Bagged Shavings Users - how much do you use in a week?

[MightyG]

Also, do you think the standard pallet of 40-45 bags would fit, unloaded and restacked in a 2h trailer. I know I would not make the height, but by restacking shorter and longer Maybe???

[QUOTE=DHCarrotfeeder;7872929]
I ordered two pallets of shavings once. Those pallets were TALL. I had a flatbed trailer but the load was just itching to tip over. If you put a strap over the shavings bag you can’t get it tight because the shavings just settle under the tension.

I had to unstack both pallets almost half-way and pile the shavings bags all over and even still I was really nervous about the straps loosening and losing the load. Oh, and it was a Friday at rush hour, to boot. I got home and swore to never do that again.

Moral of the story, shavings by the pallet are hard to move unless you have a very tall enclosed trailer.

David[/QUOTE]

[Zu_Zu]

The shavings are stacked five a layer on a pallet so ten rows high ```

I purchase bagged shavings ( the coarse shavings and the fine cut shavings ) by the pallet for the 50 cents off per bag discount ( pallet price) … so most of the time two pallets = 100 bags.

I pick them up in the back of the pickup 20 bags fit fine ( standing on end ) and will not fall out / off.

• Pickup once a week ~ store keeps count of what I pick up ~

Currently I stall at night three big horse mares and one hackney gelding …

I usually use 18 bags per week …sometimes all 20

one mare is a neat freak but requires a bag or two a day
one mare is a ‘pig’ is on the finer cut shavings and requires one bag every other day
one mare is new and makes ‘puree’ manuree’ and gets one bag every other day * just impossible to keep up with her … a pattern is beginning to become clear … I refuse to ‘strip’ the stall daily
and my dear hackney gets two or three bags of coarse fluffy shavings a week

Yes, I believe you could haul 50 bags of shavings in a two horse trailer …EASILY ! stacked flat on their sides ``` the only bad part would be the unloading struggle but you could store the bags in the trailer and unload as needed.

[QUOTE=MightyG;7872960]
Also, do you think the standard pallet of 40-45 bags would fit, unloaded and restacked in a 2h trailer. I know I would not make the height, but by restacking shorter and longer Maybe???[/QUOTE]

[tpup]

I just brought my horses home in June and our barn was done about a month ago. We started turning in at night when it got cold. We have 3 geldings. One was SUPER messy from nerves/anxiety and his stall was a trampled mess every night, but now he is better. My horses tend to pee in the same spots, and poop in the same spots so that’s helpful. We started with the mini-flake shavings but I have since switched to the medium flake from Southern States or the pine flakes (not fine) from Tractor Supply. The mini flakes seemed to ALL get dirty at once…but the larger flakes work better for us. They are harder to muck and don’t fall through the fork as easily but I still like the stalls better using them, and feel like I waste less. I can more easily see which shavings need to be mucked out and trashed, and which can stay and be reused or pushed back to the middle. The mini flakes just turn to powder IMO and collect and soak in pee, and then get moved all around the stall which seems to ruin all the shavings more - at least w/my horses. I have one 12x14 stall and the rest are 12x12. We go through about 4-5 bags per week I’d say BUT what helps tremendously is doing a “night check” if you can. We feed early evening and before bed we go back out and check waters, hay and pick up any poop/pee we see and PDZ/re-bed the pee areas. This saves me so much time mucking the next day as those were the areas and piles most likely to get trampled overnight. Highly recommend the “night check” if you can swing it. Saves time and shavings. Your big “investment” will be bedding the stalls the first time. 4-5 bags per stall to get things going was my experience.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

[QUOTE=MightyG;7872960]
Also, do you think the standard pallet of 40-45 bags would fit, unloaded and restacked in a 2h trailer. I know I would not make the height, but by restacking shorter and longer Maybe???[/QUOTE]

That’s what I’m leaning towards now. I would budget time at the pickup site for them to bring out the pallets and I would load them onto the trailer.

Amount you can transport varies with the width, length, and height of the trailer. Take a half-dozen or so and see how many you can fit on the floor, then figure how tall you can stack them on that footprint. Plus 18-20 in the truck bed. That’s how we did our last load.

If you want to transport on an open bed trailer, consider getting some flat temporary “sides” made (plywood and 2x4’s perhaps?) that can make an impromptu set of walls and cinch them tightly against the bags.

Unless you have machinery at home to move pallets around (tractor with forks, forklift, etc) then you’re going to need to handle them by hand. Transporting as full pallets just isn’t going to be much advantage.

[ElementFarm]

we order a pallet at a time, delivered from the feedstore, and order more when we’re down to 8 or so.
3 horses.

1. Dutch WB mare – neat-ish. Pees in two spots, poops in another. She’s out about 10 hrs/day unless in due to weather. She will pace a bit, and if her stall is picked a few times a day, it saves a ton of shavings. If left and cleaned once a day, her pacing will break her poop piles into little pieces and drag them throughout, requiring a lot of removed shavings. If she’s out everyday and he stall is picked 2-4x/day, I’d say she starts with two bags on a stripped stall, and needs another one during the week. If she’s in due to rain/winter, we use a new bag every other day.
2. Clyde mare: pees A LOT. Neat in than she uses half her stall for her business, but volume just decimates the stall. We use one bag on a stripped stall and re-strip every other day, so 4 bales/week if she’s out every day. More if she’s in.
3. Hano gelding: neat in that he poops in the corners, but he has to pee in the middle, and that trashes the stall faster than the girls who go along the edges. He starts with 2 bags in a stripped stall, and gets 1-2 more during the week, if he’s out. If he’s stuck in, he’ll pace and make circles, and trash the stall in one day.

I prefer the fine shavings. They seem to absorb better and are much easier to pick – saving shavings. I also strip once a week or every 10 days. I bank the extra shavings in the corners and edges they don’t use for business, and that gives me plenty of clean material to use when I remove wet spots during the day.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=allons-y;7871613]
The best thing I ever did was to potty train my OTTB. Urine was easy, poops not so much. Put in mats, leave one corner sans mat, place lots of sand there. Almost no shavings on mats at first, he had to ‘earn his shavings privileges’. After peeing on sand was established I added shavings, but not too much at first. It took about a month, hes only in at nite. He mostly poops in the back too. Now I can bed deep, except his “sand box”, no shavings there. So a bag or 2 of shavings lasts a loooooooog time. ;)[/QUOTE]

How much would you charge to come potty-train my horses???

[keatssu]

Perhaps you are set on shavings, but I’ll just throw this out there - Pellets will save you time, money, storage space, manure pile or spreader space. They compost faster as well. We get a pallet of 50 bags in the bed of our pickup truck. PM me if you are interested in more details, and/or see my recent post which is loaded with details.

[Doctracy]

[QUOTE=allons-y;7871613]
The best thing I ever did was to potty train my OTTB. Urine was easy, poops not so much. Put in mats, leave one corner sans mat, place lots of sand there. Almost no shavings on mats at first, he had to ‘earn his shavings privileges’. After peeing on sand was established I added shavings, but not too much at first. It took about a month, hes only in at nite. He mostly poops in the back too. Now I can bed deep, except his “sand box”, no shavings there. So a bag or 2 of shavings lasts a loooooooog time. ;)[/QUOTE]

That is incredible. I have some piggys that I need to do that with, once my barn is built.

[Doctracy]

I’ve used the pellets in the past. Much less waste than shavings.If it’s too dusty, just spritz lightly with a hose.

[MightyG]

Are the pellets comfortable for bedding. I have never even seen them before. I know fleet farm here has them, but the boarding barn doesn’t use them…

[Zu_Zu]

I use Pellet Bedding and Shavings …

I use pellet bedding and shavings ( coarse and fine cut) depends on the time of year, what’s on sale and the individual animal.

Pellet bedded stalls or fine cut shavings stalls are easier to clean and less waste ~ IMHO

I keep all three types on hand …

** wall to wall matted stalls

Remaking a stripped stall I will start with pellet bedding prepped in a wheelbarrow … water added and time to fluff up

That is my bottom layer …8 bags for a 12x12 stall

Then I will top with either coarse or fine shavings … 3 bags

** Pellet bedding is more expensive but they always have sales and the pallet price is 50 cents off each bag.

We pick up 25 40# bags at a time

Honestly you can get 100 bags of shavings in a two horse trailer

measurement of shavings 9 cuft compressed

placed on the ground flat …
length 24"
across the bag width 16"
depth 9"

BACK TO PELLETS

** I put three bags of pellets into a Rubbermaid wheelbarrow/cart and dump the morning water buckets in cart
not more than about ( depends on humidity level too)
3 gallons of water per bag of pellets …

then I have prepped bedding as I clean my stalls…

I do believe the pellet bedding dries feet more than the shavings but that may just be me…

I hope something I have posted helps …

Good Luck !

& most stores I have purchased from will allow a person to buy two or more pallets of shavings or pellets on sale and pick up as needed ( in a timely fashion)

[keatssu]

You really should do some reading about the pellets. Pellets are compressed sawdust. You rehydrate them to create sawdust, so the bedding is sawdust.

In regards to comfort - I wish we could ask the horses! The shavings look all fluffy and inviting, but much of that is air and when the horse lies down they flatten it out. The pellets make a nice cushy bed. Mine sure spend a lot of time lying down in their stalls.