What is hurd, anyways?
Hurd, also known as shives or hemp wood—is the inner, woody core of the hemp plant. Throughout the life cycle of the plant, the job of this main stem is to deliver nutrients to the leaves that it absorbs through the soil. This hollow core of the hemp plant is surrounded by a layer of thick-walled cells, which is traditionally processed to make hemp hurd. To make this material, the hemp plant stem fibers get separated from the woody core and then will get shredded to create a super absorbent, thermal substance that can be used for many different applications including building materials, sustainable animal bedding, and even used in place of plastics.

Why hemp hurd bedding?
If you own horses, chickens, or other pets that require bedding in their enclosure, it’s important to understand the benefits of a high-quality bed lining. The comfort of your animals, reduced odors, and higher production if applicable are key factors in choosing your bed lining. Hemp hurd bedding is at the top of the animal bedding list for all of these reasons. To top it off, hemp bedding is also cost-effective as it lasts a lot longer than traditional paper or wood bedding.

If you’re using hemp bedding in a horse stall or barn, there are some key benefits you can expect to see:

• Lower dust particle levels compared to paper or wood bedding can reduce the risks of respiratory illnesses.
• The absorbent nature of hemp hurd bedding will keep horses' feet dry, lowering the chances of foot rots.
• Reduced ammonia odors from urine will keep flies at bay

In chicken coops, hemp hurd is also the highest-quality bedding option.

• The natural loft of hemp hurd bedding provides a softer landing for eggs, increasing production yeild
• Hemp has natural insect-repellent properties, keeping mites, fleas, and flies under control
• Hurd bedding is biodegradable, which means it can be used as compost in your garden by the time it’s ready to be changed.

Is hemp hurd bedding safe?
It’s important to know that hemp is NOT the same as marijuana. Though both of these plants are in the same cannabis family, hemp contains less than 0.3% of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and will not create any psychoactive effects.

Instead, hemp is one of the most versatile plants in the world. Every part of the plant can be used from the seeds all the way to the leaves. There are over 50,000 known uses of the hemp plant and the best part is that it’s a renewable resource, making hemp products more sustainable than other materials.

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L & L Hemp Hurd Animal Bedding is produced with 100% natural materials and contains no fragrances or added chemicals. Our animal bedding is also 100% biodegradable and can be used in large or small-scale enclosures including gerbils, ferrets, lizards, snakes, chicken coops, all the way to pig & horse barns. Though it may seem more expensive to make the switch from paper, pine, or wood shavings to hemp hurd, the money you’ll save in the long term on changing bedding less frequently, fewer labor costs, and space & waste is well worth it.

Try us out and see the difference yourself!