• HOME
  • PRODUCTS
  • SERVICES
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • ABOUT US
    • GIVING BACK
    • GALLERY
  • HAY LOFT ARTICLES
  • CONTACT
  • HOME
  • PRODUCTS
  • SERVICES
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • ABOUT US
    • GIVING BACK
    • GALLERY
  • HAY LOFT ARTICLES
  • CONTACT
2 MIN READ

Choosing Bedding for your Stalls

September 16, 2016
-
Hay Loft Information, Hay Loft News

Making sure horses are comfortable in their stalls is important to all horse owners. Here are a few things to consider when bedding your horse down for the night.

How do you buy shavings? Does size of bag matter, or do you measure the number of bags per stall? Bag sizes vary from 2.5 cubic feet offered by one major retailer, through to 3.5 cu ft. Price should vary along with size allowing you to calculate per cubic foot cost but you should measure bags to verify the size claimed on the label because there is no independent legal measure required on shavings. If you are bedding stalls by volume then pricing per cubic foot should be the determining factor.

Habit often comes into play and for many of us the bag measure is used: one or two bags per stall a day. If you have bought the 3.5 cu ft bags and the stalls are still being bedded at the same per bag rate, it may be a smart decision to buy a smaller bag to reduce daily cost.

Absorption by shavings is also a major factor in bedding. The finer shavings tend to absorb more but can also be dustier. Larger flakes are more attractive in stalls and are generally quicker to muck, but do not absorb as much.
Disposal of bedding has been debated recently: the wood shavings take a long time to break down and compost from barns is generally only usable after 6-12 months of intensive turning. Straw breaks down more easily and in some areas local farmers collect straw bedding for free. Although it is more environmentally friendly straw is not easy to use in a barn, both in terms of transporting it and the mess it leaves.

Finally as if you were at the checkout counter: “paper or plastic?” Paper shavings bags are generally cheaper but less popular because many barns have to store shavings outdoors. It may be worth checking if the paper can be recycled by your local authority to cut disposal cost.

← PREVIOUS POST
Choosing Hay: Which Cutting is Better?
NEXT POST →
Feeding New Hay

Related News

Other posts that you should not miss.

How to Buy Hay

September 16, 2016

You want to buy the best hay for your horse. But how do you find it? Here are some points to …

Read More →
Hay Loft Information, Hay Loft News
2 MIN READ

Feeding New Hay

September 16, 2016

Last year’s hay is nearly gone from your hay lofts. The farmers have been busy growing and harvesting their hay crops, …

Read More →
Hay Loft Information, Hay Loft News
2 MIN READ

Pasture Maintenance

September 16, 2016

Is your pasture looking like a herd of elephants stampeded through it? Or are you cultivating a robust crop of weeds …

Read More →
Hay Loft Information, Hay Loft News
2 MIN READ
Articles Home
  • RETURN TO ARTICLES HOME

Categories
  • Hay Loft Information
  • Hay Loft News
  • Uncategorized
Recent Posts
  • The Best Dressage Team…Ever
  • New England Equine Practice
  • How to select hay
  • How to Read a Feed Tag…and Beyond
  • Giving Back
temp-logo
About Us
Welcome to Eastern Hay Corporation, a family owned and operated business with over 30 years of history as a premier producer, dealer and broker of the best quality grain, hay and bedding products for the equine market. While many of our competitors are simply brokers, we make our hay. We know what goes into producing the hay that horses love to eat!
Hay Loft Articles
  • December 28, 2016
    The Best Dressage Team…Ever
  • December 28, 2016
    New England Equine Practice
  • September 16, 2016
    How to select hay
Contact Us
Eastern Hay Corporation
485 Route 22, PO Box 372
Pawling, NY
12564
845-855-3291
845-855-3297
sales@easternhay.com
© Copyright 2016 EASTERN HAY
EASTERN HAY | Choosing Bedding for your Stalls