Wood pellet users

Jessey

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
I've heard lots of good things about wood pellets, I'm interested how they work out cost/how much you use wise, is a bag of pellets equivalent to half a bale of shavings? more/less? Jess is the dirtiest horse ever, so absorbent and cost effective is a must.

I'm totally stressed out as the unwanted visitors at the field have been back for the last 2 weeks, someone broke into the boarded up building, then I caught some teens in the field last Monday, then caught a man in there on camera on Friday and got a call yesterday about a guy sat in the neighbours gateway doing his trousers up the first time the dog walker passed and smoking weed as she went back. It doesn't help that the fields both sides of me are now empty, so less people around to disturb them from going in mine and I feel even more vulnerable. So with the dark coming I am seriously considering going back to livery with Jess and putting the little boys down at my friends house (an hour away) until I can find another field :(
 
I'm so sorry to read this Jessey what an awful feeling and your set up being spoilt by rotten b*******!
@Kite_Rider I know used to use them so hopefully she can chime in on the pellets.
 
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I was thinking of them for when I eventually get my stables too. But no experience. Although the outlay of a pallet is expensive. I asked about them a little while back. There were a few replies. I found the thread but not a clue how to attach it. I'm rushing off to work. But if you if do a search for wood pellet it should come up.
 
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I used to use wood pellets with Harvey who is *very* wet, but doesn't churn his bed up. I have previously had him on straw and he is currently on shavings as that is what is included in my livery. Of the 3 I think pellets are best for him and me!

I kept his bed about 6 inches deep and it was basically deep littered in the week and taken down to the floor at weekends (If you don't do this you will use a lot of bed!) Having the bed thick keeps it dry on top which is important for Harvey as he lies down alot. Mucking out is easy provided you use a proper pellet fork (I tried it with a shavings fork which didn't work as well).

I used Platinum plus pellets which I bought in 1 tonne pallets and stored in the garage at home. The bags are 15kg and much easier to move than shavings bags. I used 2 bags a week in Winter when he was in more, down to less than one a week in Summer

HTH!
 
How does that equate to your shaving usage @GaryB ? I can buy it by the bag at my feed store and it wasn't bad for price, I am sure it was under a fiver a bag and it would def be easier to get in the car than shavings :)
 
That's a difficult one to quantify as I'm not sure what the grooms put in during the week (with the pellets I provided the bed so I knew what was used). I always put at least half a bag in at the weekend though so I would think he uses more than a bag a week (and that's for a bed that is nowhere near as deep.

Shavings
i-B2qBBbR-XL.jpg


Pellets
i-QdcMKZK-L.jpg
 
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I've not used them for my horses, but used them with my goats. Mine were actually the ones designed for a biomass stove, I did a bit of research and they seemed to be basically the same thing, mine cost about £2.50 a bag. Getting the water ratio on them is quite hard, I ended up putting them in a bucket with water, letting them fluff up and them adding them to the bed. They were easy to use and lasted better than shavings, absorbed a decent amount of wet. I did stop using them in the end as they were very dusty, I have asthma and they were effecting me, and I started to get sinus problems, which I have never had before, they are still ongoing unfortuantely. It's a shame as I would have kept using them otherwise.
 
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Thanks, That's interesting @No_Angel, there is a place that makes bio-mass ones around the corner ;) and also about it effecting your breathing, Jess had breathing issues this summer so I am having to be very careful on that front.
 
GaryB said:
That's a difficult one to quantify as I'm not sure what the grooms put in during the week (with the pellets I provided the bed so I knew what was used). I always put at least half a bag in at the weekend though so I would think he uses more than a bag a week (and that's for a bed that is nowhere near as deep.

Shavings
i-B2qBBbR-XL.jpg


Pellets
i-QdcMKZK-L.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh Harvey! So lovely having a lie down:)
 
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They are the same thing most of the time. Only difference is 5% vat on bio mass/heating and 20% on horse bedding but on at least 3 sites they are exactly the same thing!
 
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I still use wood pellets, I love them, I do same as @GaryB and make up a fairly deep bed initially, then the poo comes out daily and the wet once a week, maybe twice if she's very wet. BUT, Belle is really clean in her stable, my friend just makes a small bed and takes the poo and wet out every day with her messy boy.
As for wetting them, easiest Ive found is lay the bag on the floor, slit it lengthwise, pour on a kettle of boiling water and another of cold, if your using just cold you'll have to wait a bit for it to fluff up, then tip it out level off and job done.
If it does get dusty which it can if it's warm and dry just sprinkle it with a bit of water from a watering can.
All pellets are not created equal though, I've had some in the past that were useless and others that have been fantastic! I can no longer buy the ones I used to use, the people I got them from have sold up and retired, so have been trawling the internet looking for others. I've just bought half a pallet from White Horse bedding, I think their 'platinum' ones, works out a £4 a bag but that included delivery. I use one 10kg bag a week, but as I said Belle is really clean, you might need more for messy Jessey.
As for a shavings comparison I can't help with that, only ever used pellets or straw (which I loathe, time consuming, hard work and stinky!)
@mystiquemalaika is correct, the only real difference is the VAT charged.
 
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Sorry to hear you are thinkig about moving @Jessey. I hope it doesn't come to that :(

i used wood pellets in the past and swore I wouldn't again, but on Monday Pete coliced after eating his straw bed which prompted the move onto wood pellets again.

I have to say, so far I am pleasantly suprised. Instead of taking 2-3 wheelbarrows of straw out per day (more if doing the banks) & disinfecting the stable every day. Mucking out this morning literally took me 10 minutes & I took out not even a quarter of a wheelbarrow.
 
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This is the total sum of poo & wet taken out this morning

8008CvD.jpg


This is his bed the morning after the first night

ai8VBG2.jpg


Initially, I had only put wood pellets on top of my mats (they cover about 3/4-7/8th of the width), but he'd shoved it all to the side, so thought I'd leave it!

The tiny pieces of poo in his bed annoy me, but I'll have to get over it :D
 
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GaryB said:
I used to use wood pellets with Harvey who is *very* wet, but doesn't churn his bed up. I have previously had him on straw and he is currently on shavings as that is what is included in my livery. Of the 3 I think pellets are best for him and me!

I kept his bed about 6 inches deep and it was basically deep littered in the week and taken down to the floor at weekends (If you don't do this you will use a lot of bed!) Having the bed thick keeps it dry on top which is important for Harvey as he lies down alot. Mucking out is easy provided you use a proper pellet fork (I tried it with a shavings fork which didn't work as well).

I used Platinum plus pellets which I bought in 1 tonne pallets and stored in the garage at home. The bags are 15kg and much easier to move than shavings bags. I used 2 bags a week in Winter when he was in more, down to less than one a week in Summer

HTH!
Click to expand...

Where did you get your pellet fork from @GaryB ?
 
It came from my local store Romsley Country Store (https://www.romsleycountrystore.co.uk/) They don't seem to have it on the online shop. Its very similar to a shavings fork, but the ends are looped like this (UUUUUU). I've tried shavings and pellets forks on shavings and pellets (if that maker sense) and while they are very similar the "proper" fork for the job seemed easier to use.

Edit - mine is similar to this
https://www.verdohorsebedding.co.uk...e-pellet-master-fork-foam-grip-handle-1000003
 
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