Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572 
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Post by Lipizzan on Jan 16, 2016 15:30:44 GMT
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Jan 17, 2016 0:23:40 GMT
I haven't had to buy either for years so I can't address cost effectiveness but I know that horses will eat straw but they generally don't eat shavings. And picking up manure out of shavings wastes less than straw.
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Post by horselady on Jan 17, 2016 1:05:46 GMT
I have used all of them,, including sawdust. I prefer sawdust now cause for me i get it delivered by dump truck, it last me 3 weeks and i do my stalls with it mostly 3 times a week. i used straw for a summer and found the horses ate it and it was difficult to pick the poop so i had alot of waste. shavings look nice. all fluffy and smells good. but i found they are dusty and my horses that have copd or asthma or heaves. were breathing harder than when i used the sawdust.
also depends on where you live and what is accessible. straw is about 8-12 a bale and i get two stalls out of one bale.
shavings one stall and it costs about 6 a bag. and my sawdust is 50 a dumptruck load. smart horse
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Post by horselover4life on Jan 17, 2016 1:55:16 GMT
 ...straw.
Dislike having to clean the stall, the horses do eat some of it and it is expensive.
I also find there is a lingering odor I sneeze from...maybe me and the way I do straw so no thanks.
 ...shavings and sawdust mix.
Like the absorbency, the ease of cleaning and lighter color of the stall.
Depending upon the consistency sometimes they smell wonderful.
A plus by me is I can purchase from a mill a, as in 1 bag and it fills a stall completely...cost is $4.00
My stalls are 12'x12' boxes and when I bed with 1 bag my stall is 3"-4" thick...the bags are stuffed full and heavy with product to say the least.
Never have a supply issue as the mill calls me and says, "Please, can you come take a few bags this week?"
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Jan 17, 2016 11:32:01 GMT
Ok, I agree on some points here, but I have to defend straw because of several reasons that are personally important to me.
I can say straw is much much cheaper and more available here then shavings.
Yes , horses do eat straw, if they do not get hay as much as needed, but also straw(especially weat one) does not have almost any nutritional value, and some people actually perfer they horses to eat straw because of the importance of fiber they get from it.
Straw is packed in bales that are far less lighter then pacages of shavings and for me it is easier to handle and storage.
The most important thing because I think straw is more cost-effective is that straw rots fast and makes a good fertilizer that I personally use and don't have to buy any artificial fertilizers for our land. Shavings rots slower and are almost not good for that purpos. Also I know people who make a good money by selling their horse straw manure.
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Post by horselover4life on Jan 17, 2016 14:02:25 GMT
When I muck a stall there are almost no shavings in my wheelbarrow but those urine soaked...
Manure where I live breaks down to "soil" in about 21 days time because of how the weather is...
I have a pile now we are getting ready to spread as topsoil and make our front yard grass lose the bare spots...
Straw is available by me but not as cheap as shavings.
For someone who breeds and has foaling, straw is the best way to go for a clean soft bed.
As for not having enough fiber in the diet...
I prefer my fiber to be nutritious pasture or hay that is grown intentionally for horses to eat and thrive on.
Straw is garbage leftover after they take the wheat heads or oats off the plant....
It is grown by me, cut and baled but I have also seen it lay in the field and be baled damp and that especially is a huge "  " is that going anywhere near my horses to possibly eat...
I think for you Lip it is also a readily available product as you grow it, harvest it and then can feed it.
Different parts of the country, the world and animals needs should be met with the use of different products.
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Jan 17, 2016 15:41:31 GMT
I actually don't feed straw, we use only for bedding and my horses dont eat it, because they have more hay they can eat, and why eat as you say leftover garbage when they have better food.
I think shaving is good also, and maybe I would use it too if I don't as you h4l said harvest it by myself.
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mingiz
Junior Member
Los Lunas, NM
Posts: 3,320
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Post by mingiz on Jan 18, 2016 1:51:53 GMT
I prefer sawdust over any of it. It's easier to clean and absorbs more wet. Rots down quicker too. Straw is hard to clean and it doesn't absorb as well. Plus it takes it longer to decompose. The only time I used straw was for foaling. But still had a good bed of sawdust under it. I can get saw dust here for free but I have to load it. Which is ok with me. There is one place that charges for it and they will load it. Right now I don't use anything until I get the barn floor finished. But when I do I will get a load.  |
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Jan 18, 2016 14:32:40 GMT
I don't know mingiz what kind of a climate you have but here straw composts faster then any other.
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Post by dickel on Jan 19, 2016 3:09:00 GMT
Spreading wood shavings and sawdust in the fields will use up the lime which means to get the use of the manure as fertilizer you need to add extra lime.
I let a neighbor spread his horse manure with wood chips on one of my alfalfa fields and I spread my straw mixed horse manure beside of it. The straw manure made the alfalfa grow taller and thicker.
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Post by horselady on Jan 19, 2016 12:50:18 GMT
Straw, manure and dirt. and dark moist room makes mushrooms. i was approached years ago by the mushroom factory to come get the manure i was using at that time.. he wanted truck loads.. oh and he was going to give me a crate of mushrooms. now that was scary.. i was paying for the straw. grain up keep of the horses and labor to clean out the stalls for a box of mushrooms.. lol no way.. told him to get lost. the factory is still working but not as large as it used to be.
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jan 19, 2016 14:31:24 GMT
I too think it has a lot to do with where you live and what is available to you. I've never bedded with straw but I just can't understand how you can effectively clean a stall with straw bedding, especially the wet spots. Does the straw soak up the pee like shavings/sawdust does?
I have always used shavings in my stalls at home as well as at the barns where I worked/boarded. A few years ago I also started using the pine pellets in the "pee holes" as it soaked up the pee better and made things less wasteful with the shavings. I'm meticulous about picking through shavings like hl4l is - unless they are wet, very few shavings actually make it into the wheelbarrow to be composted.
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mingiz
Junior Member
Los Lunas, NM
Posts: 3,320
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Post by mingiz on Jan 19, 2016 18:30:18 GMT
I don't know mingiz what kind of a climate you have but here straw composts faster then any other. We have the typical 4 seasons here.. |
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Post by mustangsavvy on Jan 19, 2016 18:30:49 GMT
I prefer shavings over straw for a variety of reasons. I feel it is more absorbable and easier to pick out while leaving the clean shavings. I also feel it is softer and just generally better. The only time I like to use straw is for foaling.
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Jan 20, 2016 10:27:02 GMT
I too think it has a lot to do with where you live and what is available to you. I've never bedded with straw but I just can't understand how you can effectively clean a stall with straw bedding, especially the wet spots. Does the straw soak up the pee like shavings/sawdust does? I have always used shavings in my stalls at home as well as at the barns where I worked/boarded. A few years ago I also started using the pine pellets in the "pee holes" as it soaked up the pee better and made things less wasteful with the shavings. I'm meticulous about picking through shavings like hl4l is - unless they are wet, very few shavings actually make it into the wheelbarrow to be composted. It works for me bacause my horses are only in for the night, and they only do their buissnes in one spot, I just clean that out and add some more straw. I can understand why everyone uses other option, but I would be crazy to buy shavings when I have free straw as much as I wish. Plus I have a manure from it that makes my oat and weet grows better. |
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Jan 20, 2016 15:46:57 GMT
Oh I agree - if I had access to a free supply, I certainly would use that as well! Horse manure is good for roses too.
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...straw.
...shavings and sawdust mix.
" is that going anywhere near my horses to possibly eat...
