Beet pulp

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Dairygoats : One Thread

FOr the past few years I have been feeding Blue Seal Caprine Challenger which is 18% protein. We have been discussing having our own feed mixed and I've begun to add a handful of different grains to their regular feed to see their reactions. One new greain at a time and for just a few days at a time to make sure it agrees with them. I don't want the goats to think it's a treat.

A few days ago I added beet pulp. I did not soak it first. Just mixed it into their regular feed. About 1/4 cup for each doe. The next day, I noticed that one doe had irregular poop. Not scours, still solid but not formed into pellets, just one lump of poop and a little lighter color than usual. I believe this was caused by the new addition of beet pulp. Anyone else notice this in their herds?

What's the advantage of soaking the beet pulp first?

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), January 06, 2002

Answers

I tried beet pulp 2 yrs ago as an addition in our speciality mix. The nutritionist we worked with suggested it and said to feed it either soaked or dry. I added it to our mix, they hated it, stuck their finiky Alpine noses up. Then we tried soaking, they didn't like that either. It may be the beet pulp that is causing the poop problem if you ahve ruled out all else. I might try it again with the newer does we have and see.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), January 06, 2002.

A huge note of caution! There are two types of beet pulp. The one with the very large pellets should never be fed without soaking. These expand to about a cup each and inside your doe they will take all the moisture of her rumen and upset them. Yoy can kill your goats on these ones. Be safe and buy the shredded beet pulp or the little pellets.

-- shari (smillers@snowcrest.net), January 07, 2002.

Thanks for the warning Shari. I did buy the shredded beet pulp. Pelleted cost more.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), January 07, 2002.

Charleen, we use it on our older goats, soaked in the wintertime. I really would love to feed it, wouldn't feed it to my bucks though, no facts on the decrease of semen but we had some interesting things go on here, when my buck came back from a diet of this, to not settle a few does for the first time! Anyway we already have hay out, the woods and pasture, if your does are stuck in the barn from snow and ice, or perhaps you drylot I think it and BOSS are wonderful ideas! My girl friend (where my buck lived for several months) is a dairy and is drylotted, so she feeds a dairy pellet along with shreeded beet pulp and black oil sunflowerseeds, pretty stock you aren't going to find! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 07, 2002.

I like to soak it in hot water. We feed it mainly in the winter, and they like something warm and wet, and they would have a hard time drinking enough icy cold water to rehydrate it. Keeping liquid water in front of them during the winter is a struggle even without increasing their need for it. If they do not like it, sprinkle grain on it. Or, get a yonger animal to try it. My experience has been that if you can get one animal to try something, pretty soon they all want some!

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), January 07, 2002.


You should always soak beet pulp in hot water before feeding it to a horse. Then you really know how much you are feeding them. Beet pulp, if not soaked, can also be dangerous if consumed in large amounts because it will expand in the horses stomach which can be VERY unhealthy.

-- Marta (tigger0027@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

The celiluse and hemicelilue easily become available to the animal.

-- hassankhan (hassankhan 27@ hotmail .com), April 08, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ