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feeding beet pulp

8K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  equiniphile 
#1 ·
im thinking of feeding my mare beet pulp this winter to help keep her weight up and to help her clean up her powdered supplement.

does anyone have experience with feeding BP ?
how much do you feed ?

she currently gets 1lb of strategy, last year she got 3lbs of strategy and 1lb of a weight builder that my friend gave me throughout the winter. she lives outside year round and gets fed pretty stem-y grass hay all winter. shes in a large herd [soon to be 28 horses] but has no problem getting enough to eat as she is the boss mare.
 
#2 ·
I feed my horse three pounds of soaked beet pulp twice a day, to help keep weight on and to keep him hydrated/less likely to colic. I have been feeding it for a little over a year now and I'm really happy with it. It helps keep weight on, or helps gain if I feed a little more, without making him colic or be to hot. I soak it for a few minutes before I feed it. I used to soak it for 12 hours, but I have found that it's not really necessary to soak it that long.
 
#3 ·
Soak time for beet pulp depends on the type. Shreds soak in 15mins but pellets really need 12+ hours of soaking.

We use a heated bucket to soak the beet pulp in Winter since we use pellets.

My 14.2hh finely-built Morgan gets 3qts of soaked beet pulp (we soak a giant bucketful daily and then measure the soaked into the different feed pans). If it's REALLY cold or he has a strenuous workout, I'll soak 1/2 quart of shreds sprinkle a teeny bit of grain on top and give it to him as a lunch.

The Vet said I could feed him up to a 5gal bucket of beet pulp with no ill affects, so I use it as a hot lunch and "extra".
 
#5 ·
We've used beet pulp for the last 3 or 4 winters. We prefer to use the pellets. The pellets that we get have been rolled which breaks up the pellets some. The pellets take up less room to store than the shreds. Soaking time runs about the same. Use hot water and they're both ready in about 20 to 30 minutes.

A good thing about beet pulp is that you can't over feed it like grain or sweet feed. Some do have more molasses added than others but the actual pulp you can't over feed. It's a forage like grass and hay. It won't cause founder or colic. Some people have had issues with choking but I think that is more with the shreds and horses that inhale their feed.

We've never had a problem with soaking it or letting it just sit in a bucket wet for longer periods of time. I would want to use it within 24 hours or it may spoil. We use to make it up at night and let it soak over night. Never any problems
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#6 ·
wow thanks for all the info guys ! i would probably be getting the shreds because thats what farm and fleet sells =]

we have hot & cold water and a heated bathroom so it would sit and soak there in the winter.

now i just have to find out if miss picky will eat it =P
 
#7 ·
In case the beet pulp doesn't work, another option for weight and keeping cool energy is equine rice bran.

The maximum recommended amount is only 2 lbs/daily for a 1,000 lb horse.

Manna Pro's "Maxi-Glo" is sold at Tractor Supply. It comes in meal or pellet form.

My two hard keepers (both mid-20's) get pelleted rice bran all year; the other two get some in the cold months and everybody loves the taste.

Some folks have commented their horse won't eat rice bran but I think those are in the minority:)
 
#8 ·
Wow I feed 1/2 lb beet pulp "crumbles" per feeding and I just add water and feed. I don't soak it because it barely soaks up water.

I get the stuff without molases as we have had a fun time with possible laminitis. She would not eat it if it wasn't for the rice bran mixed in. Rice bran smells like cocoa puffs and beet pulp smells like cardboard.
 
#9 ·
im pretty sure she would eat rice bran, but doesnt it have a lot of phosphorus in it ?
 
#17 ·
Equine rice bran should either say "calcium fortified" on the bag or look at the Guaranteed analysis to see if calcium has been added. If it hasn't, don't buy it.

Here's a link that explains why rice bran should say "stabilized" and why it should have calcium added to it:)

Rice Bran for Horses
 
#11 ·
I love rice bran for gaining/maintaining weight :) You might be able to find fortified rice bran (extra calcium added to offset the high phosphorous). I've been looking around for it in my area, but I can barely find rice bran that's been stabilized and none that is fortified. If you want to feed more than a pound or so of unfortified rice bran, I'd look into something like FeedXL.com to make sure it doesn't throw off the Ca:Ph ratio in your horse's diet.
 
#14 ·
BP is awesome. Its good for many different reasons... my mare gets it 2x a day all year round. 2 qts soaked. and she loves it.
 
#15 ·
We have a mare that wouldn't touch beet pulp at first. So we gave just a little amount mixed with some sweet feed. We slowly added more until it was mainly just beet pulp. Then she tried to get into a bag that wasn't soaked yet. Some horses just take a little time to get used to eating it.
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#16 ·
awesome ! i think im gonna buy a bag in the next couple weeks, i dont want her to start it right now. we are about to go to our last event of the season and i dont want to mess around in the week and a half before it. it is fairly cheap to buy at farm and fleet, so i will prob just start her with a handful at first to make sure she eats it !

thanks for all the opinions guys =]
 
#20 ·
mine get shredded beet pulp with every feeding... I don't soak it... just wet it and feed!! some people will say that will cause them to choke? but I have never had an issue...and as others have said you can't over feed beet pulp... If your horse will not eat it at first, buy the kind with molasses, and wet it with apple juice... then slowly stop the apple juice, and switch over to the plain.... beet pulp is cheap to feed and good for your horse!
 
#21 ·
we only feed dry beet pulp except to one horse who is 23 yo with really worn down teeth. we have never had anybody choke. i only feed at ground level.we usually start feeding it in late October threw the spring. i also do not buy it mixed with molasses. for our hard keepers they get six pounds dry a day and our easier keepers get three pounds a day
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#23 ·
we only feed dry beet pulp except to one horse who is 23 yo with really worn down teeth. we have never had anybody choke. i only feed at ground level.we usually start feeding it in late October threw the spring. i also do not buy it mixed with molasses. for our hard keepers they get six pounds dry a day and our easier keepers get three pounds a day
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I really suggest soaking it, just for 15-30 minutes (assuming it's shreds). You may not have had one choke yet, but the risk of choke is much higher with dry beet pulp.
 
#22 ·
I give my horse a small amount of dry beet pulp shreds to add a little bulk to his ration balancer. I've read several sources that say you can feed the pellets dry, too, but I've heard enough stories of horses choking that I wouldn't do it personally.
 
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