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sapphire blue
Silver Member
 England
440 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 12:01:03 PM
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Some one suggested deep littering for a friends horse but none of us have ever done it, we got the jist of taking the piles out but her horse digs the bed up and exposes the wet so she was told to take any top layer wet out but it always leads her to the bottom, can anyone help? I wondered if she was meant to leave a layer down on the floor or does she take all the wet out??
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Regards, Sapphire
   
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louisejo
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1313 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 12:45:57 PM
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I deep litter my shavings bed, so basically i take all the poo out every morning and tidy the bed leaving the wet down. This will become more packed down after a few days and then once a week i lift the wet patch out and put a new bale of shavings down.
Of course if the horse is particularly wet you may want to take some out or even prefer to not deep litter. It works for me as saves time in the mornings and of course saves on shavings and also gives him a decent thick bed.
Louise |
Edited by - louisejo on 11 Jan 2006 12:46:31 PM |
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Libby Frost
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4711 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 1:01:56 PM
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| Louise thats exactly what i do. Really easy maintainance,poo pick twice daily then i once weekly get all wet out and put new bale in. It doesnt build up like that and you keep the bed nice by not disturbing it too much. |
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angel2002
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
2502 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 1:43:48 PM
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I used to deep litter straw but hated the extra work when it came to dig it all out....:(((( I now have rubber mats in all the boxes, I use a bucket of sawdust or shavings on top and it takes me 5 minutes to sweep out... Absolute heaven compaired to how I used to do it!
Angel
Passion Arabians |
Angel
Passion Arabians
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wizzy
Silver Member
United Kingdom
424 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 1:46:09 PM
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I deep litter most of mine, but not the mares and foals and I wouldn't deep litter horses that are in hard work
I put 5 bales of shavings down, then plenty of straw over the top. Each day for a year we just take out the poohs, bring in the edges of the bed so spores don't build up and add fresh straw as necessary.
The shavings soak up the wet, so the beds stay dry and clean and don't get too deep.
No capped hocks and warm horses.
Each spring it takes us 2 hours to dig them out and start again.
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sapphire blue
Silver Member
England
440 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 7:54:15 PM
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| So am I getting this right that if she needs to remove some of the top layer as she uses straw not shavings even if the bottom is wet and horrible she needs to leave it and cover it up with fresh or does she take it out? |
Regards, Sapphire
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egzotyka
Gold Member
England
1427 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jan 2006 : 8:19:26 PM
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I never used to Deep litter my beds...but then August last year i started full time work, So now i only get the mornings to muck out etc. I have the two beds both on deep litter one is shavings and the other is straw. I Take out all the droppings in the shavings bed, level it out and then add more shavings if needed...(usually every 4 days) With the straw bed i take out all the droppings, and the very top layer of wet then i level out the rest of the bed...leaving the bottom thicker layor of wet and add about half a bale of clean straw every day.
This seems to work me me so far...both beds will be back to full muck outs in the spring/summer. |
   
*I know I'm in my own little world, but it's ok. They know me here
*When life gets you down - just put on your big girl panties and deal with
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alistair leslie
Gold Member
England
1036 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2006 : 2:09:24 PM
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Aubiose is very good as it is very absorbent.
Disturb the surface as little as possible and add a little each week
its dry smell free and in demand by my local gardeners.
Except that you must dig out the wet all the way if it comes to the surface or you can have breathing problems or worse .
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blue moon |
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suyents
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
1651 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2006 : 2:15:51 PM
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hi alistair,
one of my friends uses aubiose, and i have noticed that her horse is coughing badly..not sure what her management regime is...will pass on your comments, but could you "suggest" what the problems or worse "might" be?
thanks.
suyen.x |
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SueB
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jan 2006 : 4:47:48 PM
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We have just changed over onto paper and rubber mats for our bedding. I have been busy trying to design a yard that is easy to manage for me and is economical too.
With the deep litter which is half the bed,(12 x 12 stable) we put 10 bales down to start with, and only ever take out the poo, just leave the wet because it eventually drains down towards the front of the stable which is rubber matting. I have used cow cubicle mats, even cheaper.
Now, for 6 horses I use one bale of paper a day, costs £3.30.
I also have a wood shredding machine that chops my newspapers up, helping to cut cost even more!
I also use haybars and thank Vera and Caroline for help here, they are wonderful. I have no waste with them, all the hayledge gets used, saving me pounds all round.
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