Beet Pulp for Goats

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                                ~What is Beet Pulp?

As per Wikipedia 
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 comes in both flakes and compressed pellets. 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. 
It contains: 10 percent protien, 0.8 percent calcium and 0.5 percent phosphorus. It has no vitamin A so additional forage is required to provide complete nutrition. 

So why would I feed it to goats?

Beet Pulp is an excellent source of added calories and energy. If you have a goat that is needing to put on some extra weight, beet pulp can be helpful for doing so! Beet Pulp is not suitable for a whole feed, as it does not have all the nutrients required, however, that being said, If your goat is just not keeping it's weight on the daily ration of grain, adding some beet pulp can add in those extra calories needed to give your goat a little boost. 

How do I buy Beet Pulp?

You can usually find Beet pulp at your local Farm or Feed store. Beet Pulp comes in both compressed pellets and shredded. Either is ok for goats to eat. When feeding Beet Pulp to horses, you have to soak it, otherwise they stand a big chance of choking on it. However as per google, you do not have to soak the "Shredded Kind" for goats. If you choose the pellets, you need to soak it. Personally I LOVE the pellets. We feed our horses the Pelleted Beet Pulp and it is so much easier to work with. No dust, easier to scoop out of the bag and it definitely last longer, believe it or not. The pellets might be a dollar or so more, but when you soak it, it expands, so you use less and it last longer. I think feeding 2 horses 2 x a day, 1 bag probably last almost a month, so for goats it would be about the same, depending on how many you have. You can find it here:

How do I feed Beet Pulp to my goat?

I personally use the pelleted beet pulp. I like that there is no dust and it's easier to work with. The pellets expand a LOT!!! You need to soak the pellets, otherwise it could expand in their throat and choke them. It takes about 4 hours to soak, so I just soak it overnight. I feed about 1 cup per goat per day, of "Soaked Beet pulp. So if you soak about 1/2 cup pelleted beet pulp, in about 4 cups of water, by morning it should have expanded to about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of beet pulp, give or take. You can kind of play around with it. The goats should eat it right up! Make sure you are also give your goats free choice goat minerals. https://www.purinamills.com/goat-feed/products/detail/purina-goat-mineral
Also make sure you are giving your goats well rounded nutrition in general. https://www.timberrosehomestead.com/2020/03/goat-nutrition.html



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