Questions on pelleted bedding

[ecileh]

We just brought our horses home and I am considering switching to pellets for bedding to minimize the size of the manure piles (we inherited several of them that are 30+ years old and taller than I am, so disposal space is already an issue), but I have some questions that I can’t seem to find answers for via google or youtube.

If you have to wet them to make them fluffy, don’t they freeze in the winter?

How deeply should the stalls be bedded? (I am very familiar with shavings as bedding and use about 5-6 inches deep for that, less as the week progresses and it gets carted out, adding a bag when it gets too thin. But I don’t know where to start will pellets.)

Do they ever need to be completely stripped and re-done, or is the idea that you let it build up like deep litter and only scoop the poop and pee?

Do they really make stall cleaning easier? I have three horses and it takes me about 45 min to do all of the stalls. I have zero interest in extending that time.

The clerk at tractor supply suggested that I mix pellets and shavings (what she does), but that seems to negate both sets of pros to my mind. Do we have collective thoughts on that?

[lenapesadie]

I don’t wet mine other than the initial start. They are more dusty than fluffy either way IME. I bed mine as deep as shavings if not deeper. They are slightly quicker to clean than shavings for me. Less bedding ends up in manure pile for me and that’s the big draw for me.

I mix shavings with pellets for my very neat horse. Pellets as the “base” and then a topping of shavings where he lays down. My horses see minimal stall time though so YMMV

[trubandloki]

@ecileh

If you have to wet them to make them fluffy, don’t they freeze in the winter?

Yes. They do where I live, in NY. That is why I stopped using them that way.
I have heard from others that they do not have this problem. My stalls are open to the outside so my barn is not warmer than outside. A warmer barn might not have this problem.

@ecileh

How deeply should the stalls be bedded? (I am very familiar with shavings as bedding and use about 5-6 inches deep for that, less as the week progresses and it gets carted out, adding a bag when it gets too thin. But I don’t know where to start will pellets.)

I don’t see why you can’t use them as deep as you use any other bedding. When I used bulk sawdust I made the stalls really deep.

@ecileh

Do they ever need to be completely stripped and re-done, or is the idea that you let it build up like deep litter and only scoop the poop and pee?

I think this is a personal preference stall cleaning thing. I know people who like to strip once a week. I know people who pick all manure and wet spot every day and add bedding as needed. I think pellets can work anyway you want to keep your stalls.

@ecileh

Do they really make stall cleaning easier?

I don’t think they make stall cleaning any harder. I like smaller flakes or sawdust for easier cleaning.

@ecileh

The clerk at tractor supply suggested that I mix pellets and shavings (what she does), but that seems to negate both sets of pros to my mind. Do we have collective thoughts on that?

This is how I use them. I mainly bed in shavings. I put pellets (dry, not expanded) under the shavings in the wet spot areas.

Another popular way to use pellets is you charge (wet) them initially when you start your stall but then just toss in dry pellets to add bedding. The existing moisture and the horse moving around will break them up.

[Scribbler]

So much depends on the horse and how she or he uses the stall. We have stalls with runouts, my mare usually poops and mostly pees outside, sleeps inside.

I’ve used both shavings and pellets. I like to throw down a couple of bags of whole pellets and top with one fluffed bag. Pellets are easier to sift poop and find the wet spots but the process is same as using shavings. You can deep bed ignore what’s happening underneath, and strip when needed, or take out pee spots every day.

[S1969]

@Scribbler

So much depends on the horse and how she or he uses the stall. We have stalls with runouts, my mare usually poops and mostly pees outside, sleeps inside.

Agreed. My stalls are open to allow them to come in or out 24/7. The typically stand inside but almost never lie down inside unless the weather is really awful for days.

So I don’t bed deeply but enough to keep the stall dry/clean. The more bedding you add, the more time consuming it can be to clean it if you have a horse that will churn it up.

I think there is definitely a trial and error period with pellets - how must to start with, how much water to add, etc. But the #1 and #2 reasons I use them are for smaller manure piles and easier storage. They are easier for me to clean, but I think we get used to what we know. Others probably can clean shavings faster than I can after a decade of using pellets.

Yes, they can freeze in the winter. It is really important not to let water pool at the bottom when you are wetting them down. So, for example. wet them, then flip the whole bed over a couple of times an hour later or so. Otherwise the bottom can freeze into a big pancake that is very difficult to remove or breakup.

[Scribbler]

I fluff mine in a wheelbarrow and just one bag. The lower layers fluff when they get pee. My own mare needs shavings because pellets set her off on a chronic cough.

[cayuse]

I’ve also been thinking of switching to pellets for one of my messy minis. This is a dumb question, has anyone had problems with their horses eating the pellets? I’m afraid he’ll hoover them up (he LIKES to eat and will try anything if it looks like food). I used pellets years ago and my paint mare ate a few and wisely decided that they were nasty, but I’m not too sure Mr.Mini is that smart.

[trubandloki]

I am sure there are horses that eat them. Horses are weird. Give them a try and see how they work out.

[Simkie]

I’ll wet one bag (of three) when starting an empty stall. From there on out, I add dry. Yes, they will freeze if it gets cold enough, but IME, it takes consistent below zero type temps. It takes me 5 minutes to clean per stall. The only time I strip is if something odd has happened–a water tub tips or wind blows a lot of rain into the stall.

I can store 2-3 months of pellets for four horses on a single pallet, which I sure can’t do with shavings, and pellets break down into compost SO much more quickly.

[Willesdon]

I’m curious about 30 year old muck heaps taller than a person. Aren’t they now huge piles of excellent soil to use in the flower garden or vegetable patch?

[luvmyhackney]

That’s what I was wondering. Gardeners would take that off your hands yesterday.

[sascha]

@Scribbler

My own mare needs shavings because pellets set her off on a chronic cough.

I swear horses are as weird as cats. After allergy testing almost 6 years ago, I cycled through the recommended beddings and then eventually returned to pellets because everything else was either inconsistent (flax, I’m lookit you right now) or set off her asthma. Pellets seem to be the best for her.

OP - I started with an expanded base (about 12 bags in a 12x12 stall) and add a bag or two or 3 (depending on summer turnout to stall bound) unexpanded pellets about once a week. If I see ANY dust, I take a garden sprinkler full of water and ‘draw’ a tight grid pattern over the whole bed. In summer, I might do that every other day. This winter I might have sprinkled once from December until now.

I have not had a huge problem with pellets freezing in warmer or colder barns. However, if your barn is cold and you wet them too much, you will get freezing at the base which can wreak havoc in springtime.

[2DogsFarm]

Well, my largest pile is at least 15yrs old at the base & yes, awesomely composted stuff.
When I dig into it for my garden it steams & I uncover places that have turned to ash.

Re: pellets
I used them for several years & never had a problem with dust.
My method for wetting was to slice open a bag at the top (while it was stood on end in a stall), dump a bucket of water into the bag & pick the stall.
By the time I was done picking, the pellets were fully fluffed & ready to spread.
Worked even in Winter & the moistened pellets didn’t freeze hard.

I’ve since switched back to shavings.
First because there was a period when none of my sources - local feedstore, 2 different TSCs - had pellets.
Now because I have a source for near-sawdust shavings that come in heavy bags (60#) for $4ea if you get a pallet of 40.
The stack of bags takes up a space 4’X8’ & lasts me almost 4mos.

I pick stalls 2-3X daily, adding bedding maybe once a week.
With these bags, I can split a bag between 2 12X12 stalls.
Mini’s 10X12 stall gets 1/4-1/2bag & lasts months. Mostly because he spends 90% of his time in with my horse
Never strip to the base, so semi-deep litter method.
Base is limestone screenings, packed hard by horses. It drains so we’ll there is no urine smell.

[Spudsmyguy]

I don’t bother wetting them. My horse moving around grinds them up in about one or two days.

[Jarpur]

@S1969

My stalls are open to allow them to come in or out 24/7. The typically stand inside but almost never lie down inside unless the weather is really awful for days.

So I don’t bed deeply but enough to keep the stall dry/clean. The more bedding you add, the more time consuming it can be to clean it if you have a horse that will churn it up.

I think there is definitely a trial and error period with pellets - how must to start with, how much water to add, etc. But the #1 and #2 reasons I use them are for smaller manure piles and easier storage. They are easier for me to clean, but I think we get used to what we know. Others probably can clean shavings faster than I can after a decade of using pellets.

This is very similar to my situation, minus the freezing of pellets also mentioned in the quoted post – it’s never happened, and I can’t see it ever happening with our winters.

The only time we strip stalls is when we power-wash the barn. In that case, after the barn thoroughly dries out, we start back with 3 or 4 bags of pellets per stall, over the stall mats. Only add water to fresh bags of pellets. Pick out every day, and multiple times per day if the horses do have to be kept up due to severe weather (thunderstorms, hail).

Back when we bedded on shavings, I did a side by side test of pellets versus shavings when first considering changing, bedding my messiest horse with pellets in his stall. Pellets were the clear winner, in terms of ease of picking, less bulk to compost, less bulk to store, etc. Switched over, and never looked back.

It has been more difficult to find them in stock at our area TSC stores lately, but my horses don’t blow through bedding, fortunately, so we’ve gotten by okay.

[Tee]

I wet mine and then split a bag of shavings between three stalls. Mostly just to add a little more fluff, since they are in all night.

I’ve never had them freeze, even when it got down to 5*F (super cold for us).

I strip on as as needed basis. One, my super tidy boy, never needs it, but the other two I generally strip or partially strip once a month or so.

I can clean all three of my stalls in about 15 minutes. Even the messiest one is maybe 7-8 minutes. Tidy boy, 2 minutes (seriously), and the other takes up the balance.

[fourfillies]

Exactly this. Definitely faster to clean and better absorbency also means less to muck wet spots.

[FitToBeTied]

We use them with the geldings. We use regular shavings for most of the stall and then put the pellets down where the horses pee.

[stb]

I wish I knew what I am doing wrong with pellets. I have tried them multiple times and my barn invariably becomes a dust bowl when I use them. I wet them when I put them out, pick stalls daily, and sprinkle the pellets whenever they become dusty.

My horses have access to a dry lot from their stalls, and they spend a lot more time out than in, so maybe that contributes to the problem. I wish I could make them work. I do think they make a nice cushy bed for horses that want to lie down, and they are easy to clean and minimal waste.

[Simkie]

@stb

I wet them when I put them out, pick stalls daily, and sprinkle the pellets whenever they become dusty.

Have you tried not adding water, except at the initial set up?

It’s the action of the horses walking on the bedding and breaking it down that creates the small dust particles. The longer the bedding is in pellets, the less dust you’ll have.

There are just brands that are dustier, too. It’s easy to think of all pelleted bedding as the same, since it all looks about the same, but it’s definitely not. If you’ve been only using one brand, switching to another is worth a shot, too.