Foaling / Foals -- Stall Bedding Question

[Jill]

Usually, we bed our stalls down with sawdust. When it's foaling time, we put straw over top of this and keep the mare and new foal with straw on top of the sawdust (or shavings) for a period of time. But, as probably most of you know, it is a serious pita to clean stalls that are bedded with straw. Much harder to keep them as clean as we like.

So my question is, at what age to you move your mares and new foals off the straw topper and onto just sawdust or shavings?

And if you usually use sawdust (finer / easier to inhale) do you do an intermediate period on shavings after the straw and before the complete switch to just sawdust?

Thanks!

 

[minimomNC]

Our baby has been on shavings since we brought him home at 11 hours old. We have had no problems with him but the shavings are larger, not really fine. He is also better able to move around the stall with shavings too, which with this weather, he has been in for three days now so he is running laps now.

 

[afoulk]

Jill,

After the first week I put them back on shavings/sawdust. I hate cleaning stalls with straw they are a pain. My shavings come in bulk delivery and are not dusty. I find that they don't have a problem with that.

Arlene

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

I leave my foals on straw with bedding underneath that for about 1 wk. I used hay one year, and it was much easier to pick through than straw is.

 

[Becky]

I don't use sawdust, but I do use shavings. What I normally do, when I determine a mare is close to foaling, I put the largest flake shavings I can buy over the other shavings in her stall. Then I put a layer of hay over that. I normally replace the wet/soiled hay for a few days after the mare foals, then stop adding it. By the time the foal is a week or so of age, there is basically no more hay in the stall. I will continue with the large flake shavings for at least a couple of weeks.

This year I was going to use cardboard bedding as it isn't dusty, doesn't stick to horse hair and won't get in the foals eyes. Unfortunately, both of the feed stores I go to decided to quit carrying it.

So it's back to large flake shavings and hay.

 

[eagles ring farm]

We use pelleted bedding with hay on top for about a week

then we just used pelleted.

But we are sure pellets are broke down before adding more to stall with foal

for about a month we are careful not to have unbroken down pellets

then after that make sure the foal has no interest in them.

 

[~Lisa~]

I usually wait about 2- 3 days before removing the layer of grass hay bedding out of the stall and leaving just the shavings. I try to leave some grass hay in what seems to be babys favorite spot for napping.

I just do not replace it when I take out what is dirty (the hay) and only replace shavings

I just can not keep stalls clean enough when they are bedded down deep with grass.

 

[Matt73]

When I used shavings I switched back after a week to 10 days. I use only straw now. I actually prefer it (used to be a big shavings lover). You get used to mucking it pretty quickly; it's a little more labour intensive but is really clean, with virtually no dust. It's much healthier IMHO. In winter I can bed it up really thick and make nice cozy beds for my guys.

 

[wildoak]

I normally bed stalls with a layer of pelleted bedding first, and about a third bag of shavings over that. For mare/foals I increase the shavings so the pellets are completely covered, and add hay over that (don't find straw here and prefer hay anyway). Like most others said, I use the hay for about a week, and just stop replacing it. With the cold, wet weather we've had the last few days I've been glad I only have one foal stalled!

Jan

 

[Reble]

We also use pellet bedding and but lots of straw on top.

What ever is not eaten or soiled gets removed usually 5-7 days and back to pellets.

Just for newbies,

You might be tempted to use old hay for bedding. Horses will eat even spoiled hay that may give off mold dust that can result in lung damage. Hay starts to ferment quickly when wetted resulting in odor.

 

[Magic]

I use pelleted bedding under soft straw. It depends on how cold it is for how long I leave straw in the stall; when it's cold out, I like the foals to have plenty of straw to snuggle into (even though they also have baby blankets and Kalglo heaters). Like Matt, I've gotten used to cleaning straw stalls, and find that the straw is very clean, especially with pellets underneath to absorb urine. I clean the stalls twice a day, and sure it takes more time to clean straw-bedded stalls, but they are so cozy, it's worth it to me. I just take it easy and sift, sift, sift!

I do appreciate a nice neat mare even more when on straw though, lol!

 

[SHANA]

I have used hay for foaling mares as well as large flaked shavings with no problems. This year we are using large flaked shavings since it is easier for me to clean.

 

[Connie P]

I use pine shavings as bedding on a daily basis. When I know a mare is going to foal I put a nice fresh layer of clean straw on top of that - after the mare foals I pick out the area where her water broke and usually by the end of the first week the straw is gone from daily cleaning.

 

[minih]

We put shavings down then hay over top. This has seemed to work best for us, I hate how nasty the stall seems when using straw and it is so stiff I am always afraid it will poke into the little ones eye. The moms really like having the hay all over the bottom since after foaling they are tired and like to lay down, they will just lay there and eat the hay. They deserve a little spoiling after what they just did for us.

 

[Marty]

Straw didn't work for me for the same reasons Terri stated and I don't want mine eating straw.

I bed with good hay over shavings for a good week, maybe more.

 

[My-Lil-Pony]

At the barn where I ride we foal out very few mares. We do foal them out in a grassy paddock and bring them into a stall with shavings at night.

 

[Miniv]

Jill,

We use a light layer of shavings for the mare prior to the birth. And then spread about a half to 3/4 of a bale of grass hay over the shavings at birth. As areas of the stall get soiled, we remove it, shavings and hay both. And then spread the unsoiled bedding with the hay on top over the bare rubber mat. By the time the foal is over 48 hours old, we tend to strip the stall and replace everything with just shavings. We haven't used straw in years.

 

[Allure Ranch]

[SIZE=12pt]We utilize pine shavings for bedding from the moment the mare is brought into the barn at 300 days until she foals... and we continue to keep mare an foal on it only to absorb the urine and other fluids. [/SIZE]

However, I've heard that the pelleted bedding is more absorbant and I'm going to be changing over very shortly.

 

[Magic]

So my question is, at what age to you move your mares and new foals off the straw topper and onto just sawdust or shavings?
And if you usually use sawdust (finer / easier to inhale) do you do an intermediate period on shavings after the straw and before the complete switch to just sawdust?

Sorry Jill, I didn't actually answer your question when I answered before. If the weather isn't too cold, we don't add in any more straw as we clean the stalls, and add more pelleted bedding as needed. Usually by the end of a week or so, the straw is gone (depending on how clean or how messy each mare/foal is; the cleanest mares basically never run out of straw). I like to put in a small pile of straw where the foal likes to nap. As for sawdust, I couldn't tell you, since I don't use it.

Oh, and the straw we use is as soft as soft grass hay, so it works for us.

 

[tagalong]

If I can find some nice, clean, soft straw - I will use that. If not, hay. Right now - both... as the prgenant mare who arroived here was too thin IMO - thus she has a deep hay bed to nibble on at her leisure.

That goes over a layer of shavings... and after the first 3 days or so I just stop adding new straw/hay and it takes about a week for the majority of it to disappear.

Having cleaned many straw-only stalls in my life (big horses) I much prefer shavings... more absorbent and less ammonia smell. Oh, I have the straw cleaning technique down to an art form by now - but I prefer not to use it!