HERDD bedding FAQs

Pellets made from high density* untreated (no chemicals), compressed Northland pine fibre.

Heat-treated, filtered & hygienically clean with approx. ~7% moisture content (very low).

When activated with water, HERDD pellets soften & expand into a fluffy, soft & dry bedding.

*Means the ratio of weight to volume is high/dense improving durability & absorbency performance. HERDD is made from the highest density pine in New Zealand.

Absorbency: Good-quality pellets absorb over 3× their weight in moisture, meaning urine absorbency is optimised.

Softness: Once activated the soft HERDD bedding offers comfort to animals lying down or standing to rest. Unlike chip or straw, it moulds under the hoof around the frog, giving even hoof support & cushioning.

Low dust: Generally lower-dust than straw and shavings that are fine & break down faster under the weight of horses hooves. No bedding is dust-free. HERDD is low dust & can be watered over time to lightly dampen (unlike shavings which go soggy).

Ammonia control: HERDD’s high density, natural pine resin scent & antimicrobial properties help reduce ammonia smells & odour. You can also add a bedding conditioner to HERDD once a week (like DRYline).

Storage & waste: HERDD is extremely compact to store, uses less bedding per week as you remove less during muck-out, & reduces manure pile accumulation.

Please refer to our How HERDD works page for detail on set up & HERDD TV for reels demonstrating set up, top-ups & volume advantages of HERDD.

For a standard size stable with rubber floors, we recommend 7 bags to set up the ‘Base bed’.

For a stable with hard floors, we recommend 9 bags to set up the ‘Base bed’.

You can start with 1 less bag, & see if the bed is thick enough (8-10cm in the area bedded down), then add more as needed.

Topping-up: 1 bag per fortnight for the standard horse.

We have a Bag Calculator here.

It is uncommon for horses or farm animals to eat more than an initial nibble if they are new to this style of bedding.

They quickly work out it doesn’t taste any good. This includes chickens & goats.

Ensuring forage is available, will stop boredom & the nibbling associated with it.

Yes, you just need to try it for yourself. We get many reviews & comments about how easy HERDD bedding is to store, replenish & muck out.

Wet areas stay concentrated, so you can identify a ‘wet patch’, flick it over with your rake, & remove the dark clumps that are fully soiled.

Remove less bedding around manure droppings, as unsoiled bedding falls through the rake. Being heavier than a shaving flake & finer than a wood chip piece, you leave more ‘still good’ stuff in the box, removing only the manure & soiled bedding.

Take less out = use less = reduce manure pile accumulation = reduce effort = save time & $.

No. Pine pellets are not created equal. Just like different grades of Flour for baking & cooking, you get different grades of wood pellets.

HERDD bedding is made from an exclusive source of high density Northland pine. The ingredients are from the heart of the pine as a by-product of milling the strongest & most dense part of the trunk for robust construction materials. This means we pelletise the best part of the tree & also repurpose a by-product of industry, redirecting waste into new uses. No bark, no chemicals, no dirt.

Pellets you get from hardware stores for burning are made from lower density forests & can include mixed timber sources & remnants of bark. Lower density means more dust & faster breakdown under heavy horses.

The upfront cost of a new bed is moderate, but ongoing use is lower. HERDD is priced similarly to bagged shavings, but its format means it lasts longer & produces less waste.

When comparing price, understand that you get more bedding volume from a 22KG HERDD bedding bag than a 19KG shavings bale.

Refer to our Cost comparison table below to compare Cost & other factors of the various types of bedding.

HERDD caters to a broad set of equine & farm applications, but here are our most common customer profiles:

Private stables with 1-5 stabled horses > buy from our stockists, or direct by the pallet which lasts them 6-12 months without needing to think about bedding supply.

Horses with respiratory sensitivities > HERDD is a great low-dust choice, & can be used ‘semi-activated’ & more like a litter for very sensitive horses.

People that like an absorbency layer but also want a very deep bed > Add HERDD bedding on top of cheaper wood chip, straw or bark options, to add absorbency & softness for the animal’s rest.

Racing stables or Barns with 5+ stabled horses > Cut down staff effort & time spent on stable mucking out, & reduce manure pile waste. We have high volume options available for large stable operations, so contact us with your specific needs.

Floats & trucks during travel > a bag of HERDD goes a long way when added to your float or truck under travelling horses. It adds grip & makes cleaning up at your destination super easy!

Chicken coops > HERDD has become a much loved option for chicken owners, both professional & backyard coops.

Farm animals > goats, calves, lambs & Ag Day pets can all benefit from HERDD bedding with the same advantages we refer to for horses :)

HERDD is sourced sustainably from FSC certified forests, & is repurposed from a natural by-product of the timber industry.

It is fully biodegradable material that takes about 8-9 months to compost down to a usable mulch/fertiliser for paddocks & gardens.

Bags are 100% paper, with a cotton seal. Bags compost in a manure heap in 90 days, & can be reused as muck-out sacks or drawing paper! See HERDD hacks.

Every bag of HERDD is packed by our team which is part of a community initiative employing adults with special needs.

Daily:

Use a fine tined rake to sieve & remove only manure solids & darkened, saturated clumps. Pull back bedding from urine patches to allow them to air dry during turnout in the day.

If you desire, sprinkle a scoop of pellets over exposed wet spots to wick away excess moisture.

Fortnightly:

Each fortnight, or as necessary add 1 bag of activated pellets (see our reels for top-up methods).

If preferred you have a particularly ‘wet’ animal, you can add extra without activating it. This gives extra moisture absorbency quickly. Also great to mop up spills in the Breezeway or Feedroom!

TIP:

Keep 1 bag of HERDD open near your muck-out tools, with a feed scoop. Use a feed scoop of pellets to add to wet areas to speed up drying time.

See our list of stockists here.

Buy in bulk direct from us by emailing hello@herdd.nz Info on bulk options is here.