Assessing the cost efficiency and benefits of bedding materials

Pine shavings a tried and true bedding material. The trick is to find an inexpensive source.
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Assessing the cost efficiency and benefits of sawdust, pinewood, and rubber wood shavings as bedding materials
J Equine Vet Sci. 2024 Feb 3:105018. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105018. Online ahead of print.
Authors
N I M Zailani 1 , F Hanis 2 , M A M Anuar 3
Affiliations

1 Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, University of Technology Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
2 Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia. Electronic address: farahhanis@utm.my.
3 Department of Built Environment and Surveying, School of Professional & Continuing Education, University of Technology Malaysia, 54000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PMID: 38316315
DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105018

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of using sawdust, pinewood shavings, and rubber wood shavings as horse bedding materials. Nine horses were used in a repeated measure design, where each horse was provided with each of the bedding materials for two consecutive weeks. The weight, cost, mucking out time, ammonia emissions, and urine holding capacity were measured and calculated for each bedding material. Results showed that pinewood shavings had the highest urine-holding capacity, while rubber wood shavings had the lowest absorbency for urine. Pinewood shavings also had lower ammonia emissions compared to sawdust and rubber wood shavings but were significantly more expensive. Sawdust was the cheapest of the three bedding materials, but it was used in greater quantities, which required more time for mucking out. The findings from this study could be used to make informed decisions on bedding materials for stables, taking into consideration the trade-off between cost, maintenance requirements, and labor hours.

Keywords: Ammonia emission; Bedding materials; Equine industry; Horse; Stable management.