Fibre Beet - palatability?

TheSylv007

TheSylv007

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www.ridewelland.co.uk
I've just started my mare on Fibre Beet to build her up before winter as she dropped off quite badly last year. Only trouble is she really doesn't like it! Tried it on another horse on the yard who is isn't fussy at all and he wouldn't eat it either. I thought it may be because it was a couple of days old so going off but she turned her nose up at a fresh lot today. She manages to eat everything round it (Alfa A and Baileys no4) leaving the beet completely untouched. Has anyone else found this? Any suggestions for making it more tasty for her?
 
I tried it but mine were not keen so I went back to speedibeet and fast fibre which they prefer, I would not be using soaked feed that is more than a day old at the moment it goes sour very quickly in the warm weather. If you want to use it up try soaking it with the baileys, the baileys may make it taste better, one of mine prefers his fast fibre if he has a few grass nuts soaked with it to make it more tasty.
 
Ah, thanks for that - I thought maybe soaking it with the Baileys to improve the taste could be an idea - will try that and just make up as much as I need for that night! Then once its gone probably go back to speedi-beet.
 
I used to use it but also switched to fast fibre as my two prefer it.

You could try adding apple juice to the stuff you have to make it tastier?
 
When you soak it initially add some molasses to the water. Fibre beet is pretty bland as is, once you get her interested then gradually reduce the molasses.

You can also add salt to the water too to change the taste.

Have a wee nibble on some yourself and see what it tastes like.
 
We used to feed it and then all of a sudden they stopped eating it. As it was 10+ horses we sent samples to British Horse Feeds but they didn't find anything and wouldn't admit to changing the ingredients or production method. We now use fast fibre and alfalfa pellets instead which is better as we can alter the ratio for each horse.
 
Could try her on Alfabeet? Think it's made by Dengie, it's a very similar product but might just taste a bit different and she may like it more. My mare loves it.
 
She used to be on Alfa beet which was never a problem - I thought I would try Fibre beet as it specifically said it was for conditioning but I guess its not doing her any good if she's not eating it. Will try the apple juice and other tricks and then change over. Thanks very much for all the suggestions!
 
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