fleece/towel/carpet question

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kelspiggies

kelspiggies

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my 11 piggies all live free range in a 4x6 shed, and i was wondering if it may be possible to house them on fleece or towels or something instead of woodshavings. theres a couple of things i would be concerned with,1-would they eat it, as it doesnt seem to matter what gets left laying about after a clean out, from the rubber dust pan to carrier bags they seem to all crowd around it within seconds and start to chew it, usually eating as much as possible,2-how often would it need changing,3-would it maybe get damp in this cold damp weather? if i did swap to it, and they wouldnt eat it,or if it wouldnt hurt them if they did eat it, i would get maybe 3-4 fleeces, and swap them every other day or so, shake off the poops,and just chuck them in my washing machine. i know these sound like dumb questions,but at the moment they are on woodshavings and they always seem damp even though i clean them out completely twice a week,its costing over £40 per month in woodshavings alone,and I'm concerned with the damp in the shavings they may get ill. i would have the fleece down then towels under their hides and hay in them too. any other ideas welcome,thanks for reading :)
 
£40 a month seems a bit steep for woodshavings ::) mine are freerange in an 8x10 shed split into 2 sections I use auboise and use 1 bale size bag a month and it costs about £6 + a bale of hay a month which is usually about £4,I have the floor covered in lino,I spot clean daily and do a complete clean out every third day....saying that I've only got 4 in there,I've never used fleece so can't help on that one...sorry S xx
 
:-\ a bit steep-its almost vertical lol! because my hubby works next door to p@h he buys it from there in the giant bales, i think they are 10.50 each, and i get through 1 a week doing 2 clean outs, its astronomical prices, plus i do lay it quite deeply in winter,usually around 4inches deep all over,which hubby does complain about but it just doesnt seem to do much unless its that deep. i think i may try fleece blankets, it seems a much better idea.
 
sorry I wasn't much help ::) someone who uses fleece will prob answer soon O0
 
£40 for shavings :o that is very steep have you tried to find a horse supply shop you can buy HUGE bales from them for about £6. Have only ever used towels post operation in a small cage.
 
I used towel under fleece when i had piggies indoors, the fleece allows the pee to seep thru to the towel but they got wet quickly, i had 2 piggies in a 3 storey 3x2 c & c cage & cleaned them every 3-4 days.
My piggies never chewed the fleece or the towels but i have heard of piggies doing this & some piggies also dig under the fleece.

I know someone who used a layer of shavings then newspaper then fleece (the shavings were for extra absorbancy) this may be better than towel under fleece regarding the dampness factor as i'd imagine once it got wet it'd go cold rather quickly esp with the temp being as it is.

Regarding thewashing don't use fabric conditioner as this acts as a waterproof barrier & doesn't allow pee to soak thru.
If you're also using hay on top of the fleece you'll need a stiff brush & ALWAYS brush down wind or you'll end up with a face full of piggy unmentionables ;D ;D ;D
 
Hi
i've got 2 GPs ( in fact they were Nikki's boys until a couple of months ago, when she let me have them :)) I have them indoors in a Nero3 cage, with a layer of newspaper, then a sprinkiling of wood based cat litter, and profleece on top. Tha cat litter helps soak up all the wetness and the fleece stays dry, although it needs changing every 2 or 3 days, otherwise it gets very smelly. This works fine for us, but then I only have two boys - not sure how it would work on a bigger scale ?. Good luck
 
;) thanks for everyones ideas, i know the woodshavings are very pricey,I'm going to have to look for a horse supplier,I'm trying out a small fleece blanket just in their 2 bigger hides, ive got a very thin layer of shavings,then a towel then a fleece blanket doubled over. although ive been out and checked and so far id say the woodshavings kept them much warmer. i will see how wet it is tomorrow,and more than likely just top up the shavings and remove the fleece ::) oh well, in my mind it would have been much warmer than the woodshavings,and save us money, but they do seem to love cuddling up on it. oh I'm so indecisive :D
 
kelspiggies said:
;) thanks for everyones ideas, i know the woodshavings are very pricey,I'm going to have to look for a horse supplier,I'm trying out a small fleece blanket just in their 2 bigger hides, ive got a very thin layer of shavings,then a towel then a fleece blanket doubled over. although ive been out and checked and so far id say the woodshavings kept them much warmer. i will see how wet it is tomorrow,and more than likely just top up the shavings and remove the fleece ::) oh well, in my mind it would have been much warmer than the woodshavings,and save us money, but they do seem to love cuddling up on it. oh I'm so indecisive :D
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Do you have a farm shop nearby? These usually stock all kinds of bedding materials; i think a big bale of shavings at mine is approx £6 :)
 
In the boys cage I put towels down 1st, then newspaper and then 1 inch of wood shavings.
I am awaiting a big cage for Pig-Pog (who has long hair) she will be on Fleece when it turns up.
 
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