Yarding/Turn out in barn

[Magicmillbrook]

We are having a bit of a crisis with turn out ATM. We have one trash paddock for the winter and a small treat paddock. The rest having been reseeded. Biblical rainfall for the last 40 days and nights (or so it seems) have rendered the trash paddock trashed already!

We have no stables until 1st week in dec (everything crossed) so I have cajoled the OH into letting me have his barn until the stables are up and running. His barn has pp and he is awaiting building controls permission before he can start converting it into an industrial unit.

Any hoo barn is big - about 20m by about 35m, double height, good ventilation, block built, concrete floor. It has been totaly stripped out so no nast bits of metal etc. Double sliding doors at the front, and OH is going to weld two hinges on the frame tommorow so we can pinch a field gate and have one door open.

We are going to have 4 in it, one 15.2 cob, one 14.1 cob cros a 13 hh welsh and a 10/11hh Welshland. They all get on well and have lived together for over a year (two have been field mates for 7 years). In the past I have seen them all in a 10x15 fieldd shelter - I kid you not!

Do you think it would be ok to just straw/shavings over about 1/4 - 1/3 the floor? I was thinking about having two big areas for lying/peeing. We will probably put hay on floor, possibly in nets one on each wall to keep everyone well away from each other. Would you worry about leaving areas bare concrete. I Just think it would be sooo expspensive to cover the whole floor for (hopefuly) 3/4 weeks.

Can you forsee any other problems pitfalls that I havent thought of? I am a bit of a worrier.

Sorry this is a bit long

 

[nativetyponies]

i barn a few of mine..

if you can get hold of round bale straw, then just unroll it to the size of your wee/poo area and layer it, dont shake it up, as you'll expose the floor if its "fluffed" up.

and deep litter, by just rolling over fresh straw every few days...and when you've finished useing the barn, just scrape the whole lot out.

easy

 

[frostie652]

well really its just 4 giant open plan stables isnt it well id put straw/shaving beds down in each four corners, each with their own hay nets so that theres plenty of seperation and no competition for the hay, possibley a bale of hay ad-lib in the middle for the majority of the food but still the haynets incase anyones picked on and two water souces in the middle on each side?

aslong as they each have plenty of space to lie down comfortably away from each other I wouldnt worry about the rest f the floor being concrete- itd belike that in a normal stable anyway

 

[Magicmillbrook]

well really its just 4 giant open plan stables isnt it well id put straw/shaving beds down in each four corners, each with their own hay nets so that theres plenty of seperation and no competition for the hay, possibley a bale of hay ad-lib in the middle for the majority of the food but still the haynets incase anyones picked on and two water souces in the middle on each side?

aslong as they each have plenty of space to lie down comfortably away from each other I wouldnt worry about the rest f the floor being concrete- itd belike that in a normal stable anyway

My stables at the old house were all rubber matted. We have the matting still ready for the new stables, not sure I will be able to convince OH to help me shift it all to the opposite side of the property for just a temp measure . We ended up moving it all abuot 4 times prior to moving and he swore that it is only going to be moved once more!

 

[AmyMay]

Do you think it would be ok to just straw/shavings over about 1/4 - 1/3 the floor?

No, you're going to have to bed it down properly with straw.

Will work brilliantly once you've done it though.

 

[amandap]

I barn my lot and they have 24/7 access to a yard from it. One big bed/pee area should be fine, it works well for mine. The only problem may be of slipping on the concrete when wet if they're shod. I like the bare concrete in areas for mine as none of them are shod and it helps keeping them trim.

I personally would never go back to stables, the only one I seperate at night in winter is my TB so she can have unsoaked hay but she is in an ajoining barn with wood divider so she can reach over into the other bit to play with her boyfriend!

Oh I have 3 bigger horses and 3 mini shetlands all in together as a herd happily.

 

[AndySpooner]

If it was me I'd straw the lot as it would work out about the same as doing a lesser amount, but having to bed down more frequently.

As far as feeding them goes you will probably find that they move each other round the piles of hay on the floor, which is good as it keeps them moving.

We have two loose housed and they are happier eating from the same pile all the while rather than moving each other on.

A few years ago, we had four horses in four separate stables, as an experiment we deceided to open the doors and let them have access to all 4 stables and a paddock. We fed hay in the stables. The horses chose to share a stable, eat all the hay then move onto the next. As they were all quite large they sorted themselves out into pairs to go in the stables and eat, as 4 couldn't fit into one stable together, which I'm sure that they would have preferred. The pairs were interchangable and there was no fighting or bullying. Two were geldings and two were mares.

Your horses will love being loose housed I'm sure, and it will be a sad day for them when the stables are ready.

 

[Dolcé]

We did this with 3 of our ponies who had always been together when we had our own place. They had a huge foaling box which, admittedly, was all bedded with shavings, but nowhere near as big as the area you have! I would be tempted to bed enough that they all have room to spare for resting and perhaps thrown a scattering of shavings or similar, cheapest you can get, over the bare area just to provide a bit of grip if it is needed. I used to hang haynets from the rafters so that there were plenty if the mare got bolshy over food and she wasn't forever kicking the boys off theirs. I would do this again tomorrow if I got the chance rather than wintering them outside in the mud!

 

[amandap]

Oh feeding...mine are fed in low tied nets and nets loose on the ground, on the ground in lots of small piles in the yard (where they seem to lie as it's gravel) and also in hay hutches but I find these quite messy so only use them if I have to leave them longer between top ups. A variety of dispensers and if I'm late and don't have time for nets they just get more and bigger piles and hay hutches. All very flexible.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I barn my lot and they have 24/7 access to a yard from it. One big bed/pee area should be fine, it works well for mine. The only problem may be of slipping on the concrete when wet if they're shod. I like the bare concrete in areas for mine as none of them are shod and it helps keeping them trim.

I personally would never go back to stables, the only one I seperate at night in winter is my TB so she can have unsoaked hay but she is in an ajoining barn with wood divider so she can reach over into the other bit to play with her boyfriend!

Oh I have 3 bigger horses and 3 mini shetlands all in together as a herd happily.

I think OH is worried that this may work a bit too well and an eviction order will have to be made to get us out!

Re slipping 3 out of 4 are unshod. There shouldnt be any wet areas as the barn is bone dry and I presume they will pee on the bedded areas. Will perhaps see how it goes tommorow and if the big one looks like she might slip convince OH to help me move the rubbers mats, or perhaps try to convince daughter to try coblet barefoot too. TBH the slip risk is probaly far greater in the field ATM, though I guess a softer landing - When I poo picked this morning the mud was so sticky it retained my welly whilst the momentum of me shoving full wheelbarow through 3 inches of sticky clay made foot and welly part company. I mangaed to just put one foot down and not land face first!

If this happens to you, take your sock off, dont put your muddy foot back into your welly!!!!