beet pulp?

[BantyHugger]

I was in Tractor Supply today, and i saw some beet pulp for sale. I thought the birds might like the veggies so i asked one of the employees. He said that it would expand and kill the birds. We obviously did not buy it, but is that true? Would it have killed my chickens and ducks?

 

[al6517]

I used to feed beet pulp to our Horses as a filler, I don't know if it would kill or harm them but I would not do it, there are so many more good choices for your feed options and supplements.

AL

 

[lilchick]

Beet pulp is used for fiber for horses and cows.
You should soak it in warm water for it to be fed to them.

Never heard of feeding to chickens.. The pieces would be too large for them to eat anyway.

 

[Akane]

No beet pulp will not expand and harm any animal. The only reason to soak it is to make it more palatable and easier for the livestock to eat.

 

[unionwirewoman]

Quote:
We used to feed beet pulp for years to our cows and horses . It expands to at least twice the size when soaked . There really isn't much use in feeding it to chickens . It is used as a filler , and the nutritional value isn't worth the price now . If you do decide to feed it though .......DO NOT feed it dry ! It is never fed dry to other livestock for a reason .

 

[CalicoFarm]

I have fed it to my horses. I would soak it in hot water for a few hours. I don't think that the chickens could even eat it. The pulp is in shreds and to big for the chickens to eat and it is still tough even after it is soaked.

 

[katrinag]

My chickens have eaten it dry as well as wet. They love to go in the barn after I feed the horses and clean up anything that is leftover on the floor.

 

[gaitnfool]

I wanted to peep in on this subject because I do feed SOAKED (for hours) beet pulp to my horses and sometimes I have a little left over. I throw the leftover beet pulp outside on the ground for the ladies...the have NO interest in beet pulp. I hang a head of cabbage and heads of lettuce up with a wire and they peck at that to keep them busy while they are in their coop. Hope this helps!

 

[Akane]

Just because it expands in water doesn't mean it expands the same on stomach acid or that it will harm the animal. It's a complete myth. Go ask any good horse forum.

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/

It also does have lots of nutritional value. It's great for putting weight on horses and can replace majority of their hay requirements. The fiber is probably a lot more useful and digestible for herbivorous grazing animals than chickens though.

 

[BantyHugger]

Quote:
We were considering it more for the ducks since they soak all their food any way. Like i said, we didn't buy any. Also we were considering (with these hard times and all) raising this years ducklings for meat, they are pekins after all. I just it might fatten up my young ones a little be for butchering time. My mom raised rabbits as a kid and says beets are the way to go to fatten up livestock. Thanks alot for that link.The chickens will eat almost every thing the ducks do, and i wanted to make sure it wouldn't hurt them. If they still have the beet pulp this summer we might try it.

Thanks everyone!