# Pine Shavings for bedding



## wingnut (Nov 10, 2010)

We decided to give pine shavings (the kind you buy in extremely compacted bales) a try for bedding. I really like the low dust and the great smell that lasts. What I don't like is that I'm having an awful time picking the manure out of it. I don't know if there's a trick to it or I'm just inept at this!

We have two large stalls (12x6) and each takes 2 bales to give a nice depth to the bedding. My husband isn't so sure he wants to spend $20+ a week in bedding when we can buy a huge trailer load of shavings from a local wood mill for $20-$25 that would last as all winter. I do worry about a higher level of dust but we've used it for the last year without any problem so far.

Your thoughts?


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## Sue_C. (Nov 10, 2010)

We do use the baled shavings due to necessity...and yes it does get costly. There are nimes when these shavings are very dusty as well, guess it depends how close that particular lot came fdrom the bottom of the pile. Me...had I the choice, I would run...not walk...to the local mill.


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## RhineStone (Nov 10, 2010)

Sometimes you can get a pallet load of bagged shavings cheaper.

You have to be careful that your local mill doesn't use any woods that are poisonous to horses, black walnut especially.


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## ssshowhorses (Nov 10, 2010)

We use baled shavings and we have 5 10 x 12 stalls. The bags and getting bulk shavings has become relativaly comparable in price in our area due to the cost of fuel, or so I have been told. Even if the cost was more, the much lower amount of dust kicked up from the baged shaving is totally worth if for us!


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## rabbitsfizz (Nov 10, 2010)

From the days when I used shavings I can tell you that we have opposable thumbs for a reason!

A pair of washing up gloves and a pair of the gardening knee pads are still the best way to clean these beds.

I used to take the dumps out every day and the pee patch out once a week...but I was at that time bedding BHs and I used to bed down the whole stall.


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## supaspot (Nov 10, 2010)

thats exactly what we have done for years RF , works very well too and the bulk of the bedding never gets soiled so lasts for ages


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## wingnut (Nov 10, 2010)

I think you may be right RF



I have a pair of gloves I can "dedicate" to that purpose. If I find that a workable solution, then we might not go through so much at once. I really do like the product a lot. The "barn" smells so much better for longer.

RhineStone: Thanks for the heads up regarding asking what kind of trees the shavings are from the mill.


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## shorthorsemom (Nov 10, 2010)

I started using shavings because my guys were eating all the straw and getting big bellies and then laying in the pee and poo because there was no bedding left. I use Calloway bedding... see link http://www.callawayf...ipleselect.html

These are bigger flakes and do not make dust. They also give more loft to the bedding and less pee on the horses. I also buy pine compact pellets (guardian brand) that you are supposed to add water to them according to the directions, instead of adding water I put the pellets in the pee holes in pellet form underneath the calloway bedding. This soaks up the wet spots real nice.

It seemed expensive but the boys do stay very clean and no more big pee stains on them. I use one of those plastic tined poo forks to lift off the poo, then I turn the fork upside down and scrape over the top of the shavings move the clean stuff to the side to get to the soaked bedding and then remove it and re-distribute the chips in the stable. Works well for me.

I do not like saw mill shavings. They cannot guarantee there is no walnut in it and I have seen too many horses bedded on the fine dust and get heaves and allergies.


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## Miniv (Nov 10, 2010)

Are your stalls rubber matted? Ours are and it does help in cutting down the amount of bedding.

We also use a "pooper scooper" with a mini rake to clean stalls. The teeny tiny rake (found at garden centers) works much better than any other utensil we've tried.


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## ruffian (Nov 10, 2010)

I've just discovered paper shavings. IMO they are the best bedding for no dust, and no odor. I never used pine shavings at home, but at shows it was the only thing available. I don't think they absorb much. I used both wood and corn cob pellets, and both had dust issues. A little easier to pick the poo out of, but not worth the dust and smell.


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## Bonny (Nov 10, 2010)

Ive found if I put the shavings in one corner, my horses will go to the shavings and potty there only, so I put down a thin layer enough for one night, and shovel it up the next morning. Then take it all to the compost pile


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## ~Dan (Nov 10, 2010)

I use them and love them I use either AWF All American Bedding which is super fine absolutely no dust soft and comfy and McFeeters Pine Shavings are in my stalls now they are kind of dusty but are very soft and I get quite a few in a bale. IMO Pine shavings are very nice and there seems to be an art to cleaning with pine shavings lol.

Dan.


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## susanne (Nov 10, 2010)

I detest shavings! They don't really soak up the pee, and even using the OT method (opposable thumbs), it's still difficult to get out the poop crumbs. Besides that, it messes up the garden compost.

I'm a diehard wood pellet user, although I would consider the pelletized shavings. In our damp climate, the bedding is never dusty and it helps amend the soil in my garden when composted along with the manure, breaking up the Oregon clay.


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## shorthorsemom (Nov 10, 2010)

http://www.guardianh...pinepellets.htm

I love this for underneath the pine chips. I do not add water, just put down the pellets and then put the pine flakes on top. Stays very dry, absorbs great and easy to clean up. A bunch of people around here are using the combination of pellets and chips. I get more days out of my chips too and I don't have the problem with absorbancy. The pellets hold a ton of wet of you don't reconstitute them. My guys stay so much cleaner now too, they are mostly white, lay down every night and they stay really clean now.


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## TyeeRanch (Nov 11, 2010)

I have HUGE stalls and have found that a mixture of wood bedding pellets on the bottom then pine shavings on the top makes for a wonderful thing. Seems that the pine shavings keep the dust down and the bedding pellets soak up the "wet stuff" and make it easier to clean. Course the initial bedding of a 16x14 stall when I am quite generous with it means about 5 bags of pellets and 2 bags of shavings. If picked out every day that will last and be clean for well over a month.


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## Eagle (Nov 11, 2010)

shorthorsemom said:


> I started using shavings because my guys were eating all the straw and getting big bellies and then laying in the pee and poo because there was no bedding left. I use Calloway bedding... see link http://www.callawayf...ipleselect.html
> 
> These are bigger flakes and do not make dust. They also give more loft to the bedding and less pee on the horses. I also buy pine compact pellets (guardian brand) that you are supposed to add water to them according to the directions, instead of adding water I put the pellets in the pee holes in pellet form underneath the calloway bedding. This soaks up the wet spots real nice.
> 
> ...


This product looks really good, could you tell me how much a bag of Triple select costs? Thanks


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## georgiegirl (Nov 11, 2010)

I see that several people beat me to the draw. lol

I put pine pellets down, particularly in the wet spots. They absorb a lot of moisture. I put bagged pine shavings over the top of the pellets. This combination lasts a long time.

Be sure to check to make sure the pellets are pure pine. Some of the pellets are made of a combination of woods, not listed on the bags. I am always wary of getting walnut.

Since my "stalls" are not really stalls, but large pens in the barn, I put a good bit of bedding in the corner where the horse likes to nap and lie down.

Works well for me.


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## Riverdance (Nov 11, 2010)

I agree with Ruffian. I switched to paper bedding this year and all I can say about it is:



:SoHappy



:BananaHappy



:HappyBounce

There is NO dust at all, it absorbs really well and is easy to pick put the wet spots. For the first time, I would come out of the barn after cleaning stalls NOT coughing from all the dust.

The only problem I did have was the horses eating the bedding. So, they will wear muzzles when in the stall.


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## disneyhorse (Nov 11, 2010)

Wait.... some of you put on gloves and hand-pick manure out of the shavings?!? Am I reading that right???

Anyway, I've always bedded my little guys on shavings. I don't have a problem with the price or the dust. I do like to put the pelleted shavings in areas where they tend to have a urine spot.

I have used shavings on both dirt and rubber mats. Horses that are cleaner, I can get away with a thicker bed of shavings and/or a coarser chip.

I have tried the smaller mini manure forks and I didn't like them. I just use a plain-old horse size one, I really like the purple colored DuraForks





If possible, just bed the area where they sleep, and leave the rest unbedded. That way you can just rake and sweep the soiled areas.

Andrea


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## rabbitsfizz (Nov 11, 2010)

I was actually using sawdust, not shavings, so it was quite absorbent and yes, Andrea, I always muck out with rubber gloves, even now when I have my horses on straw. I really cannot fault straw as a bedding, and as to them eating it, well, I have no problem with that. They all get ad lib hay anyway so if they want to pick at the straw, so be it. I use barley straw and it is easily digested. But I digress. Mucking out with your hands is, I honestly think, why we have hands and why rubber gloves were invented....


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## CCC (Nov 11, 2010)

I've always used a layer of sawdust (when I have it) and a layer of shavings on top. Other wise I just use shavings (from a local mill)

I don't bed really deep , I just clean them out completely and put new in every day. I find if I put a lot of bedding in and try to just pick out every day and leave some in.. it gets such a dirty mess.. I think my horses must be dirt balls and just poo /pee everywhere


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## wingnut (Nov 11, 2010)

CCC said:


> I think my horses must be dirt balls and just poo /pee everywhere


That's my 4! Because all 4 have free access to be in or not in the stalls, there's no one spot that is used. Each horse has a spot they like use for different purposes and that means there's not much left when they're done.

Still not sure what will be our final answer on the matter but I appreciate all the input!!!


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## Shortpig (Nov 11, 2010)

susanne said:


> I detest shavings! They don't really soak up the pee, and even using the OT method (opposable thumbs), it's still difficult to get out the poop crumbs. Besides that, it messes up the garden compost.
> 
> I'm a diehard wood pellet user, although I would consider the pelletized shavings. In our damp climate, the bedding is never dusty and it helps amend the soil in my garden when composted along with the manure, breaking up the Oregon clay.



This is when I thank Susanne. I disagreed for a time about using the pellets. Had this vision of the horses and the pellets being hard to sleep on not to mention rolling around. I tried them and now I wouldn't go back to shavings. They are so easy to pick thru and break down easy. During the wet months which seems to be 10 out of 12 here no dust. We could only hope. We have our own local brand here in Columbia County that is made specifically for animals called Noah's Choice. It is great and talk about shopping local.

Also I am very lucky. The boys have a pee spot they share. Only there always. Makes that real easy. When they are free to go in and out of their barn at will they go out to poop. The girls aren't near as neat and tidy as the boys. But even so it is much easier to pick out the poo and clean up the wet spots with a little shovel. Just scrape it up.


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## shorthorsemom (Nov 11, 2010)

Eagle said:


> This product looks really good, could you tell me how much a bag of Triple select costs? Thanks



I pay $5.69 for a compressed bale of shavings and I pay $5.99 for 40# of the compressed pellets,


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## alphahorses (Nov 11, 2010)

I also use bagged bedding - mostly pine pellents. There are a lot of farms here, and not many mills, so a load of shavings or sawdust runs between 350-$400 around here. And I do not have a lot of confidence that there wouldn't be walnut, cherry, or something else mixed in with it. So I use pellets or pine shavings at around $6.25 per bag. I bed most horses fairly lightly (enough to keep them clean and dry), and bedding is still one of my highest costs each year.



ruffian said:


> I've just discovered paper shavings. IMO they are the best bedding for no dust, and no odor.


I've been thinking about trying paper. What brand do you use and where do you find them?


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## wildoak (Nov 12, 2010)

Another fan of mixing pellets and shavings. I put a bag or two of wood pellets down first and top with less than half a bag of shavings. I find the pellets keep the odor down more than anything I've tried. In the summer when flies are bad, I sometimes add a little cedar shaving to the top, just for the smell and insect repelling properties. Doesn't take much.

TSC sells a fork called Fine Tines - it's a full sized manure fork but tines are closer together, and it is made to use with the pellets.

To the OP, shavings come in everything from practically sawdust to huge curly flakes. The biggest flakes seem to walk out of the stall lol - they stick in tails and on blankets, and I don't think they absorb as well. Shop around and try different varieties to find what suits you.

Jan


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## wingnut (Nov 12, 2010)

Jan: Thanks for the input on the specific fork to look for. I agree that the large flake stuff tends to stick to *everything* LOL!

My girls wait for me to finish rebedding their stalls and then 3 of the 4 will come right in to "christen" the fresh stuff. I swear they hold it until I'm done and then it's like "Thanks Mom!!"


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## Charlotte (Nov 12, 2010)

Paper bedding!!!











We get the product made in Colorado. The bales are packed so tight that it goes a loooong way. ( I think one paper bale equals about 3 wood shavings bales.) As close to dust free as any bedding I've ever used and in the past 40 years I've used about everything I can think of.

Our stalls are matted. I am of the opinion that saves a lot in bedding cost over a year.

It does take a little while to get used to picking the paper bedding stalls versus the wood product stalls, but then I think cleaning is quicker and because I can romove every bit of urine the air quality has imporved. I use a fine tine fork.

Charlotte


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## albahurst (Nov 12, 2010)

Paper bedding here, too! Won't go back to any other kind of bedding.


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## Becky (Nov 12, 2010)

Paper bedding here too!





After using every kind of wood shavings available in my area and pellets too, there's nothing like paper and I won't go back to anything else. Way less dust and twice as absorbent as wood. Lots of cushion too. My barn is way cleaner than before plus paper doesn't stick to neck wraps and blankets like wood shavings do. Much easier to wash horse clothes without shavings stuck all over them!


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## Miniequine (Nov 12, 2010)

A mill opened up a couple miles from me. 10 bucks,, they fill my truck to

over flowing..... All 8 stalls bedded deep in pine sawsust. Lasts 2-3 weeks.

I just pick out the pee and poo





And I get a Free work out :O

~Sandy


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## Raine Ranch Minis (Nov 16, 2010)

Did anyone else have trouble with your horses eating the paper shavings? I am thinking about trying them, but don't want to muzzle them while in their stalls.


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## ruffian (Nov 17, 2010)

All my stalls are paper bedded, and nobody has eaten any. They nuzzled it at first, and then ignored it. I really like this stuff!





And even if they DID, the paper is lighter than water, so IMO would pass easily through the system, unlike shavings or pellet dust, which sinks to the bottom as seen in my water buckets when I bedded with pellets.


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## alphahorses (Nov 17, 2010)

Does the paper bedding compost well?

A farmer takes our manure to spread on his field. Would he need to be concerned about taking it if I used paper bedding? Does it contain chemicals that he would not want on his crops?


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## ruffian (Nov 17, 2010)

alphahorses said:


> Does the paper bedding compost well?
> 
> A farmer takes our manure to spread on his field. Would he need to be concerned about taking it if I used paper bedding? Does it contain chemicals that he would not want on his crops?


There are no chemicals in the paper bedding. It is overrun product from "Yellow book", so basically telephone book paper. It's very soft, and breaks down about 40% faster than other wood bedding. The pieces are about 1/4 to 1/2" in side, the thickness of a piece of telephone book paper. In addition, there are no pine tars.


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## alphahorses (Nov 17, 2010)

Thanks, ruffian. That is helpful. I'll have to look into it.


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## JWC sr. (Nov 17, 2010)

We have 22 stalls in the barn that are 10 x 12 and use quite a few during the off season and all of them during the foaling/show season.

We have tried all the alternatives such as wood pellets, paper pellets etc etc. For us the pine shaving in the compacted bags works the best. Our stalls are dirt/clay bottoms and then we put in about 3 - 4" of shaving. This is changed out weekly and is mucked out with a wide tined fork to remove the dropping on a daily basis when the horses are out in the pastures each day.

Good Luck!!


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## pinkapache (Jan 21, 2011)

Has anyone used elephant grass as bedding? I used it for the first time this week and i think its GREAT!! It seems to lock the wetness underneath it, kinda like a baby`s nappy (diaper) poos are easy to remove and it stays clean!! Is this just beginners luck or has anyone else used it?


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