Has anyone used rice hulls as bedding, any comments?

[Melyni]

Has anyone used the PermaStall rice hulls bedding ?
Any comments you want to make on it?
MW

[equusvilla]

A friend used them and said they don't soak up urine. If you have any wind going through your barn - they are so light - they will blow everywhere.

[caevent]

I'd recommend only if using a deep bed technique. The horses love lying down in them (so cushy) but their ability to soak up urine is limited. It is very easy to sift through, however. Like all bedding, it has its pros and cons, but I'm a fan.

[Plumcreek]

Why wouldn't a coffee can of pelleted sawdust bedding on the pee spots (Under the rice hulls) solve the non-absorbtion problem? I use a can under my big chip shavings, and it definately makes a difference. Just theory - I live as far from rice hull land as you can get.

[Caitlynsmom]

I'm using rice hulls and they are great.

[Blue Yonder]

Ditto equusvilla. Nice and soft and squishy for napping. But....

Our barn was designed and oriented for maximum wind and airflow, as our main weather problem in South Texas is obviously heat. If there's a strong breeze, those little hulls blow a lot, and are very uncomfortable to get in your eyes or nose both for humans and equines.

[Melyni]

I'd recommend only if using a deep bed technique. The horses love lying down in them (so cushy) but their ability to soak up urine is limited. It is very easy to sift through, however. Like all bedding, it has its pros and cons, but I'm a fan.

The gentleman I talked to also said to use the deep litter technique. So I woud ask how do you know when to strip out the wet spots? Smell?

Are you using them over mats or stall skins?

And the idea of the sawdust under is an interesting one.

In the end it's all going to come down to price and availablity. I have to buy a couple of pallet loads to start with to try them ot, but then Ill have to buy a truck load, 800 bags, phew!

MW
MW

[mlranchtx]

Ditto equusvilla. Nice and soft and squishy for napping. But....

Our barn was designed and oriented for maximum wind and airflow, as our main weather problem in South Texas is obviously heat. If there's a strong breeze, those little hulls blow a lot, and are very uncomfortable to get in your eyes or nose both for humans and equines.

Where do you buy them in TX? Are they bagged or bulk?

I was in SoCal last week and saw them for the first time... pretty neat stuff!

[fourmares]

I kind of like them, but not enough to pay as much for them as I pay for shavings.

[Crooked Horse]

I don't like them.

The ONLY thing I'll give them is that they are easy to pick manure out of. But they are not absorbant at all and when they get wet they take forever to dry out. Hate them. They do blow everywhere, too.

I've used fine shavings (practically sawdust), regular shavings and rice hulls. I currently favor the fine shavings.

[Dune]

Horses DO love them.:yes:

[quote=Plumcreek;3848040]Why wouldn't a coffee can of pelleted sawdust bedding on the pee spots (Under the rice hulls) solve the non-absorbtion problem? I use a can under my big chip shavings, and it definately makes a difference.

Yes, put something absorbent under the rice hulls for maximum effectiveness.


I'm using rice hulls and they are great.

Ditto equusvilla. Nice and soft and squishy for napping. But....

Our barn was designed and oriented for maximum wind and airflow, as our main weather problem in South Texas is obviously heat. If there's a strong breeze, those little hulls blow a lot, and are very uncomfortable to get in your eyes or nose both for humans and equines.

I kind of like them, but not enough to pay as much for them as I pay for shavings.

I don't like them.

The ONLY thing I'll give them is that they are easy to pick manure out of. But they are not absorbant at all and when they get wet they take forever to dry out. Hate them. They do blow everywhere, too.
. .

They do NOT affect eyes/nose like shavings can/will....very much "hypo-allergenic". I've never seen human or equine react to them negatively in ANY way. They do NOT blow everywhere, we have strong Santa Ana winds, they do NOT go anywhere....anymore than shavings do anyway. :no: They are not absorbent, but they also DRY OUT VERY QUICKLY...that is their appeal. :yes: LOVE them. ;)

[Blue Yonder]

Where do you buy them in TX? Are they bagged or bulk?

I was in SoCal last week and saw them for the first time... pretty neat stuff!

Back 10 years ago during a trial run, the rice hulls were bagged and available at a feed store that's now closed. I bet you could find them in bulk out of El Campo or in of the rice-ier towns down that way, but I haven't looked into it.

[PSP]

Used in a deep bed method, rice hulls last for weeks and weeks and weeks. You only have to remove the wet spot when it works itself near the top of the bed. And the best thing is that you can spread that material out in a hot walker, arena, round pen and they dry out and make a great footing. They don't blow any worse than shavings. In an open pen a 2 x 8" footer of boards work great to hold them in and keep them deep. If a horse is a heavy wetter and you have stall mats, you can use some shavings or pine pellets beneath the bed for better absorption. Arizona

[PSP]

Why wouldn't a coffee can of pelleted sawdust bedding on the pee spots (Under the rice hulls) solve the non-absorbtion problem? I use a can under my big chip shavings, and it definately makes a difference. Just theory - I live as far from rice hull land as you can get.

That's right. Additional traditional absorbant bedding at the bottom of 6 " of rice hulls works fantastic.

[PSP]

Horses DO love them.:yes:



Yes, put something absorbent under the rice hulls for maximum effectiveness.










They do NOT affect eyes/nose like shavings can/will....very much "hypo-allergenic". I've never seen human or equine react to them negatively in ANY way. They do NOT blow everywhere, we have strong Santa Ana winds, they do NOT go anywhere....anymore than shavings do anyway. :no: They are not absorbent, but they also DRY OUT VERY QUICKLY...that is their appeal. :yes: LOVE them. ;)

Rice hulls dry out very quickly and last for weeks and weeks and weeks. They stay dry and are fluffy. Less dust, horse stays cleaner and rests better

[PSP]

I kind of like them, but not enough to pay as much for them as I pay for shavings.

Rice hulls are better than shavings and when you look at how much longer they last they are actually more economical and better for the horse. No more hock sores. Horses always stay dry away from the wet spot and PermaStallPlus rice hulls in the bags are treated with an enzyme that kills bacteria.

[Fluffie]

We used rice hulls for a couple of months and hated them. :mad:

They do blow everwhere, they shift around in the stall so that the horses were getting sores from laying on essentially the bare floor (which they were not on sawdust), and they are not absorbant.

Maybe they are great with deep-litter, but I woudn't bother.

[PSP]

You can't just throw down an inch of rice hulls and ask them to work properly. They need to be deep bedded 5 or 6 inches. The urine goes through the bedding and collects at the bottom in the fines of the rice hulls and the powder which is sprayed on the rice hulls (along with dust removal at the plant). The powder is an antibacterial, coagulant and drying agent. All natural. The bedding at this depth will last weeks, and weeks into months with removal of the wet spot weekly if bedded 24/7. At this depth, there will be no more hock sores, and they will rest and rehab better on the bedding.

[tidy rabbit]

One barn I was at in CA used them and the horses loved them. They bedded the stalls very deeply and the lack of dust was great! I wish I could get truck loads of them here in OH. :(

[sailor645]

I like them so much I've become a dealer. The neigh-sayers hear (sorry!) obviously haven't read the literature on how to use the product, or have trouble following instructions.

BTW, PermaStall now has 8 oz. of Stall-Dri added to every 50# bag.

The product does need to be bedded 5-6" so the pee can collect at the floor, and the horse walks around on the top 2" or so. Every 7 to 10 days you scrape back the material above the P Spot, and remove the wet product. The product is in use at many prestigious stables (incl. the last Derby winner's - Mine That Bird - the Double Eagle Ranch in Roswell, NM) and by individual owners.

I've thrown forkfuls up in the breeze and it comes straight down. Shavings don't blow around in the wind? Rice hulls are denser than shavings.

I can ship you 50 bags for $8 per bag - no shipping charges; enough for one 12X12 stall for 10 months. Try that with shavings!

[sailor645]

If you buy a product and don't even read the directions for its use, printed right on the bag, you can't complain about your results.

Yes, the product needs to be bedded 5-6"; follow the instructions, and you will use 1 bag per week, per stall.

Rice hulls are heavier than shavings. If the wind is blowing the rice hulls out of your stall, the shavings would be long gone, anyway.

I use the product in my stall, and wouldn't use anything else. I subsequently became a dealer; I can ship 50 bags or more direct from the mfg. with no shipping charges for $8/bag. It will be delivered by company employees who know how to place the product and manage it. The owner and developer of the product lists his cell phone # on the web site; you can call him directly for advice on the product. If you actually purchase the product, he and I will literally stand on our heads to help you succeed. What has the forest products industry or your dealer for shavings done for you lately?

[Amwrider]

Sailor, where are you located? I was trying to find a dealer in my area to no avail.

[mjrtango93]

I believe there are also different types/grade of rice hull. The Perma Stall sounds vastly different from what we had to use at a show a few years back. They decided to save money and had large truckloads of rice hulls sent in from a local farm. That stuff was horrid to deal with. Very, very easy to pick out, but wet everywhere, they blew all over the place, the horses were covered in them, and they were definately lighter then shavings. The horses were more like 8-10" deep by the time we got enough in for them to not get sores from the hard dirt pack underneath. Granted no horses had any allergic reaction from them but we had to keep masks on them while in their stalls and there was a lot of sneezing going on. Perhaps those of us that have had issues had an "untreated" so to speak rice hull that was literally little more then fluff.

[MunchkinsMom]

The gentleman I talked to also said to use the deep litter technique. So I woud ask how do you know when to strip out the wet spots? Smell?

Are you using them over mats or stall skins?

And the idea of the sawdust under is an interesting one.

In the end it's all going to come down to price and availablity. I have to buy a couple of pallet loads to start with to try them ot, but then Ill have to buy a truck load, 800 bags, phew!

MW
MW

I don't use rice hulls as wind here on my farm would scatter them far and wide, but I do the "deep litter" with pelleted bedding in the wet spots, topped off with fine shavings. I only remove the clumped up wet pellets once a week, and spread them in the field, and I was amazed how green the grass is in those strips where the wet sawdust has been spread.

This is on dirt floors.