The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Eastling on May 29, 2012, 04:24:06 pm
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I seem to remember a discussion on hemp for bedding some time ago and wonder if anyone uses it for their pigs
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Nope, we use straw and sawdust :-\
Haven't actually seen hemp bedding so I couldn't even tell you if it's likely to work, but if folk use it for horses and chooks it's bound to be fairly similar to sawdust/shavings I'd think.
Will be watching for answers with interest ;)
Karen :wave:
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I use it for the horses.
It is lovely stuff very absorbent (much much more so than shavings) and not dusty,
But, it aint cheap, I mix mine with wood pellets. I would think it would be a very expensive bed to give a pig unless you have a private supply.
It does rot down very quickly into amazing compost tho.
It is also eco friendlyas it is made from the stalks of the oil seed rape, the seeds go for oil, the fluffy woolly contents of the stalk can be used for clothes or insulation(my stables have battens made of a mix of hemp fluff and prison uniforms chopped up!) and then the outer stalk is dried and shredded for hemp bedding.
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Agree with the above, I use it for my ducks who are obviously very mucky.
Very absorbent and it needs topping up and changing less frequently than straw or wood shavings. Smell much less and rots down faster to lovely compost but is more expensive and not as widely available.
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Thanks for the replies. Just thinking of alternative to straw as i've had a couple of bales that have had a musty smell in the middle.