lroy
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Posts: 435
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Post by lroy on Dec 22, 2011 16:13:55 GMT 1
I have just got my first delivery of shavings today- the company I work for have just started doing them and the staff discount made them cheaper than straw(my current bedding) so made sense to switch over and TBH I have wanted to switch for ages. So having never really worked with shavings to any great length just thought I'd ask if anyone had any tips etc. I am putting them onto concrete at the mo but hope to order mats in the new year. I was planning to put down a good few bags to make a nice comfy bed and to lift out the wet etc everyday so underneath doesn't get smelly. Should I be covering the whole floor right down to the door?
Your experiences greatly appreciated. (She is only in at night)
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Post by julz on Dec 22, 2011 17:17:00 GMT 1
I used to do a thick bed (but let it build up to a thick bed) and have it as semi deep litter too.. that way horse could have a thick bed, that on the bottom was thick, sturdy (easier grip for getting up that hooves didnt go through to the floor (I had an oldie) and a fluffier top to keep it clean. For semi deep littering you don't take the wet out, only the droppings, and perhaps after a few weeks and once a week from then on, take some of the wet that's building up, by skimming off the top, not digging out. Left a comfortable bed that was easy to muck, and had it's own central heating. I would do bed to about 2' from the door as horse would kick it to the door anyway Also once a week when the base is built up and firm, you can "lift" the top of the base, and air the base, this will help to dry it out and be less stinky with mats, only a couple bales at time will be needed and for some people that's spoiling the horse ( i know of one person who would only give the horse a bucketful in order to just soak up the wee.
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Post by Serenbean & Justine on Dec 22, 2011 20:24:28 GMT 1
get a shavings fork ;D
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Post by jen1 on Dec 23, 2011 2:37:23 GMT 1
o i pride my self on shavings beds,lol i don't have a life, what drives me mad is when people dig into wet and turn it over and then try and take the wet out, what i do all done with a snow shovel , aka my orange machine only thing he can't do is make a brew, i take all the dry away leaving the wet undisturbed , when ive done that i flick off any dry and simply scoop the wet out, that's after ive taken all the dropping out by hand,
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Post by gordo on Dec 23, 2011 8:57:50 GMT 1
so how long do u leave the wet in Goddess Jen??
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lroy
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Posts: 435
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Post by lroy on Dec 23, 2011 12:18:44 GMT 1
Well put her bed down last night and so funny to watch her in it- burying her head and trying to eat the shavings etc. I have a shaving fork so am ok there. My idea was to pull back all the dry and dig out wet each time so that I never get to the stage of having a whole disgusting bed to take away but now not sure- I have friends who have stable with hard core bases and they never take away the underneath but do scrape back in summer to let it dry out but the bed biodegrades naturally cos its free drainage- her beds are the loveliest I have ever seen and do not smell at all. But I won;t be able to acheive that on concrete. It would be far easier to not pull back and dig out the wet but am worried it will stink. I guess I will need to do some experimenting. And I did do it up to 2 feet from the door. Thanks guys for your help
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2011 12:43:55 GMT 1
I think you'll have to see how you go. When talin is in a normal sized stable he'll do all his wee's in the same spot which makes mucking out really easy, in an extra big stable he was disgusting and trampled it all about. I think what Jen means is when some people dig right down through the whole bed with their fork, turn the fork load over, then try to take the wet off the top - which IME means you end up either throwing away clean shavings or leaving wet ones in there. I scrape the clean off the top then scoop all the wet out, assuming his lordship hasn't mashed it all in together for me
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Post by Johanna&Yorkie:) on Dec 23, 2011 12:54:57 GMT 1
we used to have shavings and we made a thick bed to start with and through the week take all the poo out , and at the end of the week we used to take the wet out and put one more full bag of shavings on top,,, Seemed to suit yorkie fine
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Post by cookie on Dec 23, 2011 19:44:47 GMT 1
I used to do the riding school ones on concrete. If you don't semi-DL, and it's my preference not to, then as Jen says, rubber glooves for the poo, lift all the clean up and shovel out the proper wet. If you have glooves for the poo you won't need a shavings fork, just a shovel. If you can't bear to pick the droppings by hand you ll need both Like julz, a couple of feet from the door We have mats now so he only gets prob less than a quarter of the bed he d get on concrete and quite a lot comes out. It saves on labour but I'm not sure it saves a lot on shavings tbh.
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Post by gordo on Dec 23, 2011 21:51:08 GMT 1
I think we are gonna do this, makes for a warmer bed as well as keeping costs down ETA: For anyone wondering, I wasnt being rude to Jen when i called her Goddess, just giving her a title she truly deserves for being a top bird
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Post by cookie on Dec 23, 2011 22:52:13 GMT 1
I thought we all knew she's a godess, those horses of hers live in a palace lol
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Post by jen1 on Dec 24, 2011 2:44:07 GMT 1
so how long do u leave the wet in Goddess Jen?? a day or maybe 2 , given that there only in for a 4 to 6 hours per day, almost everday, until silly season then there living out atm,
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Post by jen1 on Dec 24, 2011 2:45:35 GMT 1
I used to do the riding school ones on concrete. If you don't semi-DL, and it's my preference not to, then as Jen says, rubber glooves for the poo, lift all the clean up and shovel out the proper wet. If you have glooves for the poo you won't need a shavings fork, just a shovel. If you can't bear to pick the droppings by hand you ll need both Like julz, a couple of feet from the door We have mats now so he only gets prob less than a quarter of the bed he d get on concrete and quite a lot comes out. It saves on labour but I'm not sure it saves a lot on shavings tbh. gloves ? your posh ;D
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Post by jen1 on Dec 24, 2011 2:46:23 GMT 1
I think we are gonna do this, makes for a warmer bed as well as keeping costs down ETA: For anyone wondering, I wasnt being rude to Jen when i called her Goddess, just giving her a title she truly deserves for being a top bird pmsl,yer dont you forget it!lol
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Post by jen1 on Dec 24, 2011 2:47:25 GMT 1
I thought we all knew she's a godess, those horses of hers live in a palace lol yes i thik ill move in with em! cos my house aint no palace yet ;D
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