Beet Pulp as a supplement?

[all4ahorse]

Some small-time farmers I know told me that they often supplement their 'soon to be slaughtered' livestock with beet pulp, soaked in water over night and mixed in with grain. I tried to research the benefits to beet pulp on the web as a supplement for cattle but didn't really find much. Anyone here feed this? Any harm in it? I have 4 head that will be ready to butcher this Fall, they are seperated from the rest of the herd now and are being finished off but two of the four just don't seem to be adding the weight as quickly as I thought they would. They were small in the beginning so perhaps they just won't grow any more but thought it might not hurt to add something to their daily intake that could boost weight. Beet pulp pellets aren't terribly expensive in my area so the added cost isn't too big of a deal for us, if it helps add more meat to them! Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Connie

 

[hillsdown]

Beet pulp was always used in our TMR ,when available, for our fresh cows <dairy>.
It was in pellets and just mixed in with the TMR. The cows milked great and held there BSC.

If it is cheap I would say go ahead as it is a good source of energy ,but also you need to see how hot your ration will be if you add it to it.
So I think I would consult a nutritionist before I used it.

 

[donnaIL]

They always feed beet pulp at the fairs to the cattle, think it helps with the limited fiber. I tried some also, cows at first were like what is this, then ate it (I was seeing if it would improve BCS). I never heard of soaking it. Price of beet pulp went up quite a bit here was $8 for 40lbs, was told by feed store it would be going up to $12...thats more than other supplements. I also have been looking for other feed options, however corn seems to be the least expensive option. donna

 

[TexasBred]

All4....give us an idea of what you're feeding the calves now...what and how much of each?

 

[SFFarms]

I tryed to pick-up some beet-bulp at tractor supply yesterday, sold out. Tried last week sold out. Asked the guy and he said he cant keep the stuff of the shelf. So around here people must really like it.. :|

 

[TexasBred]

I tryed to pick-up some beet-bulp at tractor supply yesterday, sold out. Tried last week sold out. Asked the guy and he said he cant keep the stuff of the shelf. So around here people must really like it.. :|

SFF probably won't be much around until "new crop". About the only folks that use it around here are some of the horse folks and the 4-H and FFA kids raising show steers. Great product tho.

 

[msscamp]

Some small-time farmers I know told me that they often supplement their 'soon to be slaughtered' livestock with beet pulp, soaked in water over night and mixed in with grain. I tried to research the benefits to beet pulp on the web as a supplement for cattle but didn't really find much. Anyone here feed this? Any harm in it? I have 4 head that will be ready to butcher this Fall, they are seperated from the rest of the herd now and are being finished off but two of the four just don't seem to be adding the weight as quickly as I thought they would. They were small in the beginning so perhaps they just won't grow any more but thought it might not hurt to add something to their daily intake that could boost weight. Beet pulp pellets aren't terribly expensive in my area so the added cost isn't too big of a deal for us, if it helps add more meat to them! Any thoughts??

Thanks,
Connie

You might consider doing a search for beet pulp on these boards - the subject has come up many, many times.