Speedibeet amounts help please!

[Ellietotz]

Hi all!

I have just started feeding Speedibeet and it swells up so much that I just cannot figure out how much to soak as following impaction colic, I'm worried that it is too much to feed in one go! It is only being put with linseed.

I soaked 250g dry weight yesterday but when it was soaked, I couldn't tell if it was too much for one feed as it looks quite a lot.

I'm using it for supplements and partial weight gain in winter and just supplements in summer. Mare is 450kg in light work.

So I am interested to know how much those of you that are using it are feeding in one go please?

Thank you!

 

[Red-1]

I do a mug (1/2 pint) dry, soaked so it is very sloppy, mixed with Top Chop Zero.

 

[CMcC]

https://www.britishhorsefeeds.com/speedi_beet_guide.php

 

[Shilasdair]

I put 3/4 of a round feed scoop in a 3/4 full bucket of water. I then use a sieve to pull it out without the water. I feed a full sieve to put weight on, less if it's just to dampen feed.
Incidentally, it counts as part of the forage ration rather than the concentrate, as it is mainly cellulose.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I use 1 topspec cup per feed dry, soaked with 3 topspec cups warm water for 10+ minutes to make sure it's well soaked. Then can usually add another half cup or so of water to loosen it up even more before feeding. It ends up being a third to a half of a small rubber trug bucket.

 

[HeyMich]

My big beasts get 1 cup with 1 stubs scoop of water mixed with their Pure Feed mix, and the wee beasts get 1/2 cup and 1/2 stubs scoop of water. Leave 2 mins, mix well, and see if you need to add more water. I like to feed very sloppy too.

 

[Ellietotz]

https://www.britishhorsefeeds.com/speedi_beet_guide.php

Thank you. Unfortunately it doesn't say how much maximum to feed per feed, only per day.

 

[Ellietotz]

I use 1 topspec cup per feed dry, soaked with 3 topspec cups warm water for 10+ minutes to make sure it's well soaked. Then can usually add another half cup or so of water to loosen it up even more before feeding. It ends up being a third to a half of a small rubber trug bucket.

I have a Topspec cup too so this makes it so easy! ? Thank you.

 

[Ellietotz]

Thank you all so much. So a mug/roughly 125g of speedibeet which I believe 250ml holds is a good amount to start with. I am so worried about giving big feeds now even if they are mostly water to make her drink!

 

[Surbie]

Fatty gets a handful (my handfuls weigh about 50g) soaked in 5-6x volume of warm water for 15 mins. Mixed with some straw chaff to make him think he has a 'proper' feed.

 

[magicmoments]

From what I was told by a nutritionist you can feed far more dry weight than anybody would ever consider, obviously split over a number of feeds, so I shouldn't worry. She said it is good for digestion and I should feed it everyday, but only a handful in summer if controlling weight. This is for a mare who's had colic surgery and coliced again last year before i contacted her.

 

[TGM]

Thank you all so much. So a mug/roughly 125g of speedibeet which I believe 250ml holds is a good amount to start with. I am so worried about giving big feeds now even if they are mostly water to make her drink!

As Shils rightly pointed out above, unmollassed beet counts as 'forage' rather than 'hard feed' as it is mainly highly digestible fibre, low sugar and almost zero starch. So there is less worry about how much you feed in one go, unless you are feeding it with a high starch feed such as mix or cereals. It is starch based feeds that you have to be careful about portion size as if you feed too much in one go then undigested starch can get pushed through to the hindgut where it can cause problems.