I did a quick search and could only find a couple of mentions of this. Chopped straw in a big plastic bale/bag is now available in our area. What has been the experience of others using this compared to shavings, particularly in regards to dust and and absorbency. How much is needed to bed a stall compared to shavings? Mucking differences?
I am planning a move to a self care barn so can use what I want!
I’m trying chopped straw out right now - just got some last weekend. I don’t keep my 2 horses inside regularly, mainly just overnight once in a while if the weather isn’t cooperating (like today with snow/sleet/hail all at once).
I’m using Farmstraw fine, which is from Healthistraw. There’s a local dressage training barn that’s a dealer, and they love it.
There is essentially no dust, which is nice.
Absorbency seems pretty good so far. Will probably pull up the mats in a month or two to check if it’s getting underneath at all.
When it’s brand new it’s slippery. Not dangerously slippery, but it will shift around a lot more than shavings do. I like to bed deeply because I’ve got concrete floors with rubber mats, and by morning it seemed to have shifted to the stall perimeter a lot more than I notice with shavings. Now that it’s getting a little “used” it doesn’t seem to shift as much.
It’s a bit of a PITA to pick out poops without taking extra bedding with, but my frame of reference is is expanded pelleted bedding/peat moss which flows right through a manure fork so it’s an unfair comparison. It’s nowhere near like trying to pick regular straw though!
I tried out healthistraw, which is a chopped straw product for a couple months when it first came out here - i wanted something lower dust than pellets which get very powdery fast here. Like @Leather i found the chop straw slippery at first, and very shifty. it seemed to migrate away from my horses’ favourite cozy spots and chunk up on the perimeter by each clean (2x / day). This was over rubber matting, it might be better if you have dirt floors so they knit together well. Also difficult to get really clean, poops seem to hide under a layer! It also was so light it breezed out of my stalls into the walk outs…though pelleted bedding is bad for that too.
I was hoping the chopped straw would be the magic perfect bedding, but i couldn’t get it to work right for me. I might make another attempt - if there are good ideas in this thread 
How long are the chopped pieces? Also is straw shiny gold or more tan, like old straw with no shine?
For the Far![](straw Fine, most of the pieces are an inch or less. There is the odd 2.5" piece in there too.
It’s fairly shiny and gold. Because it’s chopped it exposes the inside and looks lighter but there are some pieces that are definitely yellow.
Pictures of me holding some that’s been in the stall for a couple of days, and some that’s still in the bag.
I’ve been using Gold Fields chopped straw for a few years now …prior to that was Bed Edge …I really like it compared to traditional straw and because dust/mold has been extracted which is better for my horse with heaves
I have been using the Healthy Straw for almost a year. I only stall my horses during bad weather or one is dieting so he is stalled at night. I’ve been playing with how to use the straw. One thing I’ve noticed is it works well to not clean it very well. Sounds weird . I only get out most of the poop and if there is a really saturated wet spot. Most of the wet straw I leave and it dries out and doesn’t seem stinky! Saves a lot on bedding! It is also great environmentally-composts faster and doesn’t mess up the soil ph like sawdust .
