OK, I posted about my new goat who will be coming home sometime this week. The former owners are feeding alfalfa hay and a little sweet mix type grain. I feed the same thing to my horses so that's not a problem. My question is that since hay prices have gone crazy this year I am cutting hay costs by feeding soaked beet pulp for part of the horse's ration. I know farmers who are feeding beet pulp to sheep w/o soaking, just feeding the pellets. I am figuring the goat (dry adult doe) can also have some after settling in and getting accustomed to it. Does anybody know how much she could have and if it needs to be soaked for goats? She would still get alf & grain as needed.

-- elle (eagle-quest@juno.com), February 13, 2001

Answers

Hi elle,

I tried feeding beet pulp to our girls last yr. and they didn't care for it. We initially fed it soaked in water, but then found we could also feed it dry. Either way and they still didn't. I can't remember how much we fed them now, but I am sure someone else like Vicki or Rebekah may know. I guess either they will love it or hate it.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001.

My goats hated it.

-- teri murphy (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.ca), February 13, 2001.

I don't have goats, but I've got horses. Lots of horses won;t eat just straight beet pulp either, soaked or dry. If you get the kind that is pelletized instead of shredded, it has some molasses added back in and the horses don't seem to have any objections to that, however, I feed equal amounts of wheat bran to beet pulp, soaked in hot water, and throw in a scoop (about a pound) of alfalfa pellets to the mix and offer that. They eat that right up. For horses metabolisms, the bran and the pulp help each other's calcium/phosphorus balances so that it is somewhere nutritionally speaking between grain and timothy hay. You might try mixing your beet pulp with these, or additional molasses, alfalfa pellets, or sweet feed to encourage them to eat it.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 13, 2001.

I know lots of folks who use it, mostly use it soaked in warm water, with as much as it expands, I would feel very uneasy feeding very much of it dry. Here in Texas we get cottonseed meal and hulls called 50 50, very!!! inexpensive, and thats what most folks use when hay gets scarce. You still need to feed some hay as cottonseed hulls, beet pulp, and alfalfa pellets do not have enough fiber length to give them a good rougage. You also need to be very leary of pellets that are made for ruminents that are roughage pellets, that say on the bag you need feed no hay! Dumb!

Be very careful with the sweet type horse feed, first for animal products in it, and second most horse feeds contain way to much molassas for goats. Really corn and oats are better, perhaps you could just cut the horse feed with it. The minerals you use for your horses should also be offered to your goats. Make sure and get a worming in after the move, than if you choose to go the herbal route you can have your numbers down. The stress of the move will cause the worms to multiply very quickly. Check them for lice this time of year, and trim their feet, collecting the hoof trimmings and any dirt under them, the best way to keep hoof/foot rot off of your place. Watch them carefully for ringworm etc. Obviously quaranteen them from other stock for awhile to make sure the stress doesn't make them come down with something. Actually good strong healthy stock will give your stock something before they catch it. Have fun with your does! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 13, 2001.

I feed beet pulp to my goats, don't know the exact amount, our whole herd gets about half a cool whip container of the dry pellets soaked with about tea kettles of boiling or hot water. Seeing the way they swell up hugely, I'd be afraid to feed them without soaking them first, they are also very hard before soaking. my does did not really care for it at first, but a few underlings did. The competition was enough to get them all to eat it.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), February 13, 2001.

I mix dry beet pulp in with my goat's sweet feed at about 25%. I tried soaking it, but they wouldn't touch it wet. It worked wonders with an older goat who was losing condition.

-- Connie (Connie@lunehaven.com), February 14, 2001.

Our dog cannot tolerate beet pulp in her dog food. I realize sheep aren't dogs, but there could be a common reaction. In our dog, the reaction is that she gets very itchy and scaly skin.

-- tommaso (roadrunner@7cities.net), February 14, 2001.

I also mix beet pulp with their grain. Actually, my goats love the stuff and will eat it alone, dry or wet, but prefer it dry. And no, they don't swell up and float away!!! :-) As a matter of fact, they show no bloating at all.

You'll notice an improved coat condition after about 2 weeks of feeding it. Feeding beet pulp for two weeks prior and during showing is an old trick used by cattle and horse folks; it puts luster in the coats of their animals for shows and fairs and also puts a little "zip" in their step...it does stimulate them a tad.

Word of warning, tho. You should make sure they are getting iodine in their diets from some sort while feeding beet pulp. Most everyone makes sure of this anyway, but it is important with goats...somehow the beetpulp can cause an iodine deficeit.

-- JimR (jroberts1@cas.org), February 15, 2001.

Thanks Jim, I had never heard that before! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

Thanks for all the good info. Sorry I didn't thank you all sooner, but I have been battling a horrid head cold for several days. We did get our goat home yesterday and she seems to be settling in OK. I am keeping her on her normal diet until she is totally used to her new home. Then I might try a little beet pulp and see if she likes it. Thanks again!

-- elle (eagle-quest@juno.com), February 18, 2001.