Oh heck, let's do a POLL and get it overwith

[Marty]

OK well nuts I messed up the poll......and they don't let you edit it to fix it

 

[Southern_Heart]

Thats OK I vote straw, I don't like the shavings!!!

Joyce

 

[Minimor]

Yep, gotta vote shavingsstraw on this one!

Well, if I COULD vote I would vote straw.

Perhaps horses are more likely to eat straw than shavings....but if they eat straw that's okay with me, they never eat enough to cause any problem, and I most assuredly do not want anyone eating shavings.

Plus, I just don't like shavings.

I'm using winter wheat straw off an irrigated field at the moment--got 3 big 4x4x8' bales from a neighbor--and this is sure nice soft pouffy straw. Price was good too, free for the hauling. Once it's gone we'll be back to using the small square bales of oat or barley straw--not as good a price, $1.50/bale delivered.

 

[shminifancier]

I go with shavings

because I am only 15 miles from where there dry and bag them~

And sometimes I can even get 2nds. for a few cents off

so at $2.75 a bag it is lots cheaper then buying them at a farm store or pet store. And sure is lots cheaper then getting Woody type pet bedding...And one can hardly get straw any more in this area.

.So shavings is the better way to go for me.

All bagged in plastic bags nice for storage stack real nice and they are all kiln dried, nice shavings, sometimes I have even gotten them right from the drier as they are bagged and brought out to my truck..Yes shavings is the way to go in this area anyway, because of the plant just down the road.

And besides IMO straw is just too hard to keep things clean gets wet and packs Yucky...You can pick out the "Apples" real nicely out of shavings without wasting and straw you just can't "pick" out stalls.

"Apple Pickers" are made for shavings to clean with without mucking out the entire stall.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Shavings.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[pepperhill]

Gotta be straw!

Linda

 

[Hosscrazy]

Shavings, baby, shavings!!!

Edit to add: babies on straw, not shavings. My broodmare lost a baby due to shavings impaction - straw only for the babies (first 2-3 months).

 

[tuffsmom]

Shaaaaaviiings.......I *hate* the pokey straw!

 

[Bluebell]

I live on a farm and we have our own straw.

 

[Buckskin gal]

We use some of both depending on the circumstances. We never use shavings in the foaling stall.

 

[Bluerocket]

I vote NEITHER

Woody Pet ---- Woody Pet ----- Woody Pet ---- Ra - Ra - Ra!

 

[nootka]

Shavings!

Straw is a lot of hard work, it is smelly and it sure as heck takes up more space to get rid of and store. Also, I feel it is more prone to causing dust problems and mold problems, esp. in my damp region.

Liz M.

 

[CAM]

Shavings for everything but the foaling stalls.

 

[Jill]

My perference (we usually have the run in sheds bedded and will bed stalls when we use them) would be sawdust, then woody pet (favorite but it's too expensive to put into 18x21, 12x16, etc sheds that they treat as potties, then shavings. I do not like straw as bedding.

 

[Tabitha]

STRAW!

 

[chandab]

Shavings for everything but the foaling stalls. 

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Me, too!

I haven't had any foaling stalls to worry about lately, so haven't even had to look for straw. Shavings are so easy to clean up.

 

[Shelley]

I also vote neither. It's Woody Pet for us!

Shelley

 

[Marty]

Thank you to whoever fixed the poll for me!

I don't know what I did wrong but it came out to say "shavingsstraw"

Has anyone had anyone colic on shavings or straw?

I have one that I know will eat shavings.

I have one that I know eats straw.

Duh!

I'm in a bit of a quandry here!

In my area, straw is the exact same amount as shavings $4.00 a bail so I do need to decide what to stock pile for winter. Thank you!

Also for those that use straw, do you use one or two bails at a time? Or how much per stall please?

 

[Miniv]

Shavings for adults here..... Hay bedding for foaling!

MA

 

[chandab]

Also for those that use straw, do you use one or two bails at a time? Or how much per stall please?

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It's been awhile since I've used straw and it does depend on the size of the stall and the size of the bale, but... One bale per stall is a good start, maybe even a bit less, if your stalls are smaller than 12x12 (I haven't used straw since my full-size mare foaled at a boarding facility, 8 years ago).