Yes another how do you...bedding thread!

Trewsers

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Oct 13, 2004
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On an island
I used to have straw but there isn't any on the island this winter that is suitable for horses, so am using Bedmax. Which is driving me nuts! Can't have mats as the byre has a drainage ditch and it is too much like hard work to start cutting mats etc when the ditch is there and works plus I would worry over the step down and mats just sinking in (really have to see it to understand). Anyways, I wonder how you all make it work with shavings and no mats? Or can you recommend the auoboise? Also, how economical is that? We can get that but nothing else bar bedmax at £11 a bale - and I'm using seven a week:eek:
Roll on spring......:)
 
Aubiose is brilliant for deep littering and gives an excellent solid base,i used it down surry as did the whole yard but god its expensive. Bedmax for me gets so much waste as the flakes are so large, but i find that with nost shavings type beddings anyway. I used this http://www.colehay.co.uk/product/miscanthus-available-by-the-pallet-36-bales/ and it has been brilliant for a deep litter. Im on earth floor under this and it has set a solid base, i only take poos out and skim the top of the wet once a week but i have a good solid 5" base with it that ive only fully disturbed once in over 2 years and my bed isnt dusty or wet. I am going over to wood pellets purely as my horses are going to have a different set up now since Tigger came, they are going to have a walk in and out anytime "stable" at the back of the hemmel and Tigger will have the stable (long story :rolleyes:) and i feel it wont blow away so much. I don't know if it will work as well but im going to give it a try.
 
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My old stables had a drain gully and mats worked brilliant over it. Aubiose was great with Bo and pheonix as they were pretty settled in the box so didn't churn it up, once it packs it forms a lovely stable bed, I skipped out daily and removed the wet once a week and used 1/2 to 1 bale each a week. Jess was awful on it, she's very stressed in and very wet and full muck out or deep litter made no difference, she needed a whole new bed each week :eek: she is awful on anything tho, straw needed virtually a new bed daily and shavings it was weekly, even on just rubber mats it's still 1-2 barrows out each day o_O
 
God your Bedmax is expensive is it with being on the island? We use bedmax on mats in the stables and have no problems - a bale a week each if that but they are only small ponies and cleanish at that, however we do use it in the field shelter just on top of soil and it can get a bit yuk if particularly wet outside and paddled in
 
God your Bedmax is expensive is it with being on the island? We use bedmax on mats in the stables and have no problems - a bale a week each if that but they are only small ponies and cleanish at that, however we do use it in the field shelter just on top of soil and it can get a bit yuk if particularly wet outside and paddled in

Yes they have to factor in shipping up here costs.
 
My old stables had a drain gully and mats worked brilliant over it. Aubiose was great with Bo and pheonix as they were pretty settled in the box so didn't churn it up, once it packs it forms a lovely stable bed, I skipped out daily and removed the wet once a week and used 1/2 to 1 bale each a week. Jess was awful on it, she's very stressed in and very wet and full muck out or deep litter made no difference, she needed a whole new bed each week :eek: she is awful on anything tho, straw needed virtually a new bed daily and shavings it was weekly, even on just rubber mats it's still 1-2 barrows out each day o_O

I think Storm might just churn the auboise up. She is stabled at night next to his nibs, who comes and goes - but he addles her I think:rolleyes:
She was okay on straw. Gosh I didn't realise how much I would miss it!!
 
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Aubiose is brilliant for deep littering and gives an excellent solid base,i used it down surry as did the whole yard but god its expensive. Bedmax for me gets so much waste as the flakes are so large, but i find that with nost shavings type beddings anyway. I used this http://www.colehay.co.uk/product/miscanthus-available-by-the-pallet-36-bales/ and it has been brilliant for a deep litter. Im on earth floor under this and it has set a solid base, i only take poos out and skim the top of the wet once a week but i have a good solid 5" base with it that ive only fully disturbed once in over 2 years and my bed isnt dusty or wet. I am going over to wood pellets purely as my horses are going to have a different set up now since Tigger came, they are going to have a walk in and out anytime "stable" at the back of the hemmel and Tigger will have the stable (long story :rolleyes:) and i feel it wont blow away so much. I don't know if it will work as well but im going to give it a try.

I wonder if I'd have to empty the byre and start from scratch if I switched to something like the miscanthus? Hmm. It looks like nice stuff too.
Hehehe Tigger has a stable?! Brilliant:D
 
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It was actually bedmax down when i changed over, there was a thinner base of it as it just didnt settle well compared to aubiose and i took the large centre wet patch out but left the rest and just topped up on that, it was only about an inch but cant see any reason you cant start on top of it all over its just a different base structure your putting it onto :)
Oh Tigger did get his own sheep house but that is not upto standard and has done nothing but sit like an oversized dog kennel in my field since :rolleyes: i have had to completely redo the layout of my hard standing/hemmel including an extra 20 tonne of gravel and 4 new gates to ensure he has his own stable and the horses have their own space, spoilt rotten sheep doesnt even cover it :oops::rolleyes:
 
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I use New Flake - virtually the same as Bedmax but cheaper - on a chalk floor & I love it. I use 1-2 bales a week, but that's for a very deep bed right to the door, how many horses are you doing for 7 a week? I normally muck out fully each day, though if I'm in a rush I'll just poo pick for a day & the bed is still fine. Poo is removed with rubber gloves, then I use a normal fork to throw the bed up & find wet patches which are taken out before sweeping, putting the bed back & turning over the sides. I find shavings forks don't work with Bedmax or New Flake, the shavings are too big to sift through & I end up throwing out far too much good stuff.
 
I use New Flake - virtually the same as Bedmax but cheaper - on a chalk floor & I love it. I use 1-2 bales a week, but that's for a very deep bed right to the door, how many horses are you doing for 7 a week? I normally muck out fully each day, though if I'm in a rush I'll just poo pick for a day & the bed is still fine. Poo is removed with rubber gloves, then I use a normal fork to throw the bed up & find wet patches which are taken out before sweeping, putting the bed back & turning over the sides. I find shavings forks don't work with Bedmax or New Flake, the shavings are too big to sift through & I end up throwing out far too much good stuff.

Three horses but Zi has two apartments - at night he comes and goes as he pleases but does like using both beds!! So it's really four boxes. I've got a fair old layer down due to Storm scraping her hocks when we first came, lots of thick straw cured that so I like her to have plenty down. I don't use a shavings fork, well least I don't think it is one, it has quite narrow gaps between tines? The trouble is really because Zi excites her she does move about in there a lot and it seems to take me forever searching through it for poo now! Whereas Chloe whose apartment is right at the far end leaves lovely neat piles. Hmm.
 
We use Bedmax to keep a dry top as it drains well, Megazorb underneath for absorbing wet and mats on the bottom for warmth and protection. Mixing the quantities of each according to the horse. We only pay £6.50 per bale of either but spend less than £200 for five stabled TBs per month so averages out at well less than two bales per week for big beds and banks. Mucking out does not take long....throw Bedmax to edges picking out any droppings, fnd any wet patches of Megazorb, remove the worst and mix the rest in , top up as needed and pull Bedmax backover Top up banks as necessary with Bedmax
 
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Could you ship up bedding yourself? I used chopped straw (bales like shavings) and that was great with the boys, it was like mucking out shavings but didn't waft around as much and much more absorbent.
We used the 3rd one down on here http://www.norfolkstraw.co.uk/feeds/equine-bedding

Yes I did wonder about shipping something up. I used to love nedz bedz and did consider getting some up. But OH and I worked it out and tbh it didn't really amount to much of a saving, unless I could afford a whole lorry full. We have a great haulage company here that are willing to ship just about anything and very reasonably priced too, but it still didn't stack up unfortunately.

I think over the Christmas period when we have a few days away from work, we might have to come up with a different solution and go back to an in and out situation which worked well enough and didn't result in such over churned up beds. I just have to get my head around it now we have the three, because I have to make it so that all can come in and out freely and no one gets stuck.
 
Could you ship up bedding yourself? I used chopped straw (bales like shavings) and that was great with the boys, it was like mucking out shavings but didn't waft around as much and much more absorbent.
We used the 3rd one down on here http://www.norfolkstraw.co.uk/feeds/equine-bedding

Omg just looking at the straw and drooling!!! Lol what a great company that looks.
 
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Oh my goodness, it costs you a fortune for bedding!!! I would cry if I had to spend that much on something that was pissed and s**t on then threw out :eek:
I know its expensive as you are on an Island but could you not get together with other horse owners on the island in the same predicament and share the haulage costs on a full lorry full of bedding/straw ?
 
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Oh my goodness, it costs you a fortune for bedding!!! I would cry if I had to spend that much on something that was pissed and s**t on then threw out :eek:
I know its expensive as you are on an Island but could you not get together with other horse owners on the island in the same predicament and share the haulage costs on a full lorry full of bedding/straw ?

Yeah it might be an idea. Most folk either use mats or live out 24/7 so I'm guessing it doesn't worry them as much because they won't be needing as much.
This year was particularly wet and no hay got made either. Local farmers must have lost money, the one we previously bought lovely straw from had all this years crop ruined:(
 
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Yeah it might be an idea. Most folk either use mats or live out 24/7 so I'm guessing it doesn't worry them as much because they won't be needing as much.
This year was particularly wet and no hay got made either. Local farmers must have lost money, the one we previously bought lovely straw from had all this years crop ruined:(
I bet he'd appreciate you letting him know you'll be wanting next years, it's tough for farmers when crops don't come in, knowing they have a buyer for next year would be good :)
 
I bet he'd appreciate you letting him know you'll be wanting next years, it's tough for farmers when crops don't come in, knowing they have a buyer for next year would be good :)

Oh yes he knows we are wanting next years. We bought two hundred hayledge off him once we knew there was no hay, he ended up doing that instead. He originally was going to make hay which we provisionally booked - but the hayledge has been equally nice. He says he might have some straw in spring, we've already booked it, lol don't want to miss out. He's getting large amounts shipped up and might be making small bales - because the bales he's thinking of getting are the mahoosive ones but he's talking of an attachment to make square smaller ones. Sounds good to me! I can hardly wait.,thinking of all the money we'll save!!
 
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Oh yes he knows we are wanting next years. We bought two hundred hayledge off him once we knew there was no hay, he ended up doing that instead. He originally was going to make hay which we provisionally booked - but the hayledge has been equally nice. He says he might have some straw in spring, we've already booked it, lol don't want to miss out. He's getting large amounts shipped up and might be making small bales - because the bales he's thinking of getting are the mahoosive ones but he's talking of an attachment to make square smaller ones. Sounds good to me! I can hardly wait.,thinking of all the money we'll save!!
That's good, it's always worth keeping a friendly farmer on side :D
 
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At that price I'm afraid I would be leaving them out with extra rugs. I couldn't afford that for one week let alone the whole winter.
 
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