# Anyone else still watering wood pellet beds?



## saffytessa (9 December 2011)

I'm loving how easy mucking out is and the beds aren't discolouring much but I have just about had enough! I'm watering my beds at least twice a week and it's just not right. 

My girls don't wee in their beds much (their choice, I've tried lots of different ways of bedding down, it doesn't make a difference to them) so I don't think that is helping but have you seen the weather for goodness sake. The air is damp, it's really cold, I wasn't watering them as much in the summer!

I'm about to give up the easy muck outs and go back to shavings because I'm sick of getting gritty eyes, one neddy is on soaked hay because of a cough so don't want to make that worse and the hosepipe is about to be out of commision until spring. Anybody else struggling like this? Does anyone have any suggestions please? I don't really want to change back but I think I'm going to have to


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## 9tails (9 December 2011)

I soak the pellets before they go in, the bed is perfect.  Light, absorbent, supremely easy to muck out.  I deep litter, I haven't taken any out for over a year as it is never wet or smelly.  2 bags go in every week, soaked, and the bed is over a foot thick.

Just to add, I also don't turn it, the base is solid and the top 3-4 inches is loose.


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## Tr0uble (9 December 2011)

I never soak my pellets. I mix them with shavings so that gives it some spring, the pellets keep it all lovely and dry and it all mixes down to a lovely super absorbent, fluffy mix. Still easy to muck out.


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## Mike007 (9 December 2011)

Its a laugh a minute. The pellet makers say add water ,and the shavings makers make a big to do about kiln drying the shavings.They all say that those of us selling undried shavings(vastly cheaper )are selling an inferior product. But they would say that wouldnt they


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## chestnutmarelover (10 December 2011)

I just water the new pellets when I add them, usually a bag a week. I dont deep litter, just shake the bed through every day. I am very lucky in that my boy never poos on his bed (sensible boy!!) and only wees in one corner. He obviously appreciates sleeping on a clean bed


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## saffytessa (10 December 2011)

I soak the pellets before I put them down. They get 1 bag per week each. I don't lift the bed, just clear the poos and scoop the very occasional wet patch then sweep the front back. It's the bit I sweep back that makes the most dust though I watered their beds yesterday. 

I watered, raked and watered again till there was a bit of water sitting on the surface. It is already starting to get dusty again  I have half a bag of small flake shavings left from before so will start adding that to see if it's better mixed


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## Bennions Field (10 December 2011)

saffytessa, i know what you mean about them being dusty, but i have 5 stables on the pellets and only one who's dusty.  the mare is also the only one who doesnt wee in her stable, the others do wee lots and lots but i take the wet out every other day, mainly as they wee so much !  they are all on rubber matting under the pellets and it so much easier.  i did try another make to LWP last winter and i think they were about the same so its not the pellets as such, perhaps mixing in with other bedding will work?


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## lannerch (11 December 2011)

My pellets are not dusty at all only stable in the winte though . I have a big bucket full of a bag of them ready wet ( with a small bucket of water ) standing at all times so they are always available ready fluffed.
My horse does use 2 bags a week though as he insists on mixing all his droppings in.


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## saffytessa (11 December 2011)

I'm using natures bedding pellets because I can buy them bit by bit and didn't want to but a pallet full and not like them. I've been using them since at least september and it's only the past fortnight that they have been dusty. They are used as a half bed about 3 inches deep over rubber mats.

I've put a bucket full of shavings in each bed this morning and added one yesterday too and it isn't any harder to muck out yet so mixing beddings may work. 

I've tried pre soaking in a large bucket and soaking them as I use them. I think they fluff up more if you pre soak them but end up drier so I've stopped doing that.

monkstc01 - it is interesting that your dusty one is the mare that doesn't wee in her stable too.


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## lannerch (11 December 2011)

What pellets are you using may be the type you use depends on the dustyness because mine really are not dusty at all, I use blue ribbon as I live near where they are made so are the cheapest for me as I pick them up direct


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## Paint Me Proud (11 December 2011)

i use straw pellets, so pretty much the same thing, however i dont soak at all.

I just put 2 bags every fortnight on top of the current bed and leave it. It's brilliant.


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## Theresa_F (12 December 2011)

I use LWP on mats that drain.  This is my third year of using them.  I put them in an old tub and pour on a few buckets of water so they expand and are damp before they go in.  Within 30 mins they have fully expanded and the bed is dry but not dusty.  It is rare that they do get dusty and if they do I give the bed a quick spray with the hose which solves the problem.

Stinky has the wet spot taken out midweek and at the weekend I do a full muck out and stick in 2 x 15k bags.  Farra has the wet taken out Tuesday and Thursdays - very wet and large mare and again at the weekend I take up the whole bed, leave to air and put in 3 x 15 k bags to top up the bedding, occasionally I will need an extra bag to go in.

The beds are about 4" thick and over half the stable.  I don't have a problem with dusty beds as I only have them in from end of October to beginning of May and I then take the whole lot out when they go out.


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## dizzyone (12 December 2011)

We soak our pellets before they go in, although have just changed most the yard to straw pellets. They are fab! no watering needed, work best if you leave a base.


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## ecrozier (16 December 2011)

I also soak before it goes in, empty bag into big trug and cover with water when muck out in morning, leave for the day, when get there after work tip out of the trug and leave to air while ride etc, then spread into bed. Little clean Arab uses one bag a week with very occasional extra bag, big filthy 5 year old has two bags a week. I generally take most of wet out most days. Yesterday youngster's bed looked like an absolute peat bog, there wasn't one single complete nugget of poo, whole thing just mulched. Took less than 10 mins to sort, less than one barrow out! If the same had happened last year on shavings, would have been 20 mins, two barrows and a new bale of shavings!


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## Bustalot (16 December 2011)

Sorry to steal OP thread. Just starting to use wood pellets. For those that soak a bag prior to putting into stable. How much water do you use to soak the one bag?


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## saffytessa (18 December 2011)

I wet mine quite a lot. I have a big black flexi tub from wickes like a giant tub trug. I put a 13.6kg bag of natures best pellets in and then spray with a hose with my finger over the end for a bit of pressure and spray until i can see the water between the pellets. I would leave it overnight and it would have soaked it all up and gone fluffy by morning. It doesn't have much pellets left then though it was more sawdust like. A bag goes further that way.

I have just added some bliss bedding to my pellet beds today to see if I like it. I will probably be cursing in the morning though! also not sure if it is allowed on my yard as it is made from straw. 

Thank you for the suggestions. I may try a bit more mixing see if it works and maybe use just pellets again after the freezing weather has gone and I can get the hose back out


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## Megibo (19 December 2011)

before mine lived out, i used to put a fresh bag in hers each week and i would put the bag in a wheelbarrow, make a small slit in the top fill it with water then leave it a few minutes. then put in stable break bag open and spread easy peasy. sometimes i'd fill it 3/4 so there were some whole pellets still as these would then absorb a bit more if that makes sense


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## Teeni (19 December 2011)

I wet additional bags, personally that works better for me as i do a full muck out each day, just can't leave the wet in, i tried it the other week and hated mixing wet in.
Anyway i put a 10kg bag in a flexi tub and add pretty much a full bucket of water, or at least enough to cover all the pellets so they are under water.  I leave it for the day and then its just perfect to add to my bed. Love it!


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## saffytessa (20 December 2011)

Im not in bliss mucking out the bliss bedding  It is a nightmare, glad I only bought 2 bags as I don't want to muck that out for any longer than I have to. It doesn't fall through the fork and you throw loads away. Was hoping it would be a good alternative to shavings as its cheaper. 

Oh wood pellets why do you have to be so dusty


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## saffytessa (20 December 2011)

Teeni said:



			I wet additional bags, personally that works better for me as i do a full muck out each day, just can't leave the wet in, i tried it the other week and hated mixing wet in.
Anyway i put a 10kg bag in a flexi tub and add pretty much a full bucket of water, or at least enough to cover all the pellets so they are under water.  I leave it for the day and then its just perfect to add to my bed. Love it!
		
Click to expand...

That sound like how I was using mine (except the part about the wet cos they rarely pee in their beds, when they do I take it out). I watered again today because there is still alot of pellet bedding in my beds and it was dusty. I darent water too much incase it freezes but I last watered on saturday and it needed doing again!


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## Teeni (20 December 2011)

Strange how you are having to water them regularly because they are getting dusty, i don't have that problem at all but then i do have a wet mare lol


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## TallulahBright (21 December 2011)

I water two bags each week and add down one side of stable then mix in as the week goes on. Mine also likes to party in her stable and most mornings it's a game of find the poo bits! I take the wet out. Had her on shavings for a while which was a nightmare and costa large fortune- at least three bales a week. I hat leaving the wet in!


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## SMulford1991 (21 December 2011)

i did a project for uni on a yard where I changed the bedding of a few stables from cardboard chips to wood pellet, and primarily started the bed with a soaked pellets which turned into a sandy texture, then added a few more bags in not soaked, over a rubber matting. For the following weeks we added one to two bags in a week of just try pellets. We only removed faeces and extremely wet areas!


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## saffytessa (21 December 2011)

Well one of my stables was a bit easier to muck out this morning as the bliss bedding has compacted a bit but I am also mucking out with gloves and a bucket not the fork 

Think I might just bite the bullet, go back to pellets and the easy muck outs and take containers of water and a watering can if the pipes are frozen at the yard  Well either that or shavings 

Indecisive? Me?


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## hbcustard (16 February 2012)

Hi there,

I have been using first wood pellets and then straw pellets underneath a straw bed. I have found that both work really well and you don't get a problem with dust or bed being kicked around the yard. I have found the straw pellets much more absorbent, so they are working out cleaner and cheaper to use. I use less than one 15kg bag of straw pellets and half a bale of straw each week. I deep litter for a week, then pull the straw back and take out the saturated pellets. I was watering the wood pellets as they needed a bit of help to start absorbing, but am not needing to do this with the straw pellets. I just pour the pellets down, add a bit more straw and ready to go again. It only takes 5 mins to skip out in the week, but I spend about half an hour on it at the weekend doing a thorough job.

Only trouble with the pellets is that to get a good price you have to order in bulk, which means I have always had problems with the delivery - driver in big truck on country lanes, and not able to lower the pallet from the lorry when he arrives. Makes me dread ordering more!


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