Sugar Beet pulp instead of chaff?

[Orangehorse]

I picked up a leaflet today about feeding economically. Apart from supplements the most expensive feeds are chaff/chop. Yes, I agree with this, we pay £££ for not much more than mushed up straw in a sack - OK there is a bit more too it than that, but ....

This leaflet seemed to suggest using unmolassed sugar beet pulp as an alternative to chaff. Anyone do this and feed without chaff at all?

 

[SmartieBean09]

Although sugabeet will not provide the same function as chaff does in that it can stop a horse bolting his feed, it can bulk out feed and provide an equivalent digestable fibre source. However, you will also need to take into consideration the calorie content. Sugarbeet provides 12.5 MJKG while a straw/alfalfa chop provides around 8.5MJKG.

 

[maggiesmum]

I feed mine unmolassed beet, in fact thats all my TB gets, my other horse has alfalfa pellets with his. They both look very well on it and it doesn't blow his brains. I use a quick soak brand so it doesn't go off in the summer (unlike chaff by the time you get to the bottom of the bag) and it isn't coated in molasses like pretty much all of the chaff's available in the fed store.

 

[deicinmerlyn]

Yes I feed speedibeet sometimes in addition to alpha A and sometimes not. (Have a TB) I make it up and keep it in an old cool box so that it doesn't go off.