# Flooring/Bedding in stalls



## critterhavenfarm (Feb 19, 2009)

Hi all...

We are finishing up the barn...I'm working on the stalls now. The floors right now are bare ground, and I'm wanting something to put under the shavings/straw onto the bare ground. Should I use something like pea gravel, or sand, or what do you recommend in the stalls themselves? The main hall we plan on having a concrete pad poured this spring, but we'll have to get through the winter with what we have. 

Susan


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

Pea gravel is a really good thing for drainage. I actually had pea gravel with sand over it. We ended up putting about six to eight inches of sand down. Its really easy to clean up.
beth


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## critterhavenfarm (Feb 19, 2009)

That is what I was thinking...for the drainage aspect...and the cushioning....to layer the two...

thanks!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I just have straight dirt floors -- but I live in a very sandy area (pine barrons of NJ) so everything drains in no time. Ad of course i put hay on top of that.

I like to put Sweet PDZ on the ground to absorb moisture that is left there from old bedding .


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## critterhavenfarm (Feb 19, 2009)

What is sweet PDZ and where do you get it?


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## RunAround (Feb 17, 2008)

NO concrete!! I HATED the concrete floors I had in my barn. You waste sooooo much more shavings. Now I have a dirt floor and I love it. I use the PDZ to help keep things drier and cut down on the smell. You can get it at your grain store.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

mine offered Sweet PDZ to me instead of Lime because they said it wasnt caustic.


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## FunnyRiverFarm (Sep 13, 2008)

I have actually decided that I like wooden floors--they are warmer than concrete or dirt, they stay dry, and are relatively easy to clean. I didn't use any bedding for most of the spring and summer this year--I just swept up berries and any urine that was there would just evaporate. There was/is no odor.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

sparks879 said:


> Pea gravel is a really good thing for drainage. I actually had pea gravel with sand over it. We ended up putting about six to eight inches of sand down. Its really easy to clean up.
> beth


 Beth, I was wondering hoe easy it was to clean? Does the urine smell get to be a little strong? I ask because we have thought about the pea gravel and sand. but i was thinking the urine will go down to the pea gravel but I was wondering if it smelled. I am sure it must or you would not recommend it. 
I do have the sand in the horse stalls. It is great except when the horses come from outside to go into the barn to pee. GGRRRRRR, that is a pain in the butt to clean.


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## grandmajo (Oct 14, 2008)

We put down gravel in ours, but we're planning to add sand over that. Supposed to be better for preventing mastisis. I recently found out that a lot of the mega dairies use sand for bedding for that same reason.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I love the sand, I do use the PDZ that Stacey mentioned over the top and then straw. I use granular rather then powder. 
AS for the Sand sweet goats, we made an overhang over the door that goes out about eight feet, this way new goats had somewhere to go out of the rain, my girls tend to push new ones out. I extended the sand out of the barn into the over hang, as well as sloping it down hill a bit. The drainage works great. There is a french drain at the bottem and it heads towards the ditch. My girls were going potty outside under the overhang.
beth


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## Farmerdyl (Dec 7, 2012)

sparks879 said:


> Pea gravel is a really good thing for drainage. I actually had pea gravel with sand over it. We ended up putting about six to eight inches of sand down. Its really easy to clean up.
> beth


I just put about 4 inches of pea gravel than i put four inches of sand to keep it cleaner and the smell down and for some reason my goats been sleeping outside at night any idea why they been doing this?


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## Ursalesguru (Nov 3, 2012)

I use lots of dry pine see pics. I hope to put it in the garden in the spring it has worked well so far.


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I have pea gravel in one pasture and sandy soil in another including a barn in that one. The pea gravel is great when it is wet out to keep the mud down but it does get in their hooves even if they are just a little grown out. It is something you have to definitely keep up with. The other pasture and barn is great! I use bedding pellets to keep the odor down with hay/straw over it.


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Ursaleguru.
Could you explain you "pine" a little further?
I don't get what that is. Is is shredded?


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## Ursalesguru (Nov 3, 2012)

Tenacross said:


> Ursaleguru.
> Could you explain you "pine" a little further?
> I don't get what that is. Is is shredded?


Pine tree needles were we are we have tons. I just pile it on it soaks up water real well too... Most import it's free..


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## Tenacross (May 26, 2011)

Ursalesguru said:


> Pine tree needles were we are we have tons. I just pile it on it soaks up water real well too... Most import it's free..


Very cool.


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## Tayet (Feb 9, 2012)

I have a concrete floor for my buck and my four does have a falling apart wood floor with lots of straw and hay on top.


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## KarmakeeFarm (Jun 3, 2012)

I love concrete floors-easy to clean-I use straw-very deep straw in MN-have never had an issue- 
Love the Sweet PDZ-amazing stuff-I buy mine at Tractor Supply-Fleet Farm has it as do The Country Store and Dells


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## Ninja Goats (Sep 6, 2011)

Dairies do use sand with cows. But they're in free stalls, made so the cow walks in and lays down, her tail is almost in the isle. If they pee or poop it goes in the isle, not so much in the sand. The ends of the stalls get raked out daily. Isles get flushed or scraped. The sand is reclaimed and composted (sort of) to remove organics and then put back in the stalls. I'm not sure how clean sand stays if they pee/poop and lie in it without it getting scraped/composted/fresh sand added on a regular basis.


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## HerdQueen (Oct 15, 2012)

We have wood floors we use PDZ it really dries everything up, then we use shavings. I really like the pine needle idea!


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

Ursalesguru said:


> Pine tree needles were we are we have tons. I just pile it on it soaks up water real well too... Most import it's free..


I'm actually going to find a use for all those needles I'm trying to get rid of?? Wow.

Thanks for the tip.

Erik_L sent this from his iPhone using GoatSpot. Pretty cool, huh?


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## Pamela Coso (Mar 6, 2019)

Ursalesguru said:


> I use lots of dry pine see pics. I hope to put it in the garden in the spring it has worked well so far.


 Are you still using pine needles for bedding?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

This is a very old thread.


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