What Kind Of Wood Is Used For Horse Shavings?

Type of material Softwood wood shavings you can use for your horses include pine, Douglas fir, and spruce. You should avoid using wood shavings from tree species like black walnut, red maple, and cypress. Black walnut may trigger laminitis in horses.

What is the best type of shavings for horses?

Wood shavings are a very popular choice since they are soft, highly absorbent and easy to clean out of the stall. The most popular type of wood used in shavings comes from pine and can vary in size from large, fluffy shavings to smaller, finer size shavings.

Is wood shavings the same as sawdust?

Wood shavings are essentially the same as sawdust but because they are not as finely broken down, the risk of skin and lung irritation is lower. We have advised in the past that wood shavings should be used with great care and only in a well-ventilated environment.

What are wood shavings made from?

Wood shavings for bedding are produced when wood such as artificially dried pine or spruce is planed. The resulting shavings are nearly dust-free and they can absorb twice their weight in liquid. For that reason, they are also an excellent bedding material for indoor pets.

How thick should horse bedding be?

On average, customers apply 6 inches of shavings on the floor of the stalls to ensure a good level of comfort for the horse and an excellent absorption rate. However, if the stalls are equipped with rubber mats, less bedding thinkness is required.

What is the most absorbent bedding for horses?

Sorbeo is perfect for the muckiest of horses – and the wettest. Horses and ponies which suffer from Cushings disease do really well on Sorbeo as they are generally wetter in their stables. The supportive nature of the bedding is ideal for laminitics too – one of the symptoms of the condition.

Do wood shavings attract bugs?

Mulch helps retain moisture in planting beds. If you dig down into a thick layer of wood chip mulch, you’ll find that it’s full of insects. They’re drawn to the moist environment; and the thicker the mulch, the more insects you’re likely to find.

Can you make your own wood shavings?

Wood shavings have many uses, but by making your own out of excess firewood or lumber that you may have laying around the house, you can recycle while saving money on some of your regular household supplies. Use wood shavings in substitution for cat littler, pet bedding and to line your walkways or barns.

Which is cheaper shavings or straw?

Straw has been used as bedding for horses and farm animals for many years. It’s warm, allows urine and other liquids to drain away, provides a comfortable bed, and is almost always cheaper than wood shavings and other beddings.

How long does it take for wood shavings to decompose?

The process will take four or more years. You will need to add nitrogen along with the wood chips to facilitate decomposition of the wood chips without depleting the available nitrogen in the soil.

What can I do with fresh wood shavings?

Use Wood Chips as Mulch
The first and best thing to do with your wood chips is use them as an organic mulch in planting areas and around your trees. Applied correctly, mulch suppresses weed growth, keeps water in your soil, and regulates soil temperatures.

What kind of wood is white shavings?

GEM Premier White Shavings are a mix of kiln dried Douglas fir and true firs. What makes our Whites so good for bedding is that it contains almost no phenols! Phenols are the chemical compounds found in what we think of as “pitch” or resin.

Is it better to over rug or under rug a horse?

Over rugging a horse is, however, a big problem in the summer months. Rugs do not keep horses cool and large-bodied animals, such as horses, take longer to cool down – using a rug on a horse in hot weather will impede this by preventing air from passing over their body.

How deep should a shavings bed be?

A shavings, or paper, bed should be at least 4inches (10cm) deep.

How many bags of shavings do I need for a 12×12 stall?

A 12×12 stall will require approximately six bags of bedding for conversion.

How often should horse bedding be changed?

Soiled bedding should be removed from stalls daily and replaced with fresh bedding. Soiled bedding may equal 2 to 3 times the volume of manure, depending on management practices. Each stalled horse may require the removal of 60 to 70 pounds of waste per day.

Do horses need bedding in the winter?

Having bedding in an an outdoor shelter is also a good idea, as long as it drains well and stays dry. Horses are very resilient and tolerant to the cold. They can withstand air temperatures down to around 13 degrees Fahrenheit.

What can you put in horses water to keep it clean?

Some horse owners will add a drop or two of bleach to a waterer to keep drinking water free of algae. “Because bleach contains chlorine, it can help sanitize the water. The chlorine in bleach is the same additive used in public water systems.

Do wood shavings attract mice?

Your garden is naturally filled with plants that may appeal to rodents. This, in combination with the presence of mulching materials, make your garden the ideal space for these pests. Mulches such as straw, wood chips, and leaves offer the mice and their relatives safety and cover.

What wood do insects hate?

Woods that are natural insect repellents include redwood and cedar. They have oils that protect them from getting gnawed on, and they can be used for indoor projects. It’s best to choose heartwood grades when using these woods because they are the hardiest and have the highest concentrations of the oil.

Do wood chips attract snakes?

Avoid using mulch and large rocks in your landscape, as they attract snakes and their prey and can create breeding and overwintering habitat. Instead, use smaller, tight-fitting rock such as gravel or river rock.