This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 99-01-25 05:55:54 EST, you write:
<< The beet pulp is great because you feed it wet (SOAKED), and therefore, any supplements you're feeding get mixed in and stuck to it, so they won't sift to the bottom of the bucket and not eaten. The beet pulp is extraordinarily economical and filling. Would you believe that two cups of dried beet pulp feeds twenty horses? Of course, the little bit of grain we use gets mixed in that quantity of SOAKED beet pulp. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Beet pulp needs to be SOAKED IN LOTS OF HOT WATER FOR AT LEAST FOUR HOURS. We do not consider our morning feeding done until we've put the evening's beet pulp to soak. -- In the winter, I always add extra hot water to the 5 gallon bucket of beet pulp. This gives the horses a warm meal. --- My feeding rules are" >> Carol, I have a quick question for you regarding the beet pulp. As I mentioned in my earlier post, feeding programs are greatly influenced regionally by what is economically available. Two items are available here that I had never heard of in Mt., one is beet pulp and the other is rice bran. What is the purpose for feeding the beet pulp? What does it provide for the horses? In my efforts to find the proper feeding program after moving here, the feed stores had mentioned beet pulp and the fact that it had to be thoroughly soaked for several hours before feeding. Since I was totally unfamiliar with this, guess I just blew it off and didn't ask questions as to why to feed it. The other product unfamiliar to me was the rice bran. I have since incorporated that into my feeding program, but not for Fjords. I have 19 horses of different breeds in my barn currently so fiddling with all of those "M" factors does indeed become a bit of an art! For the individuals that need more calories, I will add a couple of cups per day of the rice bran. It is really high in fat content when compared to grain products (usually about 2%) so provides the additional calories they need without bumping up the protein so that they're "wired for 220"! It really puts a nice shine on their coats, too. I also give the individuals on rice bran about a cup of alfalfa pellets to offset the additional phos. in the rice bran with the higher calcium in alfalfa. That also helps to bump up their protein a bit, again, without getting them "wired" Thanks, Carol. Gayle Ware Field of Dreams Eugene, OR
