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Discussion on Sawdust/wood shaving alternative?
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Member:
mandrie
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007 - 9:01 pm:
The woman where I board my gelding told me this evening that she is having a very hard time finding bedding-she usually uses wood shaving/saw dust, but the last load was very wet, more like mulch. Other stables in the area are also reporting similar problems finding bedding (northern Indiana). Does anyone have a suggestion for economical alternative? She has about 14 stalls-and the main barn has a concrete floor with pads so bedding is essential.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007 - 11:47 pm:
I have used bagged peat moss in a pinch...it is dark colored but it is very soft and absorbent. I actually like it better than shavings but wasn't sure if it is ok for horses maybe Dr.O. knows. I didn't have any ill effects from it. Straw is another alternative, but hard to clean. There's also the pelleted bedding, which personally I don't like...but many people do.
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 7:22 am:
The barn I board at uses the pelleted bedding. It's absorbant and easy to clean. I don't like it, mainly because I love the smell of fresh shavings and part of me thinks that it can't be comfortable to lie on...but the horses don't mind it and indeed do lie down on the pellets to sleep.
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 9:50 am:
I started using the pellets recently and my horses try to eat them (they're not hungry or lacking by any means). I end up squirting them down so much they turn to dust--don't know if I'm defeating the purpose or not. I will say there is much less waste when picking out manure, but I'm still on the fence on whether or not they're worth the extra money. You're supposed to DrOp a new bag in every week--at $7-8 per bag it kind of adds up.
I like to have a nice deep bedding and would imagine the pellets have a massaging action if deep enough, but definitely look uncomfortable with only a light layer. I don't know, mine are all dust anyway.
Does the sawdust coming in mold before it dries out?
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 10:25 am:
I've used wood pellets for several years now and love them. We buy the pellet stove type pellets not the ones labeled for animal bedding. I'm pretty sure they are the same pellets - the "animal" added to the label just ups the price. We haven't bought any yet this winter - the only ones I've seen were $200 a ton - which I thought was excessive. I've always wet them so they turn into sawdust. Can't imagine bedding horses on the pellets. It takes about 5-6 bags per stalls to start with then just add as needed. So much easier to store than a big pile of sawdust ! ! !
Cheryl
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Member:
teddyj1
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 1:04 pm:
Cheryl,
could you please tell us exactly what
brand of wood stove pellets you use?
I spoke with my feed dealer, as I use Woody Pet, regarding wood stove pellets, and he told me they were too hard, and don't break down the same way horse bedding does. This sounds plausible to me, because I would think a pellet designed to burn at high temps would need to be very hard in order not to burn too quickly. I know it only takes a small amount of water to make Woody Pet dissolve, and I can't imagine a wood pellet being so easy to dissolve.
I certainly do like the idea of using a cheaper alternative if it provides the same absorption, I would trade off for the deodorizing qualities Woody Pet has. 
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Member:
cpacer
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 2:30 pm:
Cheryl, when you add in new pellets do you wet them too? I'm just curious because I'm not sure if I'm using the pellets correctly or not. Sounds like you don't leave them in pellet form?
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 3:12 pm:
I love the pellet bedding, I am a convert.. But I only bed the wet spots.. I have mats down and need to save a few $$ here and there, bedding is one place i can be cheap on.. I never wet mine down..I let them wet them down for me or even crush 'em .. Makes cleaning so much faster / easier and there is just less waste in the compost pile..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 3:25 pm:
I love shavings, but sometimes can not get over to the mill to get them. Locally, they are super expensive; $10/bag as opposed to $3 at the mill.
So, I sometimes use wood stove pellets when I can't get shavings. I also use the pellets under a layer of shavings in the spots where the mares urinate all the time. They absorb readily, and keep the top layer of shavings dry.
If I bed the entire stall in pellets, I wet them down just like you are supposed to do with the Woody Pet. As far as I can tell, they are the same thing, except for the deoderant. I take out the really wet spots, and mix dry pellets in with the what is left in the stall. I haven't had a problem with odor. When I use the stove pellets under shavings, I just put a layer down dry, then put shavings on top. In the summer, when the horses go in and out of their stalls 24/7, the pellets used like Ann uses them work great.
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Member:
mandrie
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Posted on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007 - 8:14 pm:
Thanks for all the input. I will look into the wood pellets.
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 29, 2007 - 8:48 am:
I don't use a particular brand - if a choice were available I would buy the cheapest. Some people wet the pellets in the bag - I find it difficult to get the pellets out of the bag - I just dump them in a pile - spray with water - go do something - come back rake off the dissolved ones and spray again - there will be some pellets that don't dissolve but they eventually do - cleaning stalls with the pellet bedding is a breeze - very little waste as the sawdust falls through the fork with very little effort. I use bedding to give my horses a dry soft place to lay down. I'm not worried about clean-up time - I pick the pasture twice a day and actually cleaning manure out of the stalls is easier than hacking it out of ice
Cheryl
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New Member:
laraby
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 29, 2007 - 11:48 am:
I highly recommend recycled paper if you can find it. It is very popular in England/Europe. I don't use bedding (our horses are in a run-in shed) but actually found a source and provided paper bedding to several European teams in Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics.
I did a lot of research at that time, which showed it's safe for animals and when applied to land. My source's material was not dusty.
There's prob. more up-to-date info available now.
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New Member:
lynnebc
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Posted on Friday, Nov 30, 2007 - 1:08 am:
I have been using pellets for a couple of years now and would never go back to shavings. My horses are only stalled overnight for the late fall/winter period (Nov to about March/April) and the rest of the time they are out in the hogs fuel ring or pasture so the cost is not really an issue. Storage is easy and the dust is minimized.
When I first make up the stalls at the beginning of the season I put 6 bags of pellets per 12 x 12 stall (a bag is 40 lbs). To make the pellets ready for bedding I put two bags at a time in the wheelbarrow, then add water to the wheelbarrow until it just covers the pellets by about 1/2 inch and leave it in the stall. The pellets hydrate and tumble to the floor of the stall (think of popcorn). After about 90 minutes I tip the rest of the contents of the wheelbarrow onto the floor and put the next two bags of pellets in the wheelbarrow and continue the process until all 6 bags are hydrated per stall.
Clean up is really easy and there is no urine smell at all. There is also no risk of getting shavings from tree species that may cause some horses to be sensitive as the pellets are heat treated pine. Each week I add another 1-2 bags of pellets per stall. I muck out in the morning before going to work, and hydrate the pellets as already described so they are ready when I get home at night.
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Friday, Nov 30, 2007 - 9:40 am:
I use pellets also - in the run for my mare and when it is cold in her stall.
The only concern I ever had was: could the stove pellets possibly contain black walnut? Maybe I should contact the company just to make sure. Most of the stove pellets here do not specify the type of wood used.
All the positive posts here make me think that apparently that is not an issue.
Has anyone looked into that?
Lilo
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Friday, Nov 30, 2007 - 9:56 am:
Lilo - are you sure the bag does not indicate the type wood used - White Pine seems to be used in this area - If you are concerned you can call the manufacturer - I wouldn't think there would be a problem with Black Walnut in Colorado -
Cheryl
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Friday, Nov 30, 2007 - 6:35 pm:
Cheryl - I have to buy a new bag to find out. I think the last bag said something like: assorted hardwoods.
Lilo
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 - 8:07 am:
Lilo - just go to your supplier - tell them you need to know specifically what wood is used - either have them give you the phone number or have them call - Does Colorado have Black Walnut ? I grew up there - remember huge Oak trees - all sorts of Aspen and pine but no nut trees of any kind.
Cheryl
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Member:
ajudson1
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Posted on Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 - 9:46 am:
We had a ton of wood pellets delivered yesterday for our pellet stove. I told the supplier that some people are using them for bedding, and asked if he was familiar with that. His reply was that there are differences in the 2. The ones for animal bedding have the bark on them, the ones we burn are a little more "refined". I think they are made the same shape and size though. Don't know if that is something that helps ya all, I don't know anything about pellets for bedding but thought I'd put this out there for you.
Ours are MI hardwoods, not sure what specifically.
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New Member:
kalllie
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Posted on Monday, Dec 29, 2008 - 8:41 pm:
Hi,,,The barn where I board is trying fine wood chips that in some areas resemble almost like mulch. I was worried that the horses would try eating it, but so far they have no interest. He puts it in really thick--about 6 inches. We get ALOT of hard rain (So. Cal.) and has been an answer to very muddy stalls. Can anyone see a negative with this. I am fairly new to all of this. Thank you.
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Member:
remmi
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Posted on Monday, Dec 29, 2008 - 9:53 pm:
I use Best Cob - it's pelleted ground corn cobs. It is extremely absorbent, sort of like kitty litter. It's not dusty and it cuts way down on stall cleaning time. We haul away our manure each week so it really helps to use Best Cob as we aren't wasting bedding. It takes one bag per week for most horses, but I have two horses that urinate A LOT and I have to use two bags. Cost is $5.99 per bag if you order by pallet quantity.
I love the look of shavings but they are not nearly as absorbent as Best Cob.
I use Comfort Stall floors so I don't have to bed for comfort, just enough to soak up urine.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 - 10:16 am:
Heidi, do the horses try to eat this Best Cob? I wonder as it is a form of corn??? My gelding i have to be very careful with he will munch on shavings and the pelleted beddings.. I have found that i have to mix is up with some old urine bedding to keep his nose from eating at it..  So he NEVER really gets a completely fresh bed
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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Member:
remmi
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 - 11:16 am:
Ann, if your gelding tends to munch on bedding I would not use Best Cob. The majority of horses won't eat it (none of mine do) but I do have a few friends who have had to switch back to shavings due to their hungry steeds. On the Best Cob web site they say it does not harm a horse if they eat it since it's basically fiber, but I do have a friend who's horse had colic and they think it might have been due to eating the Best Cob.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008 - 11:32 am:
Heidi thanks.. that is the feed back i needed to hear..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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