# Bedding for dairy goats-shavings vs. straw?



## NubianNerd

I show my goats at the county fair. Apparently, all of the dairy goat clubs left a couple of years ago because they used cedar or pine shavings as bedding. I have never heard of a reason why not to use shavings. The funny thing is, you are welcome to bring in your own bedding if you want, so i don't get that it was the bedding-which was FREE- being an issue. Did they know something I don't? Am I putting my goats in danger by placing them in shavings for a week?


----------



## Rence

I've never heard of that. I use shavings in most of my goat shelters, except for the birthing pen. I use straw for that so the babies don't try to eat it.

Anyone else? are pine shavings bad for goats? I wouldn't think so...they absorb wet and odor better than straw.


----------



## NubianNerd

The only thing I can think of is that since cedar smells strong, that it might affect the milk's taste. But, that's no reason not to enjoy county fair....it has its risks, but it is so worth it!


----------



## Kindred farm

Geez,  I really hope there isn't anything wrong w/ using pine shavings.  That's what I use, as it seems to be the most absorbant bedding.  Is it not safe?


----------



## lilhill

I don't use shaving for the goats, but I do think I read somewhere that they are okay with the exception of cedar which can be toxic.


----------



## Jazlyn

I read the same thing about cedar. I generaly keep mine away from it but in our first year with goats we used it in a pinch a few times and didn't have any issues.


----------



## Kindred farm

I don't know of too many animals, reptiles, etc... that can use cedar shavings, but I thought generally pine shavings were okay for livestock.


----------



## bheila

I know that people always talk about having issues with lice and mites with cedar.  I don't use shavings for the goats but I do for my chickens and I make sure I use pine.  I use stall pellets for the goats.


----------



## chandasue

I thought cedar was supposed to repel insects. However, I don't use it with my chickens as it supposedly causes respiratory problems. I don't know if that applies to all animals or if birds are just more sensitive to it. I use pine shavings for them and it works great. I don't have goats yet but I planned on using the pine shavings for them as well.


----------



## freemotion

Last year I started on a kick of seeing how self-sufficient I could be with my animals, too.  Can I provide for them completely if needed?  So bedding was an easy first project.  I switched to deep-litter method and filled the stalls with about 2-3 feet of fallen leaves that I raked up throughout the property.  I cut all the goldenrod in my pasture with a scythe and added that (they ate it!) and with hay waste daily, I did not have to add bedding to the bigger communal stall all winter.  

I cleaned it to the ground a couple of weeks ago and re-bedded lightly with shavings for the summer.  They like to sleep on the dirt when it gets hot, they will scrape away the bedding and lie in the dirt.  With so little bedding, I do have to spot clean, but in the summer, it is not much, mostly after a rainy day when they stay in most of the time (they have free access to pasture.)

I did end up having to clean the dairy girl's smaller stall a couple times a week, as she ate and pooped and pee'd more that the other three combined.  So I ended up using shavings and pellets in there, along with wasted hay, I didn't use that much for the whole fall/winter/spring.  I mostly cleaned one strip down the center of the stall, with built-up bedding along the edges staying clean and usable.  I would use this older bedding to re-bed the just-cleaned area, so the bedding was rotated, and kept the stall quite clean while saving on bedding.

I'd say it was quite a successful experiment!  Not for everyone, but it worked well here, with my teensy herd of four.

eta:  I just realized that the original post was about bedding at shows.....oops!


----------



## PattiXmas

OMG - do you show at the same county fair my kids did last year???


----------



## NubianNerd

Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?


----------



## PattiXmas

NubianNerd said:
			
		

> Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?


Nope, we are in Michigan.  We were told last year we could only use the shavings in the pens.  Sooooo, we spent around $50 on shavings alone for that week only to see everyone else using straw.  We just found out yesterday that the "rule" had been changed and everyone should have been told - gee, I think they forgot to mention it to us and they should have taken down the shavings only sign....

(Kids are in the 4H, and I am learning how political and one-sided it is.  Too bad the others don't put their energy, time and money in properly caring for their goats because our club has kicked their butts for the last 3 years.  I feel very confident that we shall kick their butts again this year.  We have a ton of goat drama!!!  Too bad it's not Llamas - then we could call it Llama Drama!)


----------



## GrassFarmerGalloway

Rence said:
			
		

> Anyone else? are pine shavings bad for goats? I wouldn't think so...they absorb wet and odor better than straw.


Goats will normally eat a certain amount of wood, because they are brush eaters, not hay-eaters, naturally.  There is hardly any nutrition in the shavings, but I can't see any reason why they would be bad for them.


----------



## NubianNerd

PattiXmas said:
			
		

> NubianNerd said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe-Washington County? In Oregon?
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, we are in Michigan.  We were told last year we could only use the shavings in the pens.  Sooooo, we spent around $50 on shavings alone for that week only to see everyone else using straw.  We just found out yesterday that the "rule" had been changed and everyone should have been told - gee, I think they forgot to mention it to us and they should have taken down the shavings only sign....
> 
> (Kids are in the 4H, and I am learning how political and one-sided it is.  Too bad the others don't put their energy, time and money in properly caring for their goats because our club has kicked their butts for the last 3 years.  I feel very confident that we shall kick their butts again this year.  We have a ton of goat drama!!!  Too bad it's not Llamas - then we could call it Llama Drama!)
Click to expand...

I KNOW!! Good grief, the drama is insane! "Oh my goodness, you used my feed pail!! DISINFECT IT!" Then, once we did, "No, I don't want it anymore. You made it all dirty" Drives me nuts sometimes... but I love it!


----------



## nightshade

I use sawdust from 2 local mills, get it for free and it cleans easily, almost like kitty litter.


----------



## ThornyRidge

I believe it is actually the oil in the cedar that could cause problems.. more of an irritant.. Pine shavings are totally fine.. and much easier to clean up instead of packed/woven/wet hay/straw!!!!  plus they virtually compost into nothing.


----------



## mully

Pine shavings are the best. If you use straw they will eat from the floor and it is also harder to break down the straw. Pine shavings just melt into the ground and make nice compost.


----------



## zgoatlady

Hi,
  You never want to use cedar with goats or horse's or small animals, with dogs they dont really lay on the cedar its more in beds for the flees and that.
  Cedar has a oil in it that a lot of animals have really bad reactions to. 
  So if we use shavings we use white pine only and than for the big girls we put straw over that. Why you ask well somethings they get the shaving in their eyes and thats a huge problem..
   When we go to shows most just use shavings so we go and get straw to use over it. Not a problem for us.


----------



## norcal

I did read that it could be used, but some preferred not to, because it can stick to their hair.   I guess if they lay in pee, poop, or spilled water maybe?   I use straw for my goats, pine chips for the chickens.


----------



## GrassFarmerGalloway

Shavings hands down.  Straw/hay as bedding packs and becomes an annoyingly impenetrable mass.  Pine shavings are what I use, and they work quite nicely.


----------

