[HesterF]

OK, have had a complete panic over Hemcore disappearing again and have been searching for either Auboise at a reasonable price or alternatives. I've come up with the above which seems to be known by two different names - Equisorb or Edellin. It's based on the core of the flax plant and claims to be more absorbant than hemp bedding. Have any of you used it? I can get it for just over £8 a bale inc. VAT which compares OK to Hemcore.

I'm trying to steer clear of wood shavings and straw because I find they just seem to get soaking wet in no time - particularly with the ducks.

[hughesy]

I don't think ducks will mind too much if the floor is a bit damp. They are pretty waterproof after all.

[HesterF]

But it's the wood underneath the ducks that minds. They don't turn it over like hens so with the hemp, they sort of create a layer of muck and the top part of the hemp absorbs it all so underneath it's still dry as chips. So I can clean them out, turn it all over a week later and then clean them out again two weeks later and the floor is still dry. But with straw or shavings, it all just sinks in and everything is soaking wet which makes it horrible to clean and won't help the life of the house.

[ScribbleUk]

Did you ever find a supplier and price for this bedding?  Would be keen to compare current rates.  I was in picking up some wood shavings today and enquired about alternative bedding.  They were out of stock but said that some customers mixed wood pellets used for stoves in with their wood shavings to provide a bit more moisture absorption.  Never heard of doing this before.  The wood pellets are obviously dehydrated anyway, but  are supposed to expand and absorb moisture.

[Bodger]

With the shavings, I find that if you put enough down, although the top gets wet, if you skim that off then the layers beneath it are usually dry.

[clydesdaleclopper]

I have also used a product called Rapport when I can't get Hemcore. It's similar but a byproduct of rapeseed production

[HesterF]

I think Rapport was made by the same company, wasn't it? So also likely to be hard to source at the moment. I've been researching by looking through equine websites since their requirements are much the same and wood pellets get mentioned by them quite a bit. I'm sure they are really absorbent - I've seen them demonstrated in water and it's fascinating! But probably quite expensive? I also think they'll be less 'cosy' but I'm imagining most of my birds wouldn't care about that.

I've ordered a pallet of Equisorb direct from the manufacturers (I think). It works out at £8.20 per bale including VAT and delivery (£6.10 ex VAT). Cheaper if you buy two pallets but that would last me years! It's 35p more than the Hemcore when I picked it up direct and clearly having to pay for a whole pallet upfront is not great but at least I won't have to worry about bedding for a long time! It'll arrive tomorrow so I'll let you know how it works. I believe it composts well too.

[clydesdaleclopper]

Has the company gone bust or something? I haven't bought any bedding recently.

[HesterF]

Yep, there's a note on their website that they went into administration at the end of October and there's no stock that I can find. I imagine the previous year's poor harvest will have knocked them hard - there was no stock around for months then too.

[HesterF]

Just doing my finances & realised the Equisorb is actually cheaper than I said above - works out at £7.38 a bale including delivery which was less than I paid for Hemcore, collection (still with the caveat you have to buy a whole pallet). So far, so good - the chickens love it (I've got one house with it in and they spend more time inside than any of the others) and it should last for ages in the goose houses. Very soft but seems absorbant. Just it's quite light so, like chopped straw, it does get spread around a bit by the chooks.

[lord flynn]

I have just changed the horses over to pelleted straw. I am going to change the poultry over to it as well. Its extremely absorbent, much more so than a wood product and rot down quicker as well (plus aren't wood, so theoretically can go on ground much quicker). I am really impressed with the stuff and got mine from agripellets, who don't charge through the nose for delivery to Scotland.

[ScribbleUk]

I bought in a pallet of ChickBed after trying a couple of bales of Allbed for horses from the same supplier.  Basically the same stuff only shredded a little finer.  So far it seems to be working pretty well even during this wet week.  The birds just love rolling about in it when it is just put down.  A couple of turns with a scoop and any flattened areas fluff up again encouraging the birds to scratch around.  Working quite well with ducks too.  Worked out better value than wood shavings alone. 

[mentalmilly]

I tried Auboise and flaxcore.  Nice, but now gone back to shavings as more economical. Found the flax and hemp had a nasty smell with the ducks pooping on it and didnt seem to stay as dry as shavings.  The stuff also clumped up which shavings dont. We put a goodly layer of shavings down and they can be scooped off and the layer underneath stays dry.   I think it all boils down to personal preference.