straw or wood shavings

4-Hgilts · Post by **4-Hgilts** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 5:31 pm

I have been using straw as bedding in the hog pen for the past 2 years now and it has worked fine except for the dunging area. The straw just rotts away so quickly due to ammonia in the pig urine. It smells horrid when i clean out the pen after fair. I'm wondering if wood shavings would be better to use in the pens instead of straw. The only thing i can think of that would be a negative of wood shavings is that the pigs can move it around alot more and waste alot. It's not that cheap! What do most people use as bedding and why?

Showpigkid · Post by **Showpigkid** » Sun Oct 03, 2010 6:26 pm

I use shavings. I think they are cleaner and eliminates the problem you are having.

Gilbertowner · Post by **Gilbertowner** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:26 am

Just keep an eye out on eye infections due to the shavings' dust. My barrows had a hard time breathing around the pine shavings and my mom helped me take it out and we put hay back in their shelter.

PowerHog · Post by **PowerHog** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 5:14 pm

I use Top Bedding and it is $6.00 a bag but very good shavings. I clean my pens out at least twice a week to keep the barn smelling better and to keep my show pigs clean.

brady · Post by **brady** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 10:43 pm

i prefer wood shavings

duroc22 · Post by **duroc22** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:41 pm

I use straw most of the year, but when it gets like a month from show time they get shavings.

heavyhitter · Post by **heavyhitter** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:36 pm

Clean your pens every other day with either bedding type. In the winter, I prefer straw because it allows the pigs to burrow in and stay warm since my barn is not heated. In the summer, I prefer wood shavings. They are softer on the pigs pads, and provides a better "bed" for them. When using shavings though, be sure to get SHAVINGS not SAW DUST. If you get shavings that produce a lot of dust, get rid of them, the dust is a main cause of weezing and breathing trouble in a pig.

pigster101 · Post by **pigster101** » Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:18 pm

use shavings they last longer and its ok if they move it around ccause they will.

indiana_pig_man · Post by **indiana_pig_man** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:32 pm

I use saw dust its very inexpensive andit soaks up all the urine up really well plus dont forget that u can pick the poop out really easily

hgoyut2 · Post by **hgoyut2** » Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:48 am

shavings are deff the best type of bedding but in the winter we do put straw on top of the shavings so the pigs can curl up in it and stay warm. (but that also means we have to clean pens more often lol)

duroc_kid · Post by **duroc_kid** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:54 pm

i prefer wood shavings

GoldenDoodle · Post by **GoldenDoodle** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 10:34 pm

Shavings because straw drys the pigs skin out and it's skin starts to flake with white stuff and it if hard to get rid of.

bittelag · Post by **bittelag** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:08 pm

wood shavings all day

showgirls · Post by **showgirls** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:56 am

I use wet pellets in the back of the pen and Champion Shavings in the front where the food troughs are at in the summer because it's cooler for them. If your barn is heated in the winter, then just use wood chips, but if it's not heated I would use wood chips in the whole pen plus some clean straw with NO DUST in the back of the pen for them to burrow down in, and hang a heat lamp over that straw. It would be better to use no straw than dusty straw because pigs are already acceptable to wheezing and coughing in the winter. Dust will only make that much worse.

showgirls · Post by **showgirls** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 9:57 am

4-Hgilts wrote:I have been using straw as bedding in the hog pen for the past 2 years now and it has worked fine except for the dunging area. The straw just rotts away so quickly due to ammonia in the pig urine. It smells horrid when i clean out the pen after fair. I'm wondering if wood shavings would be better to use in the pens instead of straw. The only thing i can think of that would be a negative of wood shavings is that the pigs can move it around alot more and waste alot. It's not that cheap! What do most people use as bedding and why?

We atatched plastic boards all around the lower two feet of the pens so that the chips wouldn't fall out as much, its not perfect but so much better. It saves us money and time cleaning the pens out. I guess you really need a picture to understand the concept, sorry, I'm not very good at explaining things

straw or wood shavings

straw or wood shavings

Re: straw or wood shavings

Re: straw or wood shavings

Re: straw or wood shavings

Re: straw or wood shavings