I think it's a 32 foot dumptruck of shavings I get delivered from a local pallet manufacturer for $75. Fills 4 12x12 horse stalls 10 feet high (very laborious) after using what it takes to completely refresh my other 10 stalls and lasts me about 4 years using it lavishly as bedding & mulch.
In the upper Hudson Valley[NY] any kind of sawdust is getting scarce. The big mills have closed because with NAFTA the logs are going to Canada and overseas. The 300 milker operations use sand and a byproduct from a local paper recycleing plant. I have just started useing it in stalls and run-in sheds, so far it seems to work well and is cheaper than sawdust. Bagged shavings from Canada are available at $3/bag.
I know a lot of people use sawdust, but I think it creates too much dust. It can't be good for horses' lungs.
I think straw is very absorbant and easy to pick up.
Hay is not as absorbant as straw, and since horses like to eat it, they end up eating a lot of their bedding. I've used hay a few times when I ran out of straw, and those were the problems I saw.
Rich
"What a long strange trip it's been."
I unfortunately used the term sawdust in describing our shop's output to the horse farms. What was in our hopper was the output of knife machines, more appropriately described as shavings (chips, actually). I, too, cannot see how actual saw *dust* would be good for horses. Too often the term sawdust is used to describe all of the above.
On walnut shavings for horse bedding:
<font color="blue"> Horses are most often affected. When horses are bedded on wood shavings containing more than about 20% of black walnut shavings (which tend to be dark in color), clinical signs of laminitis (inflammation of the laminae in the hoof) can occur within 12 to 18 hours of contact, but 24 hours may elapse before signs manifest. Consumption of the shavings may cause signs of laminitis as well as mild colic. Affected horses become unwilling to move or have their feet picked up, are depressed, may exhibit limb edema and signs of laminitis. Difficulty in breathing (increased rate and depth) may be noted. Horses on pasture may show mild respiratory signs from pollen or fallen leaves. </font color>
I found this quote from a site out of Purdue
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant45.htm
I recall a few years ago of reading about research where a polstice of walnut material was placed around the lower legs of horses, and they were affected immediately. I understand the real reason is not known for sure. Laminitis is founder, as I recall.
We use the shavings too. Kind of pricey at 160 per 20 yards delivered but still cheaper than the bags around here.
Grant
Watch out for dry feet with shavings, if you keep a super clean stall. They are dry just by the material they come from, most sawdust is right off the saw so has some moisture. Rye or wheat straw is the best but is more labor intensive, it is a MUST for foaling.
I have 2 donkeys and they have a stall mat with a little bit of shavings in the winter and sawdust in the summer. Sawdust freezes when wet with urine, so not good in winter. I used to raise pygmy goats and for them I let the hay build up a bit in the winter for warmth. (big clean out in the spring though). In the summer they had wooden pallets to sleep on or sit and they only pee in hay or dirt or sawdust anyway, it seemed. So I used a little old hay for bedding (the previous years hay, so it was cheap or free). As long as it is not moldy. Good luck.
We get sawdust this way. We contact the waste hauler who contracts with the cabinet shop. They put you on a list, when it's your turn they bring you a truck load free of charge. They're happy as they usually have to pay a tipping fee at the dump otherwise.
Eric
... none of the cabinet shops around here have any problem SELLING their sawdust. One of the locals we visited with the local workworking club said he sold all his to a local farmer who made extra bucks by selling what he didn't use.
Right now I'm patiently (not) waiting for my local sawmill to call and say they have enough for me to pick up a load. I'm # 5 out of about 50 ..... [img]/forums/images/icons/frown.gif[/img]
it's a shame that common sense isn't
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