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Discussion on Rice hull or sweet pdz
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New Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 3:15 pm:
I just moved my horse into a new facility. The stall flooring is dirt and it makes for a mess w/ pee puddles. I've been using dry stall and even mixed drystall and cedarest but it gets costly and seems like it needs new bedding quickly. anyone tried using rice hull or sweet pdz? i really would like to bring down my bedding costs. any advice is appreciated
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New Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 3:14 pm:
anybody have any ideas??
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 7:32 pm:
Sweet PDZ is good for controlling the smell - does not do anything for the moisture. It is not a bedding. I use the granular form to keep down the smell, especially in the summer.
My horses do not have bedding in the stalls, just rubber mats (to try and discourage peeing in the stalls) since they are never locked up. In their paddocks I like to use stove pellets - when moistened, they swell up and form kind of a sawdust. Oak pellets don't swell up as much - pine and softer wood pellets work better.
Don't know if this helps,
Lilo
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 8:07 pm:
I find that what keeps bedding costs down the best is plenty of turnout .
Depending on where you live and what is available bulk, you could try hogs fuel, shredded paper, or many other substances I've seen people post here about in the past.
Are you the only one using bedding? Maybe a bunch of you could buy shavings in bulk?
Erika
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New Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Thursday, May 21, 2009 - 9:34 pm:
thanks for the responses. i am using mainly dry stall. i mixed it with cedarest when i set up the stall. now i switched just back to dry stall. i'm not allowed to put shavings or straw in there because of the ranch owners rules. the dry stall definetly helps but gets expensive replacing it. i'm trying to find something that lasts a long time and brings down the maintance costs.
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Member:
cheryl
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 8:40 am:
Danielle - the only way I know of to eliminate odor in stalls with dirt floors is to install mats - stall skins might be cheaper - I've never used them - With the mats it's easy to see the wet spots and as easy to remove them - especially if you are using saw dust for bedding rather than shavings. With the mats my stalls were always clean smelling - without them yucky poo 
Cheryl
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 10:46 am:
Danielle, I am curious what reason the ranch owner gives for not allowing shavings or straw for bedding??? I've never heard of that before. If the horse is locked in, you need to use something absorbent to soak up the urine, otherwise you will be fighting a losing battle. As Lilo said sweet pdz will help the smell but won't absorb moisture. The cheapest bedding for urine absorption you will find will be dependent on your location ..
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 11:10 am:
Stall skins work great; I've a friend who has them and she loves them. However, as mentioned above, if the horse is locked in a stall, there needs to be absorbant bedding on top of whatever flooring you are using. With just dirt, not only will the floor just get worse - mucky and smelly, but there will soon be a big hole where ever the horse pees. And, where you try to clean up the mess. PDZ is "the best" for odor controll, but isn't bedding. Lyme mixed in the dirt works good, too, but HAS to be under deep bedding as it will cause burns to the horse's skin.
Another point about bedding of some kind, if you don't have soft stall mats, or bedding down your horse can develop sores on it's fetlocks and hocks from lying down on the hard, rough, dirt floor, unless the "dirt" is really sand. Sand presents it's own problems: if the horse eats off of it, it will make the horse very prone to sand colic and enteroliths.
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 3:31 pm:
my horse is in a 12x24 stall front part has shelter and mats, back part is outside. back of stall is more sand type than hard dirt. i use the dry stall to help absorb where my mare pees. if i were to leave it just dirt (sand) it will create puddles. the stall smells fine, i think dry stall helps with that. the reason for not allowing shavings in the stall is because they will blow away in the uncovered part. It's a pipe stall. As for the food my horse has a feed bin so she's not actually eating off the flooring. With the dry stall it prevents puddles, you can walk over the wet spot and it still stays fine not a gross puddle. I might try mixing in some rice hulls to see if it helps prolong the life of the dry stall and the maintance. i'm pretty new to this site still and i really appreciate all of your feedback
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 11:36 pm:
I LOVE Dry Stall. I've never found anything better. I've put it down around my water tubs, paddocks, runoff areas - anywhere there was a moisture problem. It's been down for 3 years, and I haven't had to replace it. My only problem is that my feed stores don't carry it anymore. When I go to the Dry Stall website, they just keep saying that a list of dealers will be posted soon.
I really hate to be without a supply of it. Danielle, what dealer do you find it at? I NEED MY DRY STALL. To anyone who hasn't used this stuff....this is NOT Stall Dry.
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Friday, May 22, 2009 - 11:52 pm:
Lee, You are like the innovator!
I checked out your tick recommendations , now this?! tell me what else I don't know?
Erika
PS, I will share undies shopping secrets....
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 2:17 am:
Lee, I'm not sure where you live, I get dry stall at Red Barn and Feed. I am in southern cali but most feed stores that supply shavings seem to have it. the dry stall is really good stuff. I really like that it doesn't make a mess but my horse definetly moves it around in her stall and while it helps with the puddles I'm hoping mixing it with the rice hull will help the amount of bags used when I do have to add more. I just added rice hull tonight so we'll see how it goes 
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 11:19 am:
Lee - I have had the same problem as you. I can't get a response from Dry Stall - I wonder if they are just available in California????
Lilo
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Member:
paul303
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Posted on Saturday, May 23, 2009 - 11:33 pm:
Danielle, I am in NJ, the opposite side of the country! Oh! Woe is me!
Lilo - - Don't say that!!! You'll jinx us! My feed store told me that Agway is supposed to distribute it......I haven't gotten there yet....I'm afraid to go and find out that they don't carry it. Is this always the way, or WHAT??? You find a product that absolutely delivers what it promises....AND YOU CAN'T GET IT ANYMORE!! Although I'm so glad that you let me know that I'm not the only one. Thanks, Lilo.
Ummm, Erika? That's OK, you can keep your undies secrets to yourself.....ya know??? I have raingear to cover my head, and napkins to use in a pinch....and I don't need a parachute - due to a deep seated fear of heights.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009 - 8:42 pm:
Hi Danielle,
How did the Rice hulls work out for you? I live in Murrieta, Ca and I have stall skins. The rice hulls sound like they would work real well with permeable mats. Are the bags very expensive?
Cynthia
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009 - 10:35 pm:
Hey Cynthia,the rice hulls were actually around $8 - $9 dollars a bag and that was with the tax. Actually I like the rice hulls, my mare ate them at first and then stopped. The only problem with them is that it attracts the ground squirels and the chickens would be in her stall kind of pecking through them (the ranch has chickens). The bag was huge though for the price! The lady that boards her horse right next to mine said she uses stable blend and is really happy with it. So this bedding round I finished the rice hulls and put the stable blend on top of that. Stable blend turns from pellets into a really nice sawdust form. I think I might stick with the stable blend and use the dry stall more towards winter time. If you horse is inside though and there's no ground squirels or chickens you might like rice hulls. Let me know what you decide
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 - 1:15 pm:
Hi Danielle,
I have tried the pellets and I was told that they are supposed to be wetted down to fluff them up. I have stall skins and the pellets tend to clog the pores that let the urine drain through. My horses are outside all day and come in at night. My arab gelding eats the shavings as well so hopefully he will leave the rice hulls alone. How many bags do you think to fill a 12x12 stall a couple inches deep? Where I live chickens have to be kept in an enclosure or the coyotes will kill them.
Cynthia
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 - 3:30 pm:
cynthia, the rice hull bags are about the same size as a bag of shavings. If you've used shavings in that stall before you'd probably need the same amount of rice hulls. Since the bags are pretty big I would think the 12x12 stall would take a couple of bags to get it a couple inches thick. I was looking at the stall skins website, I wonder if I could use that in the exposed back portion of my horses stall and put the bedding on top of that...what do you think about using the stall skins outdoors with bedding on top? Is it soft enough for the horse to sleep on? Your right with the stable blend you are supposed to wet them to get them to fluff. With the water and the horse peeing on it regularly it does make a nice sawdust type bedding.
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Member:
leslie1
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 - 4:23 pm:
I am now facinated with DRY Stall, I just ordered 2 bags from SS. Should be here friday. I am going to put it in the spots Lee suggested. Soooo sick of the mud!
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 - 6:30 pm:
Hi Danielle,
When my husband and I installed the Stall Skins we dug about 8 inches of dirt out of the stalls then put 3/4 inch rock in. We used a vibrating plate to settle and level the rock. Then I put down landscape fabric I bought at White Cap in Temecula. Its like the Stall Skins but much thinner. On top of that I put 2 inches of sand, be careful it is not the kind that becomes like cement after it gets wet. After raking it smooth I suggest that you sprinkle Sweet PDZ on it. Then put down the Stall Skins. You need to line the stall with boards to screw the Stall Skins to so that it doesn't slide around. If this is to much expense a friend of mine who had a pipe barn lined the stalls with 2x6 boards and filled the stalls with a thick layer of sand. Every couple of years she added more. Does she pull the hay out of her feeder? I would watch her at feeding time to find out. My horses hated those hanging feeders with hay racks and dumped the hay on the ground. I found a design of feeder made from a plastic barrel hung sideways with a hole cut in it. It worked great because it has plenty of room for the hay and whatever else you put in it. I ended up making them for lots of people, my vet even sent a lady to buy one for her colicy horse. The stable she boarded at ended up buying 30 more.
Cynthia
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Friday, Jun 19, 2009 - 1:38 am:
Cynthia, I am going to do some more research on stall skins and financially see if I should put them in or wait until after summer when stalls stay drier. They sound great though for winter time. Actually the feeder you mention is what my horse has. It's a barrel hung on it's side with a big hole so my mare can put her face in and eat. She eats out of the barrel. I haven't seen her knock hay on the ground. I hope the rice hulls work out for you and your horse
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Friday, Jun 19, 2009 - 7:03 pm:
HI Danielle,
I'm happy to hear that your mare has one of those feeders, she is far less likely to eat off of the ground. Until I got my own place to keep my horses I had no idea that they pulled their hay out and ate it off the ground. It's a big problem if there is sand around to ingest. Or like the problem I had in the winter when they trampled their hay into the mud. I eventually solved the mud problem by adding more shelter and ditches.
I once helped horse sit for some people while they went on a trip and they did something very different. They had a barn stall their two horses could come and go into as they wished. It had rubber mats and on top they put straw they first ran through a chipper. The straw was chopped very small so it was easy to clean up the manure but the wet straw stuck together so it wasn't hard to pick up either. I have thought about trying it myself as straw is cheap and you could get a lot of bedding out of one bale.
Cynthia
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Friday, Jun 19, 2009 - 7:16 pm:
Sorry I just reread where you said that you can't use shavings or straw. Maybe because it blows out of the open stalls.
Cynthia
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Member:
muffi
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Posted on Friday, Jun 26, 2009 - 4:11 am:
Danielle - are you able to alter the stall at all - but that i mean create a lower barrier of a 10 inch or 12 inch board around the bottom fo the stall? that would keep the shavings from blowing away. I used to board in a desert place in AZ where they guy did that - it was really nice then we all had our shavings and the wind didn't blow them all away.
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Member:
dani1980
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 27, 2009 - 7:08 pm:
hey muffi actually i did put a wood border around the sides of the stall so my horse won't get cast and can't kick her neighbors. i started using the stable blend and i really like it. i think i'm going to stick with that and go back to the dry stall in the winter time
p.s cynthia how did the rice hulls work out for you?
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 28, 2009 - 6:51 pm:
Danielle-I haven't gotten any yet, I need to take up my stall skins and replace the sand layer. It's been over 4 years since I installed them and they need a good pressure wash. I want to wait til after that to try the rice hulls.
Cynthia
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