[harli36]

I can't remember how many newspapers it takes since now I do ALL my trash paper. But to fully bed the stall in about 6" bedding it takes about 4 garbage bags full of paper. Which it really doesn't take that long to shred, I put on a movie and shred while I watch the movie.

You can also see if medical offices/businesses have any shredded paper they want to give you or paper shredding companies will sell the stuff for a very low fee.

As far as paper blowing around I really don't have that problem. I had my barn laid out so that the back of it is against the wind. If I spill some paper while adding it to the stalls or mucking it's nothing that a rake and broom won't clean up. It's the same as saw dust really, only better IMO because I don't have saw dust blowing in the air all the time and I don't have to constantly dust my tack off.

[belle4]

I use the pelleted bedding.

I've thought about buying the pellets for wood stoves? Hmmm? Same things huh?

I pay about 5.50 a bag for Horse pellets. I think the stove pellets are 4.

I don't wet my pellets first. I just add them and call it good.

It's about the same cost as shavings for me, but pellets are easier to store, easier to carry around, easier to clean, manure pile is smaller and they take up less room.

[dotgotcalm]

Please, please don't use wood stove pellets to bed your horses stalls. There is a sever shortage of wood pellets right now because of the housing bust and slowed construction. Those of us that depend on those pellets for heat can't find any. It's bad enough without every horse owner in the country buying them up for bedding. One of the reasons that horse pellets are more expensive than fuel pellets is that the bedding pellets go through an extra process to reduce dust plus, anyone who makes only fuel pellets doesn't have to screen their wood for black walnut and other things that might be toxic to a horse.

[shawnee1020]

Originally Posted by dotgotcalm

Please, please don't use wood stove pellets to bed your horses stalls. There is a sever shortage of wood pellets right now because of the housing bust and slowed construction. Those of us that depend on those pellets for heat can't find any. It's bad enough without every horse owner in the country buying them up for bedding. One of the reasons that horse pellets are more expensive than fuel pellets is that the bedding pellets go through an extra process to reduce dust plus, anyone who makes only fuel pellets doesn't have to screen their wood for black walnut and other things that might be toxic to a horse.

Don't worry about me, I've never even heard of it. So I'll stick to either the pellet bedding or shavings. Pellets being easier but about 8.00 a bag

[Top Dun]

I saw this article that discusses recycling your manure into pelleted bedding.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12349

http://www.greenscenepellets.com/index.html

[Dawn]

I've used pelleted bedding before and loved it. I also used the wood pellets for awhile when the bedding jumped up in price. It works, but it doesn't break up and fluff nearly as well as the pelleted bedding, and wasn't as absorbant. Honestly, not worth the price difference to me.

I never wetted mine down first. I'd bed it down, put them in, then by the next morning, they'd pee'd enough to break most of it down. Of course, I never had an issue with it getting dry or dusty either. When I would add to it, I'd just pour the new bag in (usually into the wettest area or pee spot), and it would be completley broken down within a couple of days.

It's definately much easier to clean than most other types of bedding, lasts a long time (though you have to put quite a bit down initially), and the entire stall just always seemed cleaner.

I've also done a shaving/pellet combo before. But found it made it super hard to keep clean. Before long, all the shavings needed to be stripped out, but the pellets did not. So you ended up having to throw all of the pelleted bedding out with the shavings making it not cost effective (for me anyway).

[Lady barth]

I love the pelleted bedding. It saves a lot of time and there is very little waste, unlike flakes. I wet mine down too and bed a 12x12 stall with about 5 bags and then I dont have to add more for about a month, then I strip it and do it again.

If they werent so hard to get (meaning the store is so far away that sells them) I would do it year round, but for now I only use them in the winter when my guys are ina ll night. In the summer I lett hem wander more so I just grab a couple bales of really fine shavings every couple of weeks.

[denraydar]

Originally Posted by WashingtonBay

A friend uses them and I'm not impressed. They feel like walking on marbles for starters, combined with mats anyway I think they're slippery.

And I don't think they last longer really... once the horse pees on them, they have to be taken out, just like any other bedding.

I'm a fan of the fine sawdust, spread pretty deep. Absorbs a lot (will pull the water out of waterlogged feet and help them dry out in winter), soft to lay in, not slippery, less waste when you're picking poo out.

I spray the pellets with a water bottle set on stream for a few minutes after I first put them down, I do not saturate them just a light sprinkling it softens them. They do turn into sawdust after you sprinkle them with water so if sawdust is an available option that would be better. I do put down stall dry under the pellets which helps.

[accphotography]

I hate pellets. They're messy, they ALL get wet and they stay wet, they smell, they're an UGLY color after a day or two, they pack in their feet... I just can't stand them. The right type of shavings aren't too bad, but not crazy about them either. Give me some nice straw anyday.

ACC

[lvmypnt]

Originally Posted by Top Dun

I saw this article that discusses recycling your manure into pelleted bedding.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=12349

http://www.greenscenepellets.com/index.html

Gosh, I wish I could get someone to come get my "mound." Our neighbors use it for lawns and gardens, but that barely makes a dent in it.