Beet pulp is a byproduct from the processing of sugar beet which is used as fodder for horses and other livestock. Beet pulp is the fibrous material left over after the sugar is extracted from sugar beets. It is supplied either as dried flakes or as compressed pellets, but when fed to horses it should always be soaked in water first.
Despite being a byproduct of sugar beet processing, beet pulp itself is low in sugar and other non-structural carbohydrates, but high in energy and fiber. [1] Among other nutrients, it contains 10 percent protein, 0.8 percent calcium and 0.5 percent phosphorus. It has no Vitamin A, so additional forage or supplementation is required to provide complete nutrition. [2]
8,5'-Diferulic acid is the predominant diferulic acid in sugar beet pulp. [3]
Beet pulp is usually fed to horses in addition to hay, but occasionally is a replacement for hay when fed to very old horses who can no longer chew properly. [1] A standard ration of beet pulp for horses is usually 2 to 5 pounds (0.9 to 2.3 kg) dry weight. Before feeding to horses, beet pulp is usually soaked in water, at a ratio of one part pulp to about four parts water. [1] The maximum amount of water is absorbed after three to four hours, [1] but it may be soaked for as little as one to two hours, especially in hot weather when there is a risk of fermentation. [4] Most commercial feeds designed for geriatric horses contain large amounts of beet pulp and are fed straight out of the bag without being soaked, [1] and manufacturer's directions generally recommend giving such feeds dry unless the horse has dental issues that make chewing difficult. [5]
Beet pulp is not usually soaked before feeding to cattle, sheep and goats. Dehydrated beet pulp has a good nutritive value for ruminants. It is also fed to poultry, pigs and rabbits. [6] Beet pulp can also be fed wet, pressed or ensiled. [7]
Some horse owners express two concerns about feeding dry, unsoaked beet pulp, one being that it is linked to choke. Any dry feed may cause choke, especially if the horse does not have free access to water, or if the horse has other risk factors linked to choking, such as a tendency to bolt its food. [2] However, while horses have choked on beet pulp, university studies have not documented that beet pulp is a particular problem. [1] [2] It is believed that choke related to beet pulp is linked to the particle size and the horse's aggressive feeding behaviour, rather than the actual feed itself. [1] Nonetheless, the risk of choke associated with any dry feed, including beet pulp, can be reduced by soaking the ration prior to feeding. [2]
Another concern expressed by horse owners is that dry beet pulp will absorb water and swell in a horse's stomach, causing digestive problems such as impaction or colic. However, a properly hydrated horse usually produces enough saliva to moisten any feedstuff properly, including beet pulp. [1]
Thus, while research indicates that soaking beet pulp is not necessary to prevent, there are other reasons for soaking beet pulp. It may make the feed easier to chew, particularly for older horses with bad teeth. Soaking may improve the taste, and may be a way to hide supplements or medications. While horses usually drink enough water on their own, feeding soaked beet pulp can increase fluid intake, particularly in the winter when horses may drink less water than they need. [1] [2]
Pomace, or marc, is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit.
Corn stover consists of the leaves, stalks, and cobs of corn (maize) plants left in a field after harvest. Such stover makes up about half of the yield of a corn crop and is similar to straw from other cereal grasses; in Britain it is sometimes called corn straw. Corn stover is a very common agricultural product in areas of large amounts of corn production. As well as the non-grain part of harvested corn, the stover can also contain other weeds and grasses. Field corn and sweet corn, two different types of maize, have relatively similar corn stover.
Distillers grains are a cereal byproduct of the distillation process. Brewer's spent grain usually refers to barley produced as a byproduct of brewing, while distillers grains are a mix of corn, rice and other grains.
Guizotia abyssinica is an erect, stout, branched annual herb, grown for its edible oil and seed. Its cultivation originated in the Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands, and has spread to other parts of Ethiopia. Common names include noog/nug ; ramtil or ramtilla; niger or nyger seed ; inga seed; and blackseed. Noug has been described as semi-domesticated, self-incompatible crop with yellow flowering heads and seeds. Recent studies have revealed the regional genetic diversity of some noug populations grown in Ethiopia based on RAPD and AFLP markers.
Choke is a condition in horses in which the esophagus is blocked, usually by food material. Although the horse is still able to breathe, it is unable to swallow, and may become severely dehydrated. A secondary condition, aspiration pneumonia, may also develop if food material and saliva accumulate in the pharynx, spilling into the trachea and into the lungs. Choke is one of the "top 10" emergencies received by equine veterinarians.
Lupinus luteus is known as annual yellow-lupin, European yellow lupin or yellow lupin. It is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe.
Avena strigosa is a species of grass native to Europe. It has edible seeds and is often cultivated as animal feed in southern Brazil. It is sometimes reported as a weed.
Corn gluten meal (CGM) is the principal protein of corn (maize) endosperm consisting mainly of zein and glutelin. It is a byproduct of corn processing that has historically been used as an animal feed. Despite the name, corn gluten does not contain true gluten, which is formed by the interaction of gliadin and glutenin proteins.
Senegalia catechu, previously known as Acacia catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. The plant is called kachu in Malay; the Malay name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are derived. Other common names for it include kher, catechu, cachou, cutchtree, black cutch, and black catechu.
Vachellia oerfota is a perennial shrub or tree which is native to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Among other things, it is used in making beverages. It grows 1–5m high. It is an important legume tree commonly browsed by goats and camels in Africa. It is valued as a fodder by pastoralists.
Medicago polymorpha is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium medicae, which is capable of nitrogen fixation. Common names include California burclover, toothed bur clover, toothed medick and burr medic.
Arachis pintoi, the Pinto peanut, is a forage plant native to Cerrado vegetation in Brazil. It is native to the valleys of the upper São Francisco and the Jequitinhonha rivers of Minas Gerais. It has been named after the Brazilian botanist Geraldo Pinto, who first collected the plant at the locality of Boca do Córrego, município de Belmonte in 1954 and suggested its potential as a forage. The species has been first described by A. Krapovickas and W. Gregory in 1994.
Setaria sphacelata is a tall African grass, also known as South African pigeon grass and African bristlegrass. It is native to tropical and subtropical Africa, and is extensively cultivated globally as a pasture grass and for cut fodder. This is a rhizomatous perennial grass producing flattened, hairless, blue-green stems up to 2 m tall. The inflorescence is a dense, narrow panicle of bristly, orange-tinged spikelets up to 25 cm long.
Vicia benghalensis is a species of vetch known by the common names purple vetch and reddish tufted vetch. It is native to southern Europe, North Africa, and nearby islands, and it is utilized elsewhere in agriculture and may be present in the wild as an introduced species. It is an annual herb with a climbing stem which is coated in hairs, often densely, making the plant appear silvery white. Each leaf is made up of several pairs of elongated leaflets which measure up to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a one-side raceme of several dark reddish purple flowers. Each flower has a densely hairy calyx of sepals and a tubular corolla between one and two centimeters in length. The fruit is a flat, hairy legume pod up to 3.5 centimeters long containing multiple seeds.
Albizia chinensis is a species of legume in the genus Albizia, native to south and Southeast asia, from India to China and Indonesia.
Urochloa nigropedata, commonly known as spotted brachiaria, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Southern Africa in the tropical regions of South Africa and East Africa. Urochloa nigropedata is used as fodder grass in Namibia.
Albizia amara is a tree in the family Fabaceae. Its range includes southern and Eastern Africa, from South Africa to Sudan and Ethiopia. It is also found in India and Sri Lanka.
Parkia filicoidea, or African locust bean, is a large, spreading flat-crowned tree to 30 metres tall, the bole of which may be narrowly buttressed to a height of about 3 metres, and up to 120 cm DBH. It occurs in wet evergreen or semi-deciduous forest, sometimes on forest fringes, riverbanks and lakes, termite mounds, at elevations up to 1000 metres from Côte d’Ivoire, east to Sudan and Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Bark on trunk scaly or smooth, grey to yellow-brown, branchlets glabrous to puberulous.
Grewia bicolor, called bastard brandy bush, false brandy bush, two-coloured grewia, white-leaved grewia, white-leaved raisin, white raisin and donkey berry, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to sub-Saharan Africa, Yemen, Oman, and the Indian subcontinent. In Africa Grewia bicolor is one of the most important forages during the dry season, when all herbivores, wild and domestic, find it palatable. It is particularly enjoyed by giant eland and domestic goats. Caterpillars of Anaphe reticulata have been found to feed on the foliage.
Stylosanthes hamata, the Caribbean stylo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the islands of the Caribbean, and nearby areas on the mainland; Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Venezuela, and it has been introduced as a forage crop to Florida, Peru, Brazil, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin, India, Thailand, Hainan, and northern Australia. There are diploid and tetraploid cultivars, with the tetraploids being more drought tolerant and more frequently sown for pasture.