Which bedding is best?

Question

We are putting our pony in the stable but he eats his bed (straw) and don't know what is best. Any ideas? we thought about putting him on shavings or wood pellets and thought they would be okay but don't know which brands are best either. He is a 14.2hh palomino gelding connemara cross arabian. Thanks. Detailed answers are best so we get a better clue!

Answer 1

One thing that BUBBLES missed out - your pony wont eat shavings. LOL



Google or go to any search engine and type "Horse bedding"

There are loads of different types of bedding and all really priced around the same. say from £5 per bale/bag to about £11/£12.

Mine is on wood shavings, quite big ones, little dust and cost £8.30 per bale/bag. He is a 15.2hh cob and I use approx 1.5 bales/bags per week after laying 3 bags to start off with. Which was about what I was paying for straw and I didn't get much of that from my yard owner.. The floor is always dry with shavings, you may get a damp patch where he stales but the wet stays in one clump and is absorbed immediately. You will get to know where he stales and poos so basically you know where the clean stuff is. Throw the shavings up the wall and the droppings will roll out and down. Easy.

The shavings WILL turn darker through use but don't throw them out. You can either mix new in with it or just put clean on top (which | do) There will also be a very fine layer underneath as the weeks roll on (they all break up a bit) but I use this to cover the damp patch. He has a good 6"-9" bed every day. I don't know the name of a certain shavings but it is guaranteed NOT to stick to rugs, mane/tail. Anyway I hope you find a good one to suit you. Oh yes, you can even store them outside if necessary as they are in strong plastic bags. Any with holes in, use first.

You will get a very small muck heap and it breaks down quicker than straw. I put it in a plastic bag Any feed bag will do and put it by the gates so "gardeners" can collect if f.o.c.



I hang his hay nets over a clear space which I clear so he is not picking up shavings to eat.

There is a new bedding which is a 4" corrugated cardboard tube from Green Miles (see web site)

Answer 2

I always preferred a sawdust shavings mix. I know some people prefer the pellets but I can never get the water amount right so they aren't just standing on pellets or soaked bedding. I've also know some horses mistaking the pelleted stuff for feed.



Shavings are absorbent, cheap if you purchase a truckload, easy to to clean out and strip. Just shake the muck fork a bit to get the excess shavings off and you won't get that much waste. If a horse prefers a certain corner I will usually leave that corner plain dirt to save shavings as well.

Answer 3

Shavings. Don't get Hunter wood shavings - way too expensive (£9 a bale at Tally Ho Farm tack shop!) I also find them quite dusty.

We use large flake shavings (I don't think they are branded) but they only cost us £6/£7 a bale and are not dusty at all. My Connemara has bronchitis so everything has to be as dust free as possible (he also has soaked hay). Although he's on shavings, the stables either side of him are straw and he copes fine.



Shavings:

-Are easier to muck out

-Are cleaner than straw

-Are better for their respiratory systems

-Don't smell as bad as straw

-Last longer than straw - the horses on straw at my yard need new straw every 2 days, but my pony gets half a bale or a whole bale put in a week, depending on how deep or messy his bed is at the time.

-It's easier to get a deep bed from shavings

Answer 4

I think that shavings are best, my horse prefers them to sleep in. They are also cleaner, tidier and don't smell as bad. Shavings are specially designed for deep littering, so this makes your job easier and less time consuming. Though of course this doesn't mean you can't do a full muck out, as some people prefer to do this. Though once you start using them and try the different options you have with them you will soon be able to decide what you like best.

You don't have to take as much out of shavings as you do with straw, so in ways it is actually cheaper, depending on how messy your horse is and how often you do full muck outs, I would advise you do this at least once a week if you decide to only deep litter!



Summary of above:



Shavings are: Tidier, Cleaner, Less Smelly

They are less time consuming which makes your job quicker and easier

You have different options every day, whether you have time to full muck our or just skip out (deep litter)

They are supposedly more expensive but depending on how you use them and what you do, they can be a cheaper option.



As far as brands go I use Bedmax, which my horses seem to like. I have used them for a few years now and hey are really good.



I hope this was clear enough for you to understand, answered all your questions and was helpful. I have only mucked out wood pellets once before and in my opinion I prefer shavings.

Answer 5

Easibed / Allbed type woodchips. They are designed to be semi deep littered, in that you poop scoop daily (if not more often), and every 2 - 3 days the top is simply swept to one side. The wet sticks together like cat litter and this can be easily scooped up and removed. The old bedding is then pulled to the middle, and fresh put around the edges.



The product is virtually dust free. NO supply probs and about £2 cheaper than shaving of the same weight.

Answer 6

I personally like the sawdust type shaving..I feel they soak up better..Don't spend a fortune on them.I have never paid more than $5 a bag but its cheaper if you buy it in a truck load. Make sure the shavings have no dark chunks ( I believe its walnut) as it is toxic to horses.

Answer 7

Shavings. Easy to clean, absorbent, just good stuff.



You don't have to strip the entire stall with each cleaning, either (like you would with straw). It's easy to pick out poo piles and wet spots and then just pull the clean stuff into the middle.

Answer 8

shavings!! really absorbent sorry cant spell, that easy and fast to muck out, looks good, end up cheaper in the long run less wastage like you would get with staw as it doesnt absorb it it just passes throught it. works great with matting so you dont have to use as much of it. only thing i had a youngster that had never seen and desided to eat it!! :)

Answer 9

I never knew of J. Holiday until someone told me about "Bed." I fell in love with it the first time I heard the track. It's a nice soulful, love-making R&B track.

Answer 10

oh i use shavings. wood shavings. they are soft enough for the horses to lay down and are easy to clean out of! wood pellets? eh, no. sorry. shavings are good. you can get a fairly large bag for like $4.99 or less. pine shavings are good too. here is a link to Tractor Supply's shavings.



http://www.tractorsupply.com/tractor-supply-company-reg-flake-premium-pine-shavings-5027706

http://www.tractorsupply.com/livestock/livestock-bedding/tractor-supply-company-reg-fine-premium-pine-shavings-1011129



hope i helped! :)



Happy Trails!

Answer 11

definitely shavings, they are easier to clean and produce less waste, the horse won't eat them, there fairly cheap and there really easy to bank :}