mixing up beet pulp...

[chandab]

Just wondering how you mix up your beet pulp.

I'm currently soaking about 2 pounds of beet pulp to make almost 8 quarts of soaked beet pulp. My three minis each get about 2-3 cups of soaked beet pulp per day and my senior half-arab gelding is getting the rest (6-8 scoops, scoop is maybe 1.5 cups).

Some days I mix in their afternoon BOSS and whole oats, some days I don't.

For those that do add stuff in, do you add during the soaking the process or after?

I find it difficult to mix in the oats and BOSS after the soaking the process, it's so heavy to mix.

Oh, and this is the first year I've tried beet pulp and the four I'm feeding it to just dive right in.

 

[Jess P]

Since I got Jubilee I have been feeding two of my four beet pulp.

I soak a cup of pelleted beet pulp to make about 4 cups of soaked. Every Sunday I make them a special feast with molasses and carrots mixed in, I do not mix in my BOSS or sweetfeed. When I make their beet pulp "soup" I put the other ingredients in directly after I fill the bowl with hot water and let it soak for about 20 minutes until it is all absorbed.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

We went through this issue too. At first I made up their grain/senior feed as normal in their eating buckets, then dumped the beet pulp in from the soaking buckets and tried to mix it all, then add more water to make it sloppy. Ugh- difficult, time consuming, and too many dirty buckets to rinse.

Next I went to making the beet pulp in the actual horse buckets, then when I went down to feed I'd add the senior, soak the whole mess for 15 minutes (for my toothless horse) and add supplements and stir again. Stuff was like glue, very hard on the wrists.

Now we've figured out that we can mix the senior feed in dry, add all the supplements and stir and it's much, much easier. Then I just add water (hot water at this time of year) to the whole kit and caboodle and stir. If I add enough water it quits being gluey and is easy to stir. Then just serve!

Of course this is my post-soaking soaking.

I start the dry beet pulp pellets soaking at the previous meal, then do the above-described mixing and add more water to the fluffed mixture so that it is served sloppy/soupy so the toothless guy doesn't choke. Maybe you're just adding too much water initially? Or not letting it soak long enough? By the time I get out there to serve the beet pulp it has usually absorbed all the water I gave it except for some dampness at the bottom of the bucket. I soak it in a 1 cup beet pulp to 3 cups water ratio, it doesn't seem to absorb more than that and isn't too heavy by the time it's fluffed.

Leia

 

[Robin_C]

No right way or wrong way here! Just whatever works for you and your horses. I I rinse mine before I soak it, then rinse it again AFTER I soak it to get as much of the molasses off as I can (and dirt). I then divy it up into the pans I feed from and put the dry supplements on top then mix altogether. But then my minis only get 1-3 cups (depending on size and weight) wet and the big horse gets about a 2 qt scooper wet, so it is perfectly manageable for mixing.

Robin C

 

[littlehorse2]

I mix it all together and then let it soak. I use the shreds and If it has enough water in it then it's not too hard to mix.

Christy

 

[chandab]

No right way or wrong way here!  Just whatever works for you and your horses.  I I rinse mine before I soak it, then rinse it again AFTER I soak it to get as much of the molasses off as I can (and dirt).  I then divy it up into the pans I feed from and put the dry supplements on top then mix altogether.  But then my minis only get 1-3 cups (depending on size and weight) wet and the big horse gets about a 2 qt scooper wet, so it is perfectly manageable for mixing.
Robin C

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Not looking for a right or a wrong, just the variety of ways people do it.

Luckily, the beet pulp pellets I get don't have molasses added back in, so no need to rinse.

 

[susanne]

I like the beet pulp to be as wet as possible without it doing the backstroke...this way I know they're taking in a good deal of water with their meals.

I usually soak it overnight for convenience, then give each about 3-4 cups (they are all B-sized minis) wet measure. Since we have a food hog (Mingus), and since I can't always stay around to watch over who gets what, I stir Mingus' LMF into his beet pulp so that he doesn't raid the others before finishing all of his. The other two get their LMF on top of the beet pulp, so that I know they can at least get their concentrates before Mingus tries to take over their buckets (he's not as interested in stealing their beet pulp, so it all balances out).

 

[rabbitsfizz]

At the moment I am dealing with 5 cups each, soaked, for 17minis- so that is quite a lot of Beet Pulp- four three gallon buckets, in fact. Today I tried setting out all the buckets with the feed already in- well, the Beet Pulp and the Alfalfa pellets and the Soya and the Peas & Beans, anyway, all the stuff I usually soak. On top of that I have still to mix in the Alfalfa chop and the freeze dried grass chop- so I use a big shallow tub.

I have seriously thought of getting a cement mixer

 

[Bess Kelly]

Well, I have 40 head and mix dry pellets with their feed (in small amounts) all year to keep it in their gut action. But, I increase the amount of BP in winter to supplement hay. I have served it soaked with warm water, on occassion. But, hey, it's a lot to handle.

I have considered , as you, a mixer.

The rotation compost mixers can be purchased that are about 15 gallon.....I'm thinking of using one. The one that caught my eye hand a handle to turn it. Can't remember where it was

 

[SILVER]

Pour my water in with the beet pulp and just before serving I add my oats/grain/supplements and mix with a very long stick. It mixes best when beet pulp is sloppy. There little whiskers this time of year are always covered with the slop

They sure dive right in eh!!! Reminds me of a toddler with an icecream cone and half the icecream on their face/chin and all down the belly.