# Cleaning stalls



## Warped (Jul 14, 2009)

I'm wondering what everyone uses in their stalls as far as bedding goes.

We currently have straw in ours and it was great for the first week.

We have a commercial size fan blowing on the stall thats help keep it cool and keep the bugs away.

But my problem is that my pony has decided she wants to only urinate in the stall and nowhere else.
The donkeys urinate in one spot out by our woods but the pony comes into the stall to urinate and its been a stinky mess.
She doesn't poop in it,just urinates.

We are getting ready to tackle getting all the straw out and cleaning the stall up tonight. Just wondering if straw is not a good idea or is their something better that soaks up urine?


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## valmom (Jul 15, 2009)

I grew up with straw stalls and I will never willingly do them (except for a minimal amount of time in a foaling stall). I have used shavings mostly since moving to New England. You can get bagged shavings (expensive), Woody Pet type pelleted shavings (more expensive) or a bulk load of shavings from a local mill (just be SURE that it doesn't have any black walnut or cherry in the shavings).

What is the base of your stall? My current barn the builder put something down called "pond sand" or "pond silt" (I asked for stone dust). It actually works pretty well as a sort of bedding in itself. It drains pretty well, and I can sift it with my home made stall sifter if the stall gets really dirty. You can add lime to it to reduce smell, too. It isn't angular like regular sand, but I worried about sand colic- for the first 2 years or so. I haven't had any problems with it, but the horses don't eat hay inside.

Actually the easiest solution to horses coming inside to pee is to lock them out!


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## Countrymom (Jul 16, 2009)

The best thing to help with odor control and to add to ease of continuous cleaning is the pine pelleted bedding.  Woody pet is just one name brand- there are several.  Your start up cost is a bit higher than just shavings, but you would not need to replace it every time.  In fact, I usually put down several - 6 to 8 bags in a 10 X 12 stall to start with.  Then I do top with shavings - cuz I have one that likes to eat the pellets.    Then we just stir as they use and pick out the solid waste.  

I also use the pine pellet bedding as the base in my chicken coops.  And I use it in our Guinea Pig cages as well.  It really works wonderful.


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## freemotion (Jul 16, 2009)

When I've used straw in a foaling stall, I always used sawdust under the straw, otherwise the urine puddles and makes a stinky mess.  

A few years ago, I discovered the pelleted bedding.  If you can afford it, it works great for soaking up urine.  To save money, I would put a big coffee can or two under the other bedding, whether pine shavings or straw, just in the area where they pee.  It really absorbs and contains the pee and makes it very easy to spot clean.

You might try it with the straw on top, if you are getting the straw fairly inexpensively and like it as bedding.


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## Bronco Hollow (Jul 16, 2009)

I don't bed my stalls, as mine only are in for feeding or during very bad weather-  if they want in that is.  

A suggestion to get your pony to move her pee spot....  Take the soiled bedding and place it outside the stall to where you would like her to go... it may take a few days but she will start peeing on the soiled material.

We HAD a piggy gelding, he would just stir pee and poop inside his stall - it was a mess... there was nothing to pick, you had to rake the entire stall up.  We started taking the soiled material outside to a corner of the paddock... took him a few weeks but he started doing his business outside and leaving it in one spot.  Today he waits to be let out to pee, and only poops in one corner of his stall.


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## Warped (Jul 16, 2009)

Great advice guys.Thanks a million.

We currently have a 20x24 Morton building that we used to just store mowers,ATV's and junk in.We made a 12x12 stall on one side of it.
So the floor is concrete, then we put 2 bales of straw down as bedding. But its a stinky mess.

I will go to our Supply store and see what they carry as far as bedding goes. Right now we get our hay and straw for free from a family friend that my husband does work for.So thats why we used the straw.It was free.

thanks again guys.


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## lupinfarm (Jul 17, 2009)

Pine Pellets... they'll soak up the urine and make it easier to remove it.


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## currycomb (Jul 19, 2009)

if your floor is concrete, shavings or pellets are better, a little padding if the pony chooses to lay down, also eaisier on her legs. yes, making an area for elimination outside stall a good idea. we would take the wettest bedding, make our area where we wanted. horses do not like to have the urine splatter on legs. do not put bedding down for awhile if she has access to outside, pretty soon she will go outside, then you can rebed when new habit established.


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## cherokeerainbow (Jul 25, 2009)

Pellets...
I use a product called Woody Pet. It's from Canada, and I've used it for 10 years.  I started using it in the stable I managed in MA, because we had such a fly issue. Worked wonders!
Woody pet is a pellet, it contains a deodorant that flies hate...no flies in your stall, and no amonia odor either. It lasts longer than shavings...and once its in a sawdust form its much much easier to clean.
My mini gelding Maverick urinates more than my 16 hand QH mare! I use this in his stall and its so very absorbant! Almost like a cat litter, it contains in one spot (not spread under all the bedding) and still stays dry (like a peat moss, you could kneel on it and not get wet)
Hope that helps....regular pellets work great too, but don't work as well with flies or odor ...but cheaper they are.
p.s.  my stallion, Mr. D. is heevy (26 yrs) dust really bothers him, but this stuff works ok too for him (sawdust too)


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## ducks4you (Aug 16, 2009)

If you have cement you MUST have rubber mats.  You can get the 3/4", or the 1/2" interlocking, or double 1/2" cow mats.  There is a great deal of fatigue your horse will have to endure from standing on cement. PLUS, a slip on cement could mean a fracture.

That being said, I prefer shavings, but often mix them with straw when it's reall cold.  Right now my stalls have been empty since April--everybody's outside.

Isn't is interesting that each horse "keeps" his stall differently?  Kind of like each kid keeps their room up differently.


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## dianneS (Aug 29, 2009)

The pine pellet or the corn cob pellet bedding is the only stuff I use.  I love it and think its wonderful.  It really clumps well, like cat litter and is easy to removed the wet spots.  It controls the odors really well too.

My TB mare makes much bigger messes than my mini horse, so I imagine with ponies it should work rather well.  My mini doesn't even soak the bedding all the way to the rubber mats and all I have to do is scoop the surface clumps.

I only mist my pellets when I'm starting a stall with 5 or six bags from scratch.  I add about one bag a week for my mare and I do not mist it.  Its more absorbent that way.  I only add bedding to my mini's stall one bag every few months or so.

I love the stuff and Tractor supply has sales around black friday for only $3.99 per bag.  I really stock up for the winter!


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## dianneS (Aug 29, 2009)

Oh my, you must, must, must have rubber mats down if you have concrete floors.  You cannot have horses or ponies standing on concrete no matter how thick your bedding.  Get rubber matting ASAP!


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## miss_thenorth (Aug 29, 2009)

In my barn, I have the horse section converted to a run-in. In the summer, there are only the rubber mats in the "stall", unless it is really wet and muddy (like today).  In the winter, we have used straw, and did the deep litter method, which worked well.  Currently we get bulk shavings.  $50 for a V-box load.  We will be using that this winter.  My horses, too, used to prefer to pee in the stall, and it never fails, as soon as fresh bedding is put in-they gotta pee. After leaving the stall empty with just stall mats in during the summer, they are not too inclined to pee in there anymore, cuz they don't like it splashing back at them.


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## Warped (Aug 30, 2009)

miss_thenorth said:
			
		

> In my barn, I have the horse section converted to a run-in. In the summer, there are only the rubber mats in the "stall", unless it is really wet and muddy (like today).  In the winter, we have used straw, and did the deep litter method, which worked well.  Currently we get bulk shavings.  $50 for a V-box load.  We will be using that this winter.  My horses, too, used to prefer to pee in the stall, and it never fails, as soon as fresh bedding is put in-they gotta pee. After leaving the stall empty with just stall mats in during the summer, they are not too inclined to pee in there anymore, cuz they don't like it splashing back at them.


Thats what we've been doing. We have black mats down because it was such a pain cleaning the straw out. So we decided to just leave the mats down with no straw until it gets cool out. Seems to have helped alot. They don't seem to like to go in and pee on the black mats as much as they did when their was straw down.


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## Dakotasgurl (Jan 3, 2010)

I use pine shavings/bedding for my two horses and love it. I have lime under that and I havn't really had a smell.....yet.


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## LauraM (Jan 3, 2010)

I hate straw bedding, lol.  Way to heavy and awkward and you can't *just* get the poop out......

I use pine shavings.  I like them better than sawdust;  less dust in the stalls.


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## dianneS (Jan 4, 2010)

LauraM said:
			
		

> I hate straw bedding, lol.  Way to heavy and awkward and you can't *just* get the poop out......
> 
> I use pine shavings.  I like them better than sawdust;  less dust in the stalls.


I hate straw too.  I stick with the pelleted bedding, I love it.  The pellets made from corn cobs are nice too, but they come in paper bags that tend to rip or fall apart if they get wet.  It can get moldy through the paper bags as well, so I usually stick with the Equine Fresh pine pellets in the plastic bags, wonderful stuff!

My manure pile is significantly smaller than those who use straw bedding.  The manure is "garden ready" quicker with shavings, sawdust or pellets too.


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## ducks4you (Jan 4, 2010)

You know, I KNOW that's it's probably better to just use shavings, BUT, My horses look so warm and cozy when they bed down on a clean stall that's bedded with shavings on the bottom and straw on the top.  We've had a 10-20 mph wind going for the past few days.  I've been turning them out daily--don't worry,  they have a big shelter off of the barn and the south pasture has full grown pine trees for a wind break--then to their stalls at night.  It feels warmer on my feet, too, when I walk on the finished product.

BTW, since my last post, I've lost my old friends, and have my two new friends in stalls.  EVERY horse keeps his stall different.  "Moon Eyes" likes to poo/pee along the wall.  After a day, she still has 2/3 of her stall dry and clean.  "Cuppin' Cakes" messes on at least 1/2 of it, and every drop of water he drinks he uses to try to swamp the stall.  Hope all of the uric acid grows me some good crops next year!


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## mully (Jan 4, 2010)

I like straw because when it is time to change it I just remove all of it and put down some lime and re-straw.  Quick clean and I can compost the manure and straw.


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## ducks4you (Jan 12, 2010)

Winter is the BEST time of year to clean a stall!!!!  
No flies.
No REAL (bad) smell.
Poop is mostly frozen.
Bedding seems Especially Fresh.
The Winter air is SSOOOO  FRESH!!!
My dogs run and play with the horses before they come in from turnout.  You feel like you're getting the same workout as them.
Yeah (sigh)...good times....good times...


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## dianneS (Jan 12, 2010)

ducks4you said:
			
		

> Winter is the BEST time of year to clean a stall!!!!
> No flies.
> No REAL (bad) smell.
> Poop is mostly frozen.
> ...


I agree.  And frozen poop is the best kind of poop to scoop!


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