Foals and beet pulp?

[alliekat]

I have been adding a bucket with beet pulp in it for my broodmares. It is the kind that does not contain molases. They love it. Well I caught my new foal with her head in the bucket of it. I am not quite sure how much she can really eat, but I am curious if I should be worried. How many feed beet pulp to their broodies and is it ok for their foals to be picking at it?

[busybee]

I would ask your vet to make sure. I've never done it.

[Daventry]

Our foals always eat the beetpulp with mom. I'm not sure specifically what worries you about it. As long as it's been soaked properly and there is no chance of choke, I don't think a little bit of beetpulp will hurt. But, like alliekat said, you might want to check with your vet rather than asking for "unofficial" advice on here. I just know we've always had foals who've ate it.

[VirginiaBred]

Our foals always eat beet pulp too. We have it very hydrated and they seem to enjoy it.

[Cindy's Warmbloods]

My foals have ate it as well with their moms.

[alliekat]

It is soaked really well. Feeding beet pulp is new to me and I was wondering if there was any ill effect it could have. I thought it would be safer than picking at her mom's feed. I have a call into my vet so I will see what she says.
She is still pooping, peeing, drinking from the milk bar and has more energy than she knows what to do with so I aSSume all is well.
The reason I posted here was a remember reading post of others that feed beet pulp to their mares and was curious if they noticed their foals picking at it as well.
She also picks at hay and drinks water too. So I just figured she is copying her mom. Thanks for the input glad to know that it isn't abnormal that she is tring it.

[pintopiaffe]

She is probably copying more than actually EATING, but beet pulp is closer to forage than concentrate...

I am not a vet, nor do I play one on TV, but my foals have been eating beep alongside Mum for about 10 years now, nary an issue. During incarceration in late PG and post-foaling I leave a bucket in front of the mares at all times, since they do tend to waste much of the hay I leave in front of them too. So babies have always had ample opportunity... and never a problem.

Sheer anecdote, for what it's worth. ;)

[alliekat]

Thankks PintoPiaffe that was along the lines I was thinking. I felt bad that I didn't think of calling the vet at first. I hope my vet gives me the all clear too. It sure is cute to watch her pick at it.

[Tiki]

Beet pulp is totally digestible fiber - unlike hay, which has indigestible materials in it, like lignin, to make it stand upright. Beet pulp is just forage.

I routinely offer my very, very young foals a small, short, bucket with a little well soaked beet pulp in it. They're young enough that they're not ready to eat yet. At first they look, but don't eat. When Mum is finished with her meal, she'll clean up what's in the foal's bucket. Once the foal starts to eat reliably, I add milk based pellets to the beet pulp, a little at a time. By now, the foal is eating the beet pulp with the baby food readily. Mares LOVE milk pellets, but by now, Mum is SURE that there is only beet pulp in the baby's bucket, so she never catches on and tries to get the baby's feed.

This is sooooooo much easier than standing there twice a day trying to get the baby to eat milk pellets and soooooooooooo much better than Mum trying to steal the baby's feed, or having to tie Mum up while the baby eats. It's even better than creep feeding.

[sid]

Same as Pintopiaffe and Tiki...for 23 years. Never a problem as long as it is soaked. I'd rather have them gobbling that down than a high sugar, high carb concentrated feed anyday. Most of mine are now in their late teens...never a problem digestively, growth problems and most imporanttly, no OCD.

[Bravestrom]

At three weeks I now remove my foal from the stall when mom eats - I don't want the foal getting the grain and since she can already reach into the feed bucket and goes in there to eat.

She loves to come out of the stall and mom is just fine with it as she wants to eat her dinner in peace and we play with the foal in the aisle as mom eats.

I have a separate bowl with a little bit of beet pulp in it. The foal is quite independent already and runs around the aisle visiting the other horses.

[Small Spark]

Lots of calcium and a great hind-gut fermenting fibre source!

[okggo]

During incarceration in late PG and post-foaling I leave a bucket in front of the mares at all times, since they do tend to waste much of the hay I leave in front of them too.

As in free choice beet pulp? All they can eat?