>Beet pulp IS more balanced than bran, but it has 0.1% P and almost
>0.7 % Ca on average. If you feed pounds of it, you just need to be
>careful. You can balance it with alfalfa, clover, or trefoil forages,
>or a supplement with extra calcium.
Morrison's book, FEEDS AND FEEDING, says a 1,000 horse at medium work should
have: 15.3 -18.7 pounds dry matter, .8-1.0 pounds digestible protein,
10.6-13 pounds total digestible nutrients, 13.7 grams Ca, 15.4 grams P and
50 mg of carotene. PLEASE NOTE THE Ca TO P IS NEARLY EQUAL. And it remains
the same numbers in the list for a 1,000 pound horse at hard work, only the
pounds of dry matter and TDN increase.
All the number info below is from FEEDS AND FEEDING by Morrison, which says:
Beet pulp is listed as o.69 Ca and 0.08 P so a long way from nearly equal.
Alfalfa (average of analyses of various qualities) is 1.47 Ca and 0.24 P,
which makes it imbalanced in the same direction as beet pulp
Birdsfoot trefoil hay is 1.60 Ca and 0.20 P, again it is imbalanced in the
same direction as beet pulp
There are quite a few different types of clover hay listed, ALL of them are
high in Ca and low in P, so again imbalanced in the same direction as beet pulp
Rice bran (unprocessed, check lables and read what the processed stuff is)
is 0.08 Ca and 1.36 P, so out of balanced in the opposite direction of beet
pulp and alfalfa, this CAN help balance both
We've read good things about the use of beet pulp and if you use a lot of it
do be aware of the imbalance of Ca to P and learn what will bring the
balance back to almost equal, don't accept just my suggestions of rice bran
-- learn for yourself.
This book, written by Frank B. Morrison, Emeritus Professor of Animal
Husbandry and Animal Nutrition, Corness University, is used in colleges, you
can purchase it through your local college book store, or if you have a used
book store and are in a college town you can probably find it used. I see a
lot of them in our one store (we have Cal Poly locally), if anyone wants one
I'll be happy to look for used copies.
Karen Clanin