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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 5:19:18 PM
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I just wanted to share with you all a bedding I am using and it is fantastic!!
On first thoughts it appears very expensive as the bags are much smaller than general shavings and it is £5-£6 a bag. However, it is the most amazing substance - all I can liken it to is cat clumping litter. It is incredibly absorbing(??).
We put a new bed of 5 bags and after two weeks have just added 1 more. It makes mucking out a doddle, the beds stay incredibly dry and there is little waste (smaller muck heap). If you need another advantage it rots down very quickly (as opposed to shavings) I LOVE IT!!
I do have rubber mats down but I am such a softy that I always ended up with full blown big beds on it - shavings get so yucky before the have become saturated. MAYBE not cheaper than straw (though I am paying near on £2 a bale so could be for me) it is soo much better than shavings.
After one successful trial with a pretty tidy filly I have just put my three messiest on it and will let you know how it goes.
Does anyone else have any experience of it??
Oh I forgot to tell you what it is:
MEGAZORB
Heather  
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Judith S
Platinum Member
Wales
15686 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 5:22:59 PM
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Sounds good - but I remember someone saying they had probs as it dried their horses feet out too much & caused problems - so bear that in mind! (poss a problem with horses stabled all the time?)
Judith |
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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 5:26:13 PM
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Yes I guess it could but I now only bed down the back of the box so they can lie down on it but put their hay at the front so standing on rubber. They go out in the day and in the winter I generally have problems with thrush so would be the opposite!
Thanks for that I will watch out for it. H |
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Edited by - Heather Brown on 05 Feb 2007 5:27:59 PM |
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LYNDILOU
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
13976 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 5:40:17 PM
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| Nice to see you back on here Heather thought you must be jet setting again somewhere lovely My friend uses it and likes it, is it the one where you have to add water to get it to fluff up? |
   
www.dreamfield-arabians.com |
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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 5:46:35 PM
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| Glad to be back Lynda! Hey, I think it is you that does the jet setting!! I have been busy teaching A level Maths with the winter to get through. I love this time of year, snow drops up daffodils well on the way (hmmmm) and get this, two daisies in my garden - what's going on! But really, it's all to look forward to. Hx |
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LYNDILOU
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
13976 Posts |
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joanna_piana
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3935 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 6:06:54 PM
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| It sounds quite similar to acquamax which I used to use and was great for the cleaner horses but not so good for the really messy ones! |
      
Harthall Rashida RIP, Binley Ishara, Bouchan
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire |
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geegee
Platinum Member
England
3682 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 8:41:28 PM
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I have been using it for a couple of years, and yes it is fantastic. 
I also have rubber matting and it works so much better when the bed is deep. It absorbs all the wet.
I havn't had any problems with it drying out the feet but I don't bring the bedding up to the door so perhaps this is answer.
I don't know where you are Heather, I am in Suffolk, but I go and collect it myself and I only pay £4.25 a bag, so it might be worth looking into. |
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Taylor
Gold Member
England
1432 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 8:45:08 PM
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| Hi Geegee im in Suffolk, can I be nosey and ask where do you go to collect it? Is it £4.25 a bag because you buy in bulk? |
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geegee
Platinum Member
England
3682 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 8:54:18 PM
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Hi Taylor,
I get it from FCS, they have a website. They are in near Harleston, Norfolk ( I am on Suffolk/Norfolk border)....
It is that price because I collect but it doesn't have to be in bulk. I usually get about 20/25 bags at a time.
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Taylor
Gold Member
England
1432 Posts |
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Cassie
Gold Member
England
781 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 11:43:08 PM
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Hi Heather
I use megazorb for years but I don't pay £6 mine costs me £5.75 approx. and free delivery. And no min order either Mine comes from FCS Norfolk/Suffolk as well. The last lot I got was only 15
Christine |
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Edited by - Cassie on 05 Feb 2007 11:46:06 PM |
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Nuttybabez
Gold Member
England
522 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 12:11:47 AM
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Let me know how you get on with this with your messy horses please.
I am using straw at the moment as 2 of mine are very messy - the filly must hold her wee all day with the quantity!! And straw is not really very good at absorbing her little lakes!! And my mare is not really wet but I think she is replaced with an elephant at night because no way could a 14hh mare do dumps that big!!
I have swapped them over to straw to save cost but I HATE mucking it out and it STINKS!
So please let me know. |
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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 01:19:28 AM
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Very funny Nuttybabez, made me laugh Thanks all for your replies - keep them coming. I soo hope this is my answer?? I will let you know my experience.
H x |
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 09:19:57 AM
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| Pasha's field friend is on megazorb and when his owner goes away and I have to muck it out I dread it for days - i'm sorry but there is a really weird smell about it which makes me heave (probably just me or the horse?).... |
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heathermcbreen
Platinum Member
England
2132 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 09:35:47 AM
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| What is is actually made of??? can you use it safely when rotted as compost. I have one mare that does such huge wees.. it's like someone sneaked in and threw 5 buckets of water in. |
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primrosepye
Silver Member
433 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2007 : 10:53:35 AM
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Hi Heather
How did your messy horse get on with this bed???
Prim |
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angel2002
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2502 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2007 : 1:09:12 PM
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I dont use Megazorb, I used sawdust which is dust extracted from the local sawmill. It costs £2.50 a big bag delivered and 1 bag lasts 1 week for two mares on rubber matting. I use 1 water bucket full of sawdust every time I muck out, as I have rubber I do not have really deep beds as they don't need it. I have used this for over 2 years now and it's great, I am on the Cambs/Suffolk border and am sure my sawdust man will welcome any new customers.
I have never had a problem with dry feet but like heather my mares are out all day so thrush used to be a bit of a problem but not now.
I even use it in my chicken shed! :)
Only time I now use straw is when my mare is due to foal as sawdust and woodchips are not good with babies. |
Angel
Passion Arabians
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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2007 : 1:38:17 PM
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Yes, time for an up date.
I am sticking with it.
Ok the messy ones are just messy so no miraculous change but like clumpimg litter it locks the wet up rather spreading (these are horrifically messy horses that drag it all round the box) and it drys the poos out so easier to pick up with a shavings fork.
For the messy ones I only put three bags down to start and put one a week in. The tidy ones start with 4/5 and just have half a week with one whole one every few weeks.
My indoor boxes are in an old grain barn and so completely flat with no drainage, so defo don't have probs with being too dry. I take a lump of wet out once a week. You don't fluff it upp like we did with shavings, it gets firm and thats the way you want it.
I am gradually moving all my shavings boxes onto it. A lot less waste to go on the muck heap. I am quite possesive about them and don't let anyone else muck them out!
Other Heather there is a web site and I think it is very good for compost.
Primrose love your sig pic, reminds me of days gone by when I used to be out on my gelding.
Hope this is useful. Cheers Heather |
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primrosepye
Silver Member
433 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2007 : 2:47:38 PM
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Thanks for the update Heather. Really useful
Prim |
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Mad arab rider
Silver Member
England
483 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2007 : 5:44:09 PM
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| Not able to try this product as we're only allowed straw in our yard. What we find helps alot to soak up the wee, is to put sawdust down under the straw, just in the bits of the box that they wee in. You know your horse and every horse is different so will be different places for each horse. Really soaks the wee up and only needs changeing once a week. |
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Havenbeech
Silver Member
Wales
427 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2007 : 6:08:24 PM
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Have you ever used Easibed Heather? Just wondered what it was like in comparrison as i would never EVER go back to straw after using Easibed.
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www.havenbeech-stud.co.uk
Breeding Pinto & Dilute Part Bred Arabians & Welsh Ponies
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arabic
Platinum Member
England
4562 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2007 : 9:27:58 PM
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| Yeah, but is it warm?? I dont think there is anything more inviting than a nice straw bed in winter, mind you I only have one to muck out lol |
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angel2002
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2502 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2007 : 12:58:40 PM
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:)) You think like I used to Arabic, I used to have HUGE straw beds and could sleep better thinking that my girls were all snuggled up in their lovely warm stables.
Then reality hit, I kept being told horses are not 'nesting' animals like cats & dogs and I was wasting a lot of time and money especially as my girls had rubber matting as well :))
So I took the bit between my teeth so to speak and swapped the gradually over to sawdust and we have all never looked back. The girls are rugged in the winter so do not get cold, it takes me 5 mins per box to muck out and they now have really healthy feet as they are not stood on squelchy straw all day when I'm at work.
Must say changing to rubber mats and sawdust from straw was best thing I ever did and I am dreading having to put straw down in April as my mare is due to foal, any offers to muck out a mare & foal box on straw gratefully recieved:))))
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Angel
Passion Arabians
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Sarahw
Gold Member
England
746 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2007 : 10:21:17 PM
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Heather
Have you used this to foal your mares down on yet
Sarah |
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Heather Brown
Gold Member
United Kingdom
682 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2007 : 08:52:44 AM
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Hi Sarah
I havn't foaled down on this bedding yet and it is unlikely this year that I will. I am very against foaling on shavings/sawdust. I do like them on a nice deep bed of straw but I may consider it with this bedding. H |
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Topic Locked 
what happens if it all goes freezing!