Horse Bedding

SanNJay

hi

It's coming into winter and i'm contimplating what bedding to use for the horses. Up until now its just been straw but i think shavings are much handier to keep. Only one problem thou, how do you dispose of all the old shavings? Apparently you can't spread them on fields like straw and there hard to break down so what do you do with them? Is there a place that takes them away? Also average how much do they cost?

Looking forward to replies...

togster

Bails of sawdust, depending on quality are around 3-7 eur each. One bale/week usually.

I prefer sawdust. It's cleaner and easier to clean out. (My opinion)

You should contact local cattle farmers. They sometimes use sawdust to bed cattle. Contact mushroom farms. They also use it although they require it be well decomposed prior to removal.

Hope this helps

SanNJay

Hi Togster

Thanks for the reply but what i'm really trying to find out is what do you do with the old sawdust?

I live on a farm and we can't spread it on the fields like the decomposed straw because it takes so long to break down. Hence why we've used straw until now

However i'm going into my fourth year in college and I know the work load will be big, hence i want an quick way to muck out in the evenings because i'll be home late.

But i can't use it if i can't get rid of it.

MDFM

If you compact the shavings are firm/tight as possible in the dung heap you will find that they decompose quick enough. If you have a tractor with front bucket on it to compress it would do the job? Once decomposed it makes great compost for flower beds!

skink

you could alternatively buy bales of chopped straw, which are just as handy as bales of shavings to keep

SanNJay

well i wouldn't buy chopped staw because i've loads of straw and that would just defeat the purpose.

So if you compact it well it will decompose.

I wonder what livery's and big yards do with it?

togster

SanNJay wrote: »

I wonder what livery's and big yards do with it?

See my first post on this thread. We used to get a local farmer to take it away.

SanNJay

oh right..
but he couldn't of used it..

oh well never mind. think i'll go the compost route.

togster

SanNJay wrote: »

oh right..
but he couldn't of used it..

Again if you read my post, i said he used it for bedding cattle or pigs etc.

SanNJay

I did read your post however logically, the bedding would be dirty after all you took it out from the horses..

so the farmer was bedding his animals with dirty bedding. Dosn't make sense.

But thank you for all your posts. i do appreciate it.

Sandra

MDFM

SanNJay wrote: »

I did read your post however logically, the bedding would be dirty after all you took it out from the horses..

so the farmer was bedding his animals with dirty bedding. Dosn't make sense.

But thank you for all your posts. i do appreciate it.

Sandra

Not so if i'm correct..once the shavings have decomposed into compost they can be used as bedding in sheds where there are no slates. The compost is highly absorbant. I know a neighbour of mine who houses calves over the winter but doesnt have a slatted shed, gets spent compost from Bord na mona (gets it at discount as he's an employee) and also from a local riding school. It works very well as bedding for livestock as such - if enough off it is used then the run off is minimal.
A yard where i once kept my horse for a while also gave its dung/compost away to a local farmer for the same purpose. Again, once your shavings are compressed tight enough they will decompose. Its great compost for the flower beds aswell!!!

SanNJay

so it acts as an absorbant.

very good. and then i suppose by the end of the winter it will have decomposed along with the straw.

hmmm interesting.

Sandra

carlybabe1

The yard I used to work in used only shavings and tbh its not that much more time saving IMO, but we had a muck heap where they decomposed and once a year we would bag it and sell it to garden centers for about three quid per bag:) also farmers esp organic. We also used to get it really cheap from a paper plant, dont know the name as i didnt deal with them, but they would roll up with a dumper truck full. Only hassle was that we then had to wheel barrow it inside and shovel it into a firm stack. pain in the a** . Just a money saving tip as you are a smashed student:D an I know that feeling

SanNJay

carlybabe1 wrote: »

The yard I used to work in used only shavings and tbh its not that much more time saving IMO, but we had a muck heap where they decomposed and once a year we would bag it and sell it to garden centers for about three quid per bag:) also farmers esp organic. We also used to get it really cheap from a paper plant, dont know the name as i didnt deal with them, but they would roll up with a dumper truck full. Only hassle was that we then had to wheel barrow it inside and shovel it into a firm stack. pain in the a** . Just a money saving tip as you are a smashed student:D an I know that feeling

ha ha! yeah i know!

so, do you think i should stick with straw - seeing as i have loads of it.

MDFM

I hate straw, but like you, i have lots of it so really i couldnt be arsed wasting money on buying in more shavings till i use all the straw. I do find the shavings easier though when it comes to mucking out.

carlybabe1

If I were you I'd look around for supplies of shavings, then I would make sure that you had an outlet for the decomposed shavings,and having ascerted all that, use the straw asap being a bit more generous with the horses beds:p:D

carlybabe1

carlybabe1 wrote: »

If I were you I'd look around for supplies of shavings, then I would make sure that you had an outlet for the decomposed shavings,and having ascerted all that, use the straw asap being a bit more generous with the horses beds:p:D

What are you on?

AngelicRaindrop

we have used both here. and I really have to say prefer the straw, we had a horse with allergies so we used shavings and dust, I hated the stuff, I didnt find it less time consuming either.

If it were me I'd stick with the straw. if not... send some my way! I have to buy in the bales:D

SanNJay

I'd have to disagree there. Jason uses sawdust on his horses and the work with it is far less than straw. And there is much more waist with straw.

I asked around a few people and apparently, like people said earlier in this post, the sawdust is easily decomposed of. its woodchip that is hard to get rid of and i was mixing the two up.

i think i'll go the sawdust root.. have to get new stables finished first!

Thanks for all the tips

Sandra

Miss Tequila

straw is good for winter but i dunno how much...

plough

hi i recommend using KosiBed its a straw bed thats like shavings and its dust extracted its also fairly resonable in price:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

needadvice

Honestly I'd use the straw its free and baled shavings are expensive in Dublin and surrounding areas they more like 7-12 euro and i would use 3-4 bales a week well the yard I'm in uses half a bale every day on every horse minimun. Not least to add up cost of initial bed 20 bales or more.:eek:

But I love shavings myself.:o

plough

I Pay €4.50 a bale collected for the KosiBed and use 2 bales per week incliuding the 5 to start the bed it is as easy to use as wood Shavings and is a lot cleaner. it is easy to handle unlike straw. good straw is not cheap

togster

@ plough I've used that stuff and i found we ended up using way to much. The soakage wasn't great. Go with straw OP or regular shavings.

convert

If you have the straw already, then it doesn't really make much sense to spend extra cash buying in shavings or other beddings. If I've read your previous posts correctly, then you also have a means of disposing of it. Why create extra hassle for yourself? Not to mention unnecessary cost - hay and feed is expensive enough, without adding extra costs.

In addition, there is always the option of using a 'deep litter' bed for your horse during the week, even if on straw. Just muck him over each day, taking out the droppings and really wet straw, and give him extra bedding each night. Then do a full and proper muck out each week, at the weekend. Once the manure and really wet straw are taken out each day, you'd be surprised at how long the straw bed keeps, as well as ensuring that the horse won't get thrush from standing on a wet bed.

EMZ0907

i ride in a big enough yard and they just have big muck heeps and let it decompose and sell it as fertiliser for plants...where i keep my horse stabled is small and like MDFM said just pack in nice and tight and it does decompose quite fast and then can be used as compost or what ever after. im sure there will be ppl who would gladly take it off your hands!my grandad thinks all his christmas's have come at once when he comes up to take bags for his roses, god bless him!and his neighbours are always glad of some too....im sure you could shift it quick enough if you cant use it yourself:)but id save youself a few pennys and finish off what you have with the straw.....i know what its like watching every penny but trying to save time to do assignments, but theres no point in wasting the straw and spending more money!(again what MDFM lol!):D

napoles

I'm surprised to hear about farmers taking soiled (or broken down or composted or whatever) bedding that was previously used by horses.

My father as a dairy farmer was always careful to keep the calves away from the horses' soiled bedding as he said the urine in it could give them joint ill (or evil)?

convert

napoles wrote: »

I'm surprised to hear about farmers taking soiled (or broken down or composted or whatever) bedding that was previously used by horses.

My father as a dairy farmer was always careful to keep the calves away from the horses' soiled bedding as he said the urine in it could give them joint ill (or evil)?

In most cases the straw from the horses isn't used for calves, but for older cattle and weanlings. We'd always take out the manure and ultra wet straw before putting it under the cattle, though, as it lasts longer.