How to use Cardboard Horse Bedding
Setting Up
We all have different routines and methods when it comes to mucking out, whichever technique you’re comfortable with, Green Mile Equine and Animal Bedding will work with you. All our advice comes directly from customer feedback and recommendations. We are always happy to hear any tips that our loyal customers tell us and it makes good sense to pass these onto you.
General recommendations
For a 12’ x 12’ stable with rubber matting, covering ¾ of the stable 3 – 4 inches deep with banked sides.
The number of bales you decide to use to set up a new bed will vary depending on many factors, we would suggest just 3 – 4 bales to start with then add more if you feel you need to.
First make sure the stable has been thoroughly cleaned for maximum performance from the bedding. (Due to the costs involved you may want to introduce the bedding into a stable that is already made up, this will be fine but you won’t achieve all the benefits the bedding has to offer immediately).
Split the bales using a sharp knife or scissors and empty the contents out of the plastic completely. Push the bedding around with your feet so you cover the majority of the area you’re wanting to cover, this will break up the compacted bale making it easier to even out the bedding using a fork.
Once you have covered all the desired areas use the fork to fluff up the bedding making sure there are no compacted lumps remaining. Now the stable should start looking like a lovely comfortable bed, (Resist the urge to jump in yourself!!).
Start building the banks up as you would do with any other bedding, you will find is the cardboard linking together like straw making high banks easy to create.
Stable Management
As mentioned before Green Mile for Horse Bedding can be used and maintained in whichever manner you’re used to. The “Deep Litter” system that is commonly used with straw or shavings also works well with cardboard bedding. We would recommend removing the wet patches on a weekly basis though instead of monthly.
For best results we would suggest removing the dung and wet patches on a daily basis. This is not only a more hygienic approach but also very cost effective due to the small size of the wet patches you remove.
Use a typical shavings fork or any other fork with evenly spread prongs when removing the dung or wet areas. The excess bedding will fall away from the dung and through the fork, making mucking out less wasteful. The darker wet areas of bedding are easy to identify, brush away any dry bedding that lies on top and lift out the wet area. You can replace this with a handful of fresh bedding or simply bring down some excess from the banks.
By using this method you should find that you’re using 1 – 2 bales per week. Also we have found that although it may seem uneconomical, starting off the stable with a nice and deep gives the bedding an opportunity to perform better regarding it’s absorbency. You’ll find you’re removing even less bedding each time you muck out and also you’ll be giving your horse or animal a lovely comfortable stable to sleep in each night.