What is more absorbent?

[nat17]

What do you find more absorbent on rubber matting , Shavings or Straw?



;)

[Wally]

I prefer straw, shavings seems to turn to wet porrage.

[DITZ]

straw

[clepper]

I agree straw. We have just had rubber matting put in the bottom yard, Great Stuff!

Clepper ~x~

[nat17]

Thanks , I was hoping it wouldnt be straw as thats what we are on now! I was looking for an improvement! Thats it, stable train Podge to do before he comes in!:D

[Bebe]

I don't think straw is absorbent on rubber mats. It keeps the horses off the wet but it doesn't actually soak much up. Shavings are more absorbent.

I'm using Megazorb under a layer of straw (the straw just rakes off when I want to muck out) and it's incredibly absorbent. Admittedly Bebe is only coming in for a few hours a day now (4 at the most) but she does wee in the stable. I mucked out the megazorb for the first time in 2 weeks the other day and only had 1 damp patch in the middle of the stable to take out, I was amazed. It's very good stuff! Costs the same as shavings (smaller bag but it goes an incredibly long way) and is much more absorbent.

[artemis]

I use shavings. I have 3 on rubber matting with shavings. One, the shetland has cushing's & pees all the time. I use shavings from a timber yard & it has a lot of sawdust in it which is really absorbant.

[HAYLEY GITTOES]

The owner at our yard, her horse has rubber matting, and she has rubber matting for her horse, she uses shavings, it does get all soggy and horrible, the bed never looks nice and cosy, welcoming!!

[rache]

Sorry just thought i would butt in here, interested in this thread cause i think i am on my way to getting rubber matting.

Good thread nat! :D

P.s what is the difference between megazorb and shavings?

[Bebe]

Megazorb is a by-product (leftovers I think) of paper making, so it's basically balled up paper/fibre. Looks a little bit like cat litter when you put it down but it fluffs up with moisture and compacts down if you use it under straw. Looks very different to shavings. It's definitely more absorbent than shavings but you're supposed to use it on a sort of semi-deep litter basis (take out the manure every day but dig out the wet every 2-3 days). You can take the wet out every day but unless you have a really wet horse you'd have a job finding it, and it would work out quite expensive I suppose.

I use straw on top of megazorb for a couple of reasons:

1) it means I can have a thicker bed without too much extra expense
2) straw keeps my horse cleaner when she lies down
3) it's better for her hooves, shavings & megazorb can have a very drying effect on the hoof wall, straw isn't as bad (because it isn't as absorbent. This way I have the benefit of Megazorb being super absorbent (my mats stay completely dry) and Bebe stands on the straw so her feet don't dry out as much.
4) it looks nice and comfy (daft I know!)

[Mehitabel]

shavings for me, every time. i hate straw with a passion!

[nat17]

Bebe, were can you buy small amounts of megazorb from? Can you you it as a full bed with rubbermats? Is it cozy and warm looking:o

[Nookster]

Shavings for me too
:)

[Kanuma]

shavings!!!!! much better than straw!!! unless you have a mucky arab like mine (goes through 3 bales of shaveings a week the rest just go through one!) who is currently on rubber matting with easibed on top!!!!! it depends on the type of matting as well weve got the nice green stuff that they uses in the equine hospitals!!!

[Bebe]

Parklands said they'd order in Megazorb if you gave them advance notice but I get mine from Argo as they deliver to the yard (there's a minimum order but a few people order at the same time. I could probably order some on your behalf if you could pick the bags up).

You can use it as a full bed with rubber mats, but Bebe likes her straw which is why I only use it as a base. You're supposed to do it a couple of inches thick and just take out the manure daily and dig out the wet every couple of days if you use it as a full bed. It does take a couple of days mucking out to work out how best to do it as I think part of it depends on how clean the horse is.

It doesn't look cosy at first, to be honest it looks a bit like cat litter! Once it's fluffed up a bit it looks better and I've sat on it and it's soft and warm even when its first put down. It compacts into a base quite quickly which means it doesn't get dragged around the stable which is quite good, less sweeping.

[nat17]

Bebe, how much is Megazorb? I have seen it on a website for 4.50 per bag but may be different. Thanks for the offer, I may be taking you up on it! As its no problem to nip over and pick them up.! : ) Thanks for the offer.

I am not sure if i should try shavings first, I dont have a full stable of mats just 2, then the back is beded down with straw.

I want to keep it that way and bed down with either megazorb or shavings just at the back and a shaking over the mats.! Still not sure:(

[Bebe]

Argo charge £4.94 for a bag. I only used 1 bag when I started off, I've probably got just under an inch depth over the back half of my stable. Since then I've only used half a bag to top up but Bebe has only spent about 14 nights in this year and she's now out 20ish hours each day. My friend that uses it for her gelding put down 2.5 bags to start her bed (she doesn't have mats) and her gelding is in every night and has been for at least a month now. She's only used another couple of bags since then.

Megazorb packs down to a pretty solid but comfy base, so you would probably get away with a thinner layer of that than you would shavings if you bed an area without mats.

If you wanted to try it, you could just get a few bags and see how you get on. If you don't like it you could just add shavings to it until you end up with a complete shavings bed (I did it but went the other way, shavings and added Megazorb).

We just put an order in to Argo on Saturday but generally an order goes in every fortnight.

[nat17]

I might try shavings then for 2 weeks, then if i hate them I can ask you to kindly order me some megazorb, if thats ok.;)

[Bebe]

No worries :) I'll give you a shout when the next order is due to go in and you can let me know either way.

[nat17]

Thanks Bebe, had to laugh at your earlier post that you sat on the megazorb to see what it was like, can just imagine you sat there wiggly and bouncing , like when you go to try a bed in the shop !!:D :D

[GingerLily]

Just a warning...be wary of using extra absorbent materials as it could dry out your horse's feet. Makes sense really, osmosis and all that (too many biology lessons recently!), but apparently horse's feet need to be quite wet (as opposed to what you might think, nice hard dry hooves? Brittle?!).
So be careful!
:)
RachelB

[jUmPingIsLifE]

I much pefer shavings. We also use sawdust too as its so fine its easy to muck out, however that can be a bit dusty.

[Bebe]

Nat, Carrie (friend who's stable it was in) thought I was nutty too. Still, you have to see what it's like don't you! :D

Gingerlily, I've heard that too and my farrier told me that shavings were really bad for horses feet if they were stabled for longer than a couple of hours, so Megazorb will be too. By the same token though, ammonia from urine isn't great for hooves either. That's why I put straw down on top of my megazorb, at least that way whilst she isn't gaining any moisture, she won't be losing any either. I use Keratex Hoof Gel too which seems to help.

[GingerLily]

I had never thought of ammonia not being good for feet. And having thought about it, that's a good excuse to feed hay from a net too I suppose! All that ammonia...no wonder horses don't really eat the hay they've dropped.
Lily is on paper (no choice because it's what the whole yard is on) and it's quite absorbent, although very heavy when it's wet. (I'm trying really hard not to go off topic slightly here!) We are trying to buy a house with stables at the moment and a field next door so Lily will be on straw after that, I've always found that the old method is the best, just plain old straw! Rubber matting helps too though (work experience...experience!).
RachelB