Large litter comparison

* delivery within * VAT 0% * 10 m2 pen / month

(DRYING OF HORSE YARDS AND INDIVIDUAL CUTS)

Amanda Vesiaho¹, Hanna Kaihlajärvi², Mirja Riipinen²

Peat has a superior ammonia and liquid binding capacity compared to other bedding materials.

The good absorption capacity of peat moss is based on the porous structure of the moss and the ammonia binding capacity is based on acidity. The disadvantages of peat are its dark color and dustiness. Peat works well as a soil conditioner. Peat manure composts faster than other litters and is also the best nitrogen binder of all litters. However, when choosing peat, ecological effects must also be taken into account. The entrepreneurs named the most important advantages of peat as its good ammonia and liquid binding capacity , as well as its good suitability for fields. The majority of those interviewed believed that its availability was good . In terms of price, some considered it reasonable, while others considered it too expensive. The disadvantages of peat were its dustiness, dark color, variability in quality, messiness, and freezing of moist material in winter.

The lightness and fresh scent of the cutter and sawdust make the stable clean and bright.

The lightness of these wood-based litters makes it easier to clean the pen, as the manure clumps stand out well. Due to their poor ammonia binding capacity, large amounts of sawdust and sawdust litter must be used, and the amount of litter manure also increases. The cost of litter increases as the litter is used up. Sawdust and sawdust manure contain little nitrogen compared to peat manure. Composting is slow and when it decomposes, it depletes the soil's nitrogen reserves even more. Sawdust requires a lot of storage space due to its low density and it also moves easily under the horse. Sawdust creates less dust when it is moist, but may freeze in winter. However, it stays better under the horse. Sawdust creates about the same amount of dust as peat, but sawdust often contains very fine grinding dust. The interviewed stable owners used the cutter both in bulk and in bales. The advantages of the cutter, according to the entrepreneurs, were its lightness and good availability. In addition, it was felt that it added airiness to the bedding as an addition to peat. Other positive aspects were the neutral smell, reasonable price, and reasonable absorption capacity . One of the stable owners estimated that the cutter produced slightly less dust than peat. The disadvantages of the cutter, according to the stable owners, were its poor suitability for the field, dustiness, and quality variation in terms of dustiness, among other things. There was also room for improvement in the absorption capacity, and this was compensated for by using peat as an addition to the cutter.

Straw is used a lot, especially in barns and in foaling mares.

In the yard, straw forms a warm and dense mattress. Straw also acts as a stimulant, especially for yardless horses. Straw is not recommended for horses suffering from foot-and-mouth disease, as some straw bales may contain a large amount of sugar. The use of straw as bedding is based on a large amount, as its ability to bind liquid and ammonia is poor. For this reason, straw contains only a little nitrogen. When shredded and mixed with other bedding, the bedding properties improve. Straw is laborious to clean and requires a lot of storage space. Straw can have low acquisition costs if it is produced in your own field or is available nearby, for example from a neighbor's field. According to studies, straw can contain more harmful dust than straw, paper and sawdust. The hygienic quality of straw depends largely on the weather conditions at the time of harvesting, the harvesting method and storage. The large number of microbes contained in straw reduces its value as hygienic bedding. Long straw was found to be a good bedding for horses, especially for foaling mares. It was also found to be an inexpensive bedding sourced locally. Straw is stimulating for horses if they do not eat too much of it. Straw was found to be well suited for fields. The disadvantages mentioned were that it is laborious to clean, has poor absorption capacity and is expensive. Straw was also mentioned to shift under large horses. One of the stable owners mentioned that straw bales become moldy if stored for a long time.

Straw pellets are available both domestically and internationally, mainly imported from the Baltic countries.

In pellet form, the properties of straw are significantly improved. For example, the absorption capacity of pellets is 12 times higher than that of traditional straw. During the pelleting process, the temperature rises to 70 - 150 degrees, so harmful microbes and molds die, and any weed seeds lose their germination. The litter content of straw pellet manure is only about 20 - 30%, and when used correctly, straw pellets reduce the amount of litter manure by up to half compared to peat, sawdust and sawdust. The pellet is completely composted in the manure pit within 2 - 3 months. Three interviewed stable owners used straw pellets and four stable owners had also tried straw pellets. The interviews showed that in order to achieve the good properties of straw pellets, it is very important to establish the bedding mattress correctly. The straw pellet mattress must be established thick enough and must be watered if necessary so that the pellet crumbles. According to the stable owner's experience, a pellet-dried pen should not be turned when cleaning the pens, such as a pen dried with sawdust, but only the manure and wet areas should be removed. The mattress should not be broken, as otherwise ammonia will be released into the stable air. Straw pellets were not suitable for use with rubber mats, because a mattress of the required thickness could not be created. The advantages mentioned were good availability , it is easy to clean , it is low in consumption and it is bright and well suited to the field.

Reducing litter consumption saves on annual litter costs and the amount of litter that ends up in the manure pit.

However, the amount of bedding cannot be reduced at the expense of the horses. The interview revealed some ideas for reducing the amount of bedding used. The longer outdoor time for horses reduces the amount of manure accumulating in the pen and at the same time the amount of bedding used. Rubber mats were also felt to reduce the amount of bedding used. The pen cleaning technique was felt to have an effect on the amount of bedding used. Careful pen cleaning and saving usable bedding was one way. In addition, individual drying of the horses may be an option in some situations. Restless horses were felt to consume more bedding. For example, straw pellet drying did not seem to be suitable for restless horses, as they would break up the mattress by digging and rolling around in the pen. In one stable, the issue was resolved so that calm horses had straw pellet drying and restless horses had peat drying. http://www.smts.fi/sites/smts.fi/files/MTP2016/Vesiaho_Kaihlajarvi_Riipinen_2016.pdf

PRODUCT	Packaging kg	Pallet kg	Pieces on the pallet	Pallet €	* Freight €	Sack €	Kg kg	Million €
HEMP + EUCALYPTUS	15	450	30	239.7	41	9.36	90	56.14
DRY CAKE CUTTER	25	375	15	76	41	7.80	150	46.80
CRUSHED STRAW PELLETS	11	924	84	195	41	2.81	166	42.40
LINEN BEDDING	20	420	21	151	41	9.14	90	41.14
STRAW PELLETS	13	1001	77	175	41	2.81	166	35.82
PEAT	26	910	35	145	41	5.31	156	31.89