.

both of them have laid down in it and its definately the cheapest way to bed mine down on thick beds. i doubt i'd change now. i also have one on paper which is ok but messy and annoying blowing around in the wind.
 
see , mine wouldnt go a week without it turning into brown mulch, those who have turned from them, what did u go onto, is megazorb worth trying, or white horse pellets?
 
i hated the pellets the bed turned to mush as my lad drags his feet and mixes every thing in i hated soaking them and found it gritty
he is now on megazorb and i love it, his poo stays on top the top layer is slighty loose so easy to sift and the base firm and stays put I poo pick daily and take his wet out once a week which is great as hes in 24/7 at the minute due to weather.
it is also not gritty and doesnt need soaking and being a coloured has less stable stains the only time he gets any is when the wet is ready to come out,
after lifting the bed or taking out the wet a new bag is needed on top and it never looks like ive added enough but by the next morning it seems to have expanded and fluffed up
 
Farra was on megazorb and is now on LWP and I am finding them better as I can use more but not be bankrupt - she was getting through 2 - 3 bags of megazorb a week at £7.20 a bag. I now use 2 - 3 15 k bags of LWP at £2.40. If someone gave me the choice of both, I would still go for the LWP as they are easier to muck out and I have found, soak up the pee as well as the pellets.

What I do is start the bed on mats with 5 bags, then mid week, take out the worst of the sopping wet and put in another bag. Weekends, I take out all the wet and put in another 2 bags. The bed does go brown and a bit damp by the weekend, but it is fairly dry and each day I pull over a thin layer of dry from the outside of the bed. When I put the pellets in, I damp them down so they are crumbly but still intact - I find this better than dry ones.

This works for me - whatever bed I use with Farra is very quickly going brown and damp. With the mats I have, I could just put in a pee spot daily and take the lot out, but I prefer to have a half bed so I don't get gallons of pee running out the front.

My problem is having a 16.3 clydesdale in a 12 x 12 stable that is happy to poo and pee all over the place. If she was like my cob, who pees in one spot and poos at the back wall, the stable would be far cleaner. She is on ad lib hay - up to a bale a day and drinks a lot - she has a 5 gallon tub which is often nearly empty in 24 hours which whilst healthy, means she poos and pees a huge amount.

Our previous clydesdale was the same - Cairo went all over the stable and again, large horse in a smallish stable.

One day I would love to have her in a 14 x 14 stable, but finding these to rent in our area are few and far between.

In the meantime I dream of 1st May when she goes out for six months and it is only a barrow of poo a day I have to take off the field.
 
I have my ID on pellets (not LWP) and bed in exactly the same way as Theresa F. He is a big lad and very active in the stable and I have no problems at all . I used Hunters for years but with two horses on them it got to the point where the cost was ridiculous so I changed over to pellets last year. I wouldnt go back.
 
I don't wet my pellets anymore. I just chuck em down and mix em in. Bit crunchy the first night but the nags don't mind - can't be any lumpier than the ground they sleep on in summer.

I have a lovely, clean Arab and a very dirty Ardennes X. I have learnt that most of the lumps I was throwing out was actually dry but mashed together because of box walking. So instead of shoelling it all into a barrow, I now sort out a little more of the lumpy bits.

I have now run out of pellets and got myself some shavings for the Arab for Xmas treat. I HATE MUCKING THEM OUT. It has proved to me that pellets are sooooo much easier to use.
 
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I've been on WP's for over a year now and I think they are fantastic! They are so easy to use and keep clean. With the exception of one mare all of my horses have been really dirty in their stables and WP's have been the best bedding for them. It was a life changing experience after having 3 mingers on straw and mucking out taking 3hrs!!

My stables have full rubber matting and have a full pellet bed on back half. To start a new bed I put in around 3-4 bags of pellets and water them with a watering can (need a suprising amount of water) then leave them for at least 20 mins before forking them and turning them over, re-watering if required and hey presto I have a big bed.

Alternatively I empty a bag into a wheel barrow and pour in small amounts of water at a time while mixing with a fork then leave it. Once it's fluffed up (about 10 mins max) I tip it into the stable and spread it out.

I take all the wet out every day with the droppings as I don't believe that the urine should be used to create a firm bottom or to mix the dry pellets into. To add more bed to it I either pour half a bag into the barrow and mix as before or just recently I tried sprinkling around half a bag of dry pellets straight onto the mucked out bed and this seemed to work really well.

My pellets are £3.80 for a 20kg bag and I use 1-1.5 bags a week with a very dirty box walking mare. I do a full muck out daily and her bed is always clean, never smells, not dusty and it takes less than ten mins to muck out.
 
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