Using local sawdust for bedding

[lilnickers]

Does anyone use sawdust from area firewood cutters? The cutter said the wood consists of soft maple and hard maple. Is this safe to use for bedding?

I have used pine before with no problems.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Just be sure they don't mix in any black walnut. I know folks that have used local sawdusr but it was rather fine particles and on occasion horses can develop heaves over time if the stuff is too fluffy and dusty.

 

[MindyLee]

I do!!!

Its pine tho.

I get 100-120lb bags for $7.00 and I LOVE THEM!

My horses love them and so do all my chickens.

Super tiny flakes, Not dusty, and very clean and dry.

OH and they smell sooooo good too!

I will never ever buy shavings from TSC again!

There small bags, big flaked and usally wet for $5.99 per bag.

 

[wingnut]

I always verify that they don't have black walnut shavings mixed within the sawdust. This is my favorite bedding. It's hard to get here as there are only 2 sawmills near us. One has people who leave trailers on their lot to load as they get the sawdust built up. The other place isn't open on the weekends and I need my husband to do this as I can't maneuver the trailer well enough. It's by far the most economical option we've used.

 

[lilnickers]

Thank you for your help! I guess the hardwood shavings will be ok as long as there is no black walnut in it.

 

[stormy]

No Walnut, wild cherry (choke cherry), oak, red maple...not sure if there are others...

 

[palsminihorses]

I use local cedar sawdust for my stalls. I've never had a problem with it. It sure saves on bedding costs! I put something on top of it for foaling mares........as sawdust is not good for newborn foals!

 

[disneyhorse]

Doesn't cedar have oils that can be harmful to critters? I remember it being all the rage for small animals in the '80s when I was growing up because it smelled so good but then pet owners became more educated...

Personally I always bed with softwoods like fir and pine. When the horse has allergies, straw or paper is good alternative.

Saw a horse eat a tiny bit of yew once a die... Makes me a little neurotic about the chips of wood my guys get access to.

 

[Cricket8]

Cedar wood if injested can cause gastrointestinal issues. I had a horse who was eating my barn down. Fully Cedar. Anyways he kept losing weight and I had the vet out and they couldn't figure out why. I then had a good friend and horse person tell me to move him to another barn away from the cedar and I did and he started gaining weight back getting less food than he was getting and I know this because I was.feeding him at my mothers barn. Look it up. I don't do cedar for horses.

 

[Crabtree Farm]

I have mixed some cedar with regular shavings, never had a problem. Nice part was the oils helped put a pretty gloss on their coats.

 

[palsminihorses]

Personally, I have never had a problem with the cedar sawdust. I've used it for years for big horses and now with mini's. I'm sure there would be some horses that might have problems with it, but so far, none of mine ever have.

 

[Jill]

That's all we ever use here, but always make sure that no black walnut could be in the mix. We do not stall routinely, but start doing it when we are monitoring mares for a foal or if it's before a show. We have these barns in our paddocks and simply leave the stall doors open, so our horses use them as run in sheds. We bed down with fresh saw dust periodically even though prompts a synchronized peeing event in several of our paddocks (urgh!).