[ToManyHorsesAndOnePony]

So, tonight I learned that while the bag directs to feed 1-2 pounds per day for normal mantinece it doesnt mean measure out two pounds of pellets per horse, THEN add water..... Ended up with 12 2pound feedings so... dumped at in a big bucket... carried down and measured out about a pound in a half, then carried still full bucket back to home... filled many baggies with two pounds, added to the fridge. So, plus side? Many feedings ready lol. Read up a bit after this (before feeding) and seems that about 16oz dry pellets = 1/2 pound wet. Now heres the question I need the awnser to. Do you wiegh before or after soaked... Should I have fed the first measured out portions? Which when wet half filled a 4quart bucket... or do what I did tonight and give about two pounds of the wet stuff?

 

[gssw5]

I think anyone who feeds beet pulp has gone through the over flowing beet pulp saga. I cannot answer your question on weighing it, I gave it up. I feed two cups dry BP pellets or four cups of the shreds, add water, soak and feed it. Depending upon how much water you add changes the weight, I think it is 2:1 water:BP. Anyway my horses get four cups of BP pellets a day, in two feedings along with hay cubes and their minerals, and grass hay. I don't have a thin horse on the property and no colic (knock on wood) in 13 years.

I do hope someone has the answer regarding how to weigh the BP.

 

[Shropshirerosie]

One - ignore what the bag says

Two - as you will be introducing this slowly over a week, you will start with just a couple of spoonfuls of the soaked stuff in his first meal, and build up from there.

Three - look at the volume of the whole meal. I don't know what else you are feeding in there. I probably only ever fed one full scoop of soaked beet in a single meal. When mixed with chaff or other feed that is quite a large volume.

Four - throw away all the surplus soaked stuff. Your horse will not like it after it has been sitting around for more than 24 hours, and fridge or not it may start to ferment.

I have always found beet to be a useful feed, it helps the horse put weight on, and it helps make a meal more appetising.

 

[verona1016]

Beet pulp can expand quite a bit

You are supposed to weigh it dry, but don't feel compelled to feed 1-2 lbs of it just because the bag says so. It's not like a fortified ration where you want to make sure your horse is getting enough nutrition; beet pulp itself isn't super rich in nutrients. It's mainly fed for its highly digestible fiber.

My barn makes a big batch of mash each night with 4:1 beet pulp and rice bran, soaked for 3-4 hours. Not all horses get the same amount of it, but most get 1/2 to 1 scoop using a 5-pint feed scoop. If I had to guess I'd say it's probably somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 lb equivalent dry weight per scoop once it's all soaked up.

 

[greentree]

^^This is how I feed it. Mix it with whatever other concentrate there is, and scoop it out of large(VERY heavy) bucket. I do not "soak" it, only wet it it, and feed immediately. The only reason to soak it for any time is to get hydration further into the intestines, which would only be an endurance ride for me. It is important to add water because it is SO dry, and absorbs SO fast, that if it hits the horse's throat before saliva wets it, it causes choke.

Lots of people feed it dry with no adverse affect, but not me.

Nancy

 

[acorn]

Beet pulp can expand quite a bit


My barn makes a big batch of mash each night with 4:1 beet pulp and rice bran, soaked for 3-4 hours. Not all horses get the same amount of it, but most get 1/2 to 1 scoop using a 5-pint feed scoop. If I had to guess I'd say it's probably somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 lb equivalent dry weight per scoop once it's all soaked up.

Your horses will eat rice bran soaked? Mine won't have it. When I was feeding it I had to soak the bp and then add dry rice bran pellets just before feeding. The rb soaked would be gooey, sticky and mine would refuse to eat the whole ration.

 

[verona1016]

Your horses will eat rice bran soaked? Mine won't have it. When I was feeding it I had to soak the bp and then add dry rice bran pellets just before feeding. The rb soaked would be gooey, sticky and mine would refuse to eat the whole ration.

With the 4:1 ratio it doesn't get very gooey. It actually has a pretty nice texture to it. I know what you're talking about, though- for a little while one of the horses had his own mash that was more of a 1:1 ratio and it was pretty gross looking, although the horse would still eat it

 

[Chevaux]

I remember going bug eyed the first time I made beet pulp - very much alarmed at the quantity I had made but in the scheme of things it didn't weigh as big as it looked.

I use one part beet pulp and two parts water so I measure by quantity rather than weight. If you're going to weigh it, I'd weigh it wet (I think a gallon of water weighs a little under ten pounds) - but don't worry after you've done this a few times you get a feel for the way you want it to go. If I used cold water, I'd let it soak for a few hours; if hot water was used it broke down in a half hour or so.

As mentioned above, start out small to get them used to it and work up to the final quantity you want to feed. It does spoil quickly once it's been watered so if you've made too much and/or the horse hasn't eaten it all by next feeding then it's best to toss it. The first few times I served beet pulp, I put a drizzle of molasses in with it to help the horse accept it.

 

[verona1016]

If you're going to weigh it, I'd weigh it wet

I don't see the point of weighing it wet unless you're monitoring your horse's water intake. If you soak a pound of dry beet pulp and it weighs 4 lbs wet, you're still only feeding 1 lb of beet pulp- the rest is water which will absorb into the horse's system very quickly. That same 1 lb of beet pulp could weigh 2 lb wet if you don't add a lot of water, or 6 lbs if you make it really soupy.

 

[Glenknock]

I'm laughing so hard at this i've done this put in a scoop ended up with a bucket full, thank god have 6 horse's to feed