Re: Help on beet pulp needed

[Susan Evans Garlinghouse <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

EAMULE@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I have been reading about beet pulp and have decided to try it as an additive
> to help with weight gain on my new mare.  I have been unable to find any
> "instructions" or recommendations on amount to use.

Open bag.  Put in front of horse.  Stand back.

You can soak it, either just somewhat or fully---some nutritionist
recommend it (including me), others don't think it's a big deal.

> 
> I purchased a bag today.  I had to special order it at the feed store as it
> isn't used much in this area.  So, I know no one who has used it.
> 
> What I got is not pelletized which is not what I was expecting even though I
> had no idea really what to expect it to look like.

Sometimes it's pelleted, sometimes not.  Same thing, no differences
except in volume.  Just feed by weight, no big deal.


  I am experimenting as I
> type to see if it expands and how much before I feed it.
> 
> HELP!  I will not feed it until I have some idea of portion size to feed.  Of
> course, I would start out with very little and gradually work up, but I want
> to know what it is doing as it goes through the stomach, colon, and
> intestines.  I want no pulp induced colic, etc, etc, etc.

You won't with just a small amount of common sense, which you're already
using.  You can start with a pound and work up from there, up to pretty
much as much as you want---though maybe 3-4 pounds a day would be a good
place to shoot for.  Beet pulp is digested the same as a hay is
(primarily fermented in the cecum to produce mostly volatile fatty acids
which are absorbed in the hindgut---archaic terms but accurate enough). 
You won't get colic or founder or anything like that as you might with
alot of grain, because the digestive breakdown is different.  The only
thing you want to be careful of is making sure wet pulp doesn't sit
around uneaten so that it starts to sour (you'll get a whiff of alcohol
smell).  I would remove anything uneaten after a few hours, though
around here that has yet to occur.

> 
> Also, on the bag the it stated the fat content was no greater than .3.  I
> would have expected more than that.  Am I wrong?

Beet pulp is generally very low---and what "fats" there are are about
half fat-soluble pigments, not bioavailable to speak off.  Doesn't
matter, it's calories you care about, not just fat content.  You can
always add a slug of oil to the soaked beet pulp.
> 
> Any pulp experts out there that can help me out?
> 
> Ellen
> Memphis


Hope this helps,

Susan Garlinghouse
Cal Poly University