wood stove pellets

[piperknitsRN]

Well, it’s wood stove pellet season here in western Washington state, so I went to my local home depot and bought four 40lb bags for just a little over what I would buy for one 40lb bag of pelleted, compressed newspaper.  I really should have bought more, but I suppose I can go back later and pick some up, too.  This is my first time using the pellets–and I actually have a bag and a half left of the compressed newspaper, so we’ll see how it goes after that’s all used up.  I hear people *love* these pellets (especially for their cheapness!)  I am looking at finding feed and tack stores to buy Equine Fresh or similar when the WSPs go out of “season.”  I’m also looking for cheap sources of hay–the shipping on hay is ridiculous these days, and surely I can find bales of it for cheaper!  Approximately how many pounds is a typical bale of hay?  (Can you tell I’m a city girl?  That may not even be the right way to pose the question!)

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I think a bale of hay is around 50lbs…not sure. It’s hard to pick up but totally not impossible so I think around that weight.

[mzsunshine]

I also have a question on WSPs… is this the same/almost the same as those aspen wood pellets you can get at a pet store? Cos if it is… I’m stocking up !!

[piperknitsRN]

mzsunshine: I don’t know for a fact, but I’m assuming they’re similar. WSPs are typically made of pine, but in the compression/baking process have had all the phenols baked out of them, so they are safe to use (whereas pine shavings do contain phenols and shouldn’t be used). The aspen would be fine, too.

[cadburybunz]

The WSP are VERY close to the Equine Fresh. I use equine fresh for both cadbury AND my cat, and I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! The smell is VERY little, even with Cadbury not being neutered. My cat seems to like the equine fresh better than regular litter to. 

 

A square bale of hay is usually around 50 lbs, just get you some nice thick gloves for when you go to pick it up, so you don’t hurt your fingers. 

 

check your local paper, and classified ads for people selling the large bales of hay, anyone who’s a good farmer, and is proud of there hay will break a bale open for you to see it, if they won’t, tell them thank you, and be on your way, it’s not worth it. The hay on the outside of the bale may look great, but  the inside could be crap, or moldy. You don’t want that… obviously! Sometimes, you can get a good quality half bale at your local farm stores, I know we have a Rural King here, and I can get a good quality half bale of alfafa hay for around $2.50-$3.00. 

[Sarita]

Just be sure your wood stove pellets don’t contain an accelerant (used to help start the fire they are originally intended to be used for).

[piperknitsRN]

Thank you all for your input on my questions! And yes, I did check to make sure the pellets didn’t have accelerant on them!

[RabbitPam]

The Aspen pellets are made from Aspen trees, and I believe they have none of the phenols given off by the Pine trees before being processed, so are considered much safer which means the aspen shavings are safe, too. I use both Aspen pellets and shavings.

The pine pellets are processed as piperknitsRN explained, so the WSP are made of the pine that has the phenols removed, and if you do not buy any with accelerant, you are good to go. Yes, they’re the cheapest.

I’ve been able to find large bags of Aspen locally so once I started with those (after trying Feline Pine) I just felt comfortable with them. The odor control was marginally better as well, and most important, Sammy likes them, so that’s my litter. I actually put a layer of Aspen pellets down first because they really absorb urine well and wick it away, expand, and mask the odor for days. Then I cover with a layer of Aspen shavings to make it soft for her to sit in. If only one area of her litter pan is soiled, I just sprinkle more shavings on and she goes there again, no smell.

[piperknitsRN]

I’m hoping my bunnies like them as well, otherwise I’m out $20! Not much, but as I don’t have a woodstove, I’d have to find a bunny rescue or bunny owner to load them off on!

[luvmyhunybuny]

Actually, true WSP are made out of oak or a hard wood. Equine Fresh is pine. The harder wood pellets are better for the buns vs the pine pellets.

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