How HERDD bedding works.

Suitable for horses & foals, & all farm animals, such as calves, chickens, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, goats, sheep & Alpacas. Made from 100% untreated NZ pine

Equine use

  • . HERDD bedding is suitable for horses of all ages, including foals

    . HERDD is excellent for young or sickly stock as it is relatively sterile vs. other options

    . Suitable for use on any flooring, as it packs down giving grip to dirt, lime, concrete or rubber bases.

  • . For a standard sized (~4x4m) box, we recommend 9 bags (subject to your own preference for depth - you may want 1 or 2 more or less; 9 bags gives ~10cm depth). If you have rubber flooring, we recommend 7 bags (7 gives ~8cm depth).

    . Cover floor evenly to a thickness of ~3cm with dry pellets. Generously hose with water (apply more water than you think!) & watch HERDD become soft & fluffy

    . Wait ~15 minutes before using a rake to flip over the bedding to reveal dry pellets. Sprinkle with more water & leave to fluff

    . Any dry-ish pellets will continue to expand over the next few hours (fine to put the animal on it in the meantime)

    . If you don’t have access to a hose nearby, place the bags on the floor of the stall (lying down), evenly dispersed. Slash the bags with a knife width-&-length-ways (making a cross +). Add ~20 litres of water, using a bucket, into each bag’s split opening (get water into the corners/sides/middle - if water escapes throw a handful of dry HERDD in the puddle to absorb it). Leave for 15 minutes. As the bedding expands, you’ll see the bag bursting, if not, use your knife to extend the cuts. After at 15 minutes, tip out the contents of the bag. Use a rake to spread bedding across the floor. You can add more water if you need to from a bucket or watering can. Use a rake to agitate the bed until it looks soft & fluffy - we have a video on this on HERDD TV

    . After completing the above process, it is normal for some pellets to still be visible. These fluff up over time (Tip: If you have an animal that urinates in a particular area, you can purposefully leave un-watered HERDD bedding in that area to soak up extra wet patches)

    . Dispose of the empty bag in your manure pile to compost, burn it in your (legal!) fireplace, use it as weed mat in your garden, or simply recycle the bag in your council collection

    . Soiled bedding can be used in your garden for compost (but you may not want to use around vegetables due to manure content) - the bag can act as biodegradable weed mat

  • . We recommend topping-up 1 bag per fortnight, using the same process (as described above)

    . Clean out any muck, hay & clumps of fully saturated HERDD bedding, before putting down your Top-up bag

    . Over time, HERDD bedding darkens in colour - this is completely normal

    . Watch our videos on HERDD TV for 3 different ways to Top-up > The ‘Standard’ Method, ‘The Barrow Method’ & ‘The Bucket Method’

    . Dispose of the empty bag in your manure pile to compost, burn it in your (legal!) fireplace, use it as weed mat in your garden, or simply recycle the bag in your council collection

    . Soiled bedding can be used in your garden for compost (but you may not want to use around vegetables due to manure content) - the bag can act as biodegradable weed mat

  • . Respiratory issues & allergies in horses are frustrating to deal with as owners. Keeping your horses' rest environment as DRY & low dust as possible is key to managing respiratory conditions when stabling 🤧

    . HERDD's innate charateristics are particularly suited to making animals with sensitive airways, comfortable

    . HERDD is low dust, dehydrated to ~7% (that is super duper dry), & able to be used UNactivated, like a litter, straight out of the bag.

    . HERDD is happily used by cats, rabbits, chickens, puppies - all of which have the tiniest of lungs & sensitive airways.

    . Why not give it a go for your horse who needs some help with its airways? 😷

  • . HERDD bedding expands ~4x, that means you get a lot of bang for your buck… you may like to start with less bags in a box, & add more as you wish

    . If you don’t have a knife/scissors handy to slice the bag open, figure out how to pull that string!

    . Don’t worry about over-watering HERDD, it will dry itself out & it actually likes water… so at any time, if it’s too dry for you, just hose the bed some more

    . Spend that 15 minutes doing something productive, like having coffee, polishing your boots, or sweeping cob-webs with your broom

    . If you have an animal that always urinates in a particular area, you can purposefully sprinkle dry HERDD bedding in that area to soak up wet-ness

    . Watch HERDD TV, we have heaps of visual know-how on there

    . Read our HERDD hacks to repurpose your bags

More horse stuff

  • HERDD bedding is a convenient solution for adding to your truck or horse float bays

    Give travelling horses (or stock) grip while catching manure & absorb urine during trips

  • Travelling to overnight competitions & want to have some fresh, clean bedding to top-up the box at the show?

    Take 2-4 bags of HERDD bedding with you - even 1 bag adds a substantial amount to an existing yard floor, & bags are compact to fit into tight truck or trailer spaces.

    HERDD adds an absorbent & soft layer of bedding to a ‘stale’ show yard, & with its natural anti-bacterial properties & very low moisture content, HERDD improves the hygiene of ‘stale’ yard beds.

    TIP: Open the bags at the top to use empty bags as muck out sacks during the show. Once they are full, throw the whole thing in the manure heap to compost! (yes, including the bag!)

  • HERDD doesn’t have a shelf-life, you just need to keep it dry. It doesn’t get dusty, & is kept clean in its bag until needed.

    Buy a few bags at a time, & store them in a dry place, so you have long lasting bedding right there when you need it

    You may even need some emergency garden mulch, & that spare bag of HERDD bedding in your shed is your answer!

But you know us, we don’t just horse around… HERDD bedding is for all your farm animals!

Farm animals

  • HERDD bedding is suitable for all farm animals including calves, lambs, chickens, pigs, guinea pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits and Alpacas - and anything else you can think of who need a soft and hygienic bedding solution

  • HERDD bedding is perfect for Ag Day pets as you get them ready for show time :)

    Your little humans will love activating HERDD bedding; watch it grow like popcorn and turn into a soft, fluffy bed for their lambs and calves

  • . Instructions are also on the bag

    . For 1 or 2 lambs, we recommend 2 bags. For calves, you may like 2-3 bags.

    . The number of bags is subject to your own preference for depth - you may want 1-2 more, especially if you pen is large, or you have more than 2-3 animals using the bed

    . Cover floor evenly with dry pellets, and generously hose with water (apply more water than you think! It’s approx. a 1:1 ratio of water to dry pallets)

    . Wait at least 15 minutes, while you do something else, or watch the HERDD pop like popcorn

    . Use a rake or your hands to flip over the bedding to reveal any dry pellets underneath. If needed, sprinkle with more water & leave to fluff

    . Any dry-ish pellets will continue to expand over the next few hours (fine to put the animal on it in the meantime)

    . Admire your furry farm friend’s soft and fluffy bed!

  • . Put a piece of old carpet under the HERDD bed, if you are concerned about keeping your lambs/calves warm

    . If you don’t have access to a hose nearby, no problem! Use “The Barrow Method” or “The Bucket Method” to activate your HERDD bed - See HERDD TV for videos on both of these methods

    . Clean your animal’s bed out daily, picking out manure droppings and any wet clumps. HERDD bedding clumps together when it can’t absorb anymore moisture - scoop these clumps out

    . If you have an animal that urinates in a particular area, you can purposefully leave un-watered (dry) HERDD bedding in that area to soak up extra wet patches

    . Dispose of the empty bag in your compost, burn it in your (legal!) fireplace, use it as weed mat in your garden, or simply recycle the bag in your council collection

    . Soiled bedding can be used in your garden for compost (but you may not want to use around vegetables due to manure content) - the bag can act as biodegradable weed mat

Other uses

  • . HERDD bedding can be used as mulch in your garden or vege patch to keep weeds at bay

    . Easily carry bags to the spot in your garden you’d like to mulch. Tip the dry pellets into an even layer over the soil (and over the flattened bag if using as weed mat), and generously sprinkle with water from the hose (or leave the rain to do its thing)

    . You’ll have fluffy, 100% pine mulch within 15 minutes. Over time, the pine will darken in the sun and blend into the garden

  • . Use HERDD bedding around potted plants, over the top of potting soil

    . This will keep any weeds at bay, while giving your pots a tidy finish

  • . Use the compostable bag as a weed mat (under HERDD bedding and/or your manure waste). The bag will break down organically over time

    . Simply cut the empty HERDD bag longways down 1 side and through the bottom, then flatten it out and lay it down where you want it

Sanitise show yards & stables with HERDD bedding

  • Sanitise stale bed layers that have been used by unknown horses

  • Absorb moisture to reduce proliferation of microflora & parasites

  • Soften sharp woodchip for your horse’s comfort

  • Make yards cleaner & comfortable faster with convenient oversized HERDD bags

  • Fill empty HERDD bags with manure & dispose of in the manure heap to compost

  • Travel with compact HERDD bags in your truck or float, they will come in handy!

Add 2 or more bags to your show yard bed. If there is dampness present, add at least one HERDD bag ‘unactivated’ (not watered) - this will very effectively soak up moisture & freshen a stale yard.

A CONVENIENT EDGE

When searching for the 1%’ers, your team’s quality of rest is a good place to start

Watch HERDD TV for more ways to use HERDD bedding

Keep an eye on our Facebook & Instagram feeds for tips, pics & general tricks using HERDD bedding

Master mucking out

Simply remove clumped ‘wet patches’ (aka soiled bedding), & save the rest

HERDD bedding naturally clumps together when it reaches saturation point. These wet clumps are darker in colour & usually at the base under dry bedding

Look for the area where your animal has urinated & dig your rake in & under the wet patch. Pick up & flip over on to a dry area. Using your rake scoop out the saturated clumps & dispose. Any bedding that doesn’t fall from the rake with a gentle shake, is soiled & can be removed.

You only need to remove manure & these saturated clumps (& hay scraps). The rest can stay, & any mildly wet areas will dry out during the day in a well ventilated barn. Leave wet patches exposed to dry out for the day if you can.

Natural oils in HERDD bedding, combined with fresh air, help to reduce the smell of ammonia. A well maintained bed, will mean that your HERDD bedding will last 12 months or more.

You will see your manure pile slow down its accumulation rate, and we know that saves effort!

Clean HERDD bed

Saturated wet clumps

Cleaned out wet patch left open to dry all day

Watch: How HERDD bedding works…

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We’ve made a few claims on HERDD bedding’s benefits, so we are going to back these up

  • . Finely coats manure droppings and clumps around urine, making mucking out quick and easy

  • . Reduce manure pile accumulation, with minimal bedding removed during muck out

  • . Unsoiled bedding lasts months, with a recommendation to top-up one bag per fortnight

Slowww down manure pile accumulation

When we say you’ll reduce your manure pile accumulation, we can prove it. We tested over the course of 12 months, stabling a 12hh pony on traditional shavings and a 17hh horse on HERDD bedding.

Here you can see the difference in bedding volume removed EACH DAY during muck out, between traditional shavings (bottom photo) and HERDD bedding (top photo).

With highly absorbent HERDD bedding, we are only removing moist, tightly clumped bedding, while the traditional shavings are being removed at a higher rate around manure, hay, and dispersed wet areas from urine.

All HERDD bedding waste can go on the garden as compost too - and it looks neat like mulch and doesn’t blow away in the wind.

HERDD bedding waste from one day of mucking out. Much less!

Traditional option - waste from one day of mucking out, from a small pony.

And, we’re going to keep going, here is proof of another reason to switch to HERDD bedding

  • . Each bag of HERDD swells to multiples of its dry state (up to 4x), providing more, long lasting bedding volume

  • . Easy to fill a stall from empty, and simple to top-up

  • . No bark, tar, chemicals or added resin

Let’s back up this multiplication effect in volume…

And, to get a little scientific about it…

  • . Highly absorbent properties to soak up urine, complete with natural oils to reduce ammonia odours

Hygroscopic \ hī-​grə-​’skä-​‘pik \ The process of attracting & holding water molecules

{essentially explaining timber’s absorbency powers}

When timbers cell walls are fully saturated, it’s reached its ‘fibre saturation point’. Beyond this point, cell cavities absorb moisture until they too are saturated. This is described as the point of maximum moisture absorption. This maximum point can be very high, with pine holding as much as 250% of moisture.

With HERDD, you get 22kgs of super absorbent pine, which swells up to 4x its dry state, giving you more absorbent bedding volume... & it’s sustainably grown & packaged in a 100% compostable bag

Did you know?

Pine has naturally occurring resins and antibacterial properties that give HERDD bedding a natural defence. This includes that natural pine oil aroma that has the very pleasant effect of neutralising ammonia odours born from urine. You get all of this, plus all the convenience and comfort, in a bag of HERDD bedding.

Still prefer your own bedding?

Combine it with a base or topping layer of HERDD bedding!

HERDD bedding has highly absorbent properties, clumping together when it reaches maximum saturation. This means urine is absorbed into the bedding, and at the point where the bedding is no longer going to absorb further moisture, it clumps together for easy removal with a rake.

A base layer of HERDD will effectively capture moisture, and contribute to keeping the environment below your animal’s resting place more hygienic. It may mean you use less of your current bedding as a top layer. We suggest starting a base layer with 3-4 bags in the centre of the stall or in the area the animal urinates, adding more bags as you require. Alternatively, to still get the benefits of HERDD’s absorbency, long lasting and easy-to-muck-out characteristics, use 2-4 bags as a ‘topping’ layer on your existing bed. We think you’ll notice a difference!

Give HERDD bedding a go, you may surprise yourself… plus our 100% compostable bag helps you help our environment :)