Sugarbeet... Yay or nay?

[AutumnDays]

I've had to move my two (and the 5 sheep!) into the driest of my paddocks, which is about 1.5acres. Not ideal, I know, but the others are underwater. As you can imagine, not much grass, a lot of hay being spread about throughout the day so everyone gets something and it's not wasted. I'm concerned about them getting enough fluid, as they are eating a lot of dry matter, and don't drink as much in the colder weather. I mentioned to a friend I was thinking of swapping some of the hay ration for a sugarbeet feed, and sneaking some salt in it too. I was told that's not a good idea as it will make them fat, and to just swap some hay for straw, completely missing the point as to why I am wanting to feed it!
Anyway, does it sound like an ok idea? They don't need the calories, hence cutting back on the hay in place of it (it's all out in slow feeders), just the fluid and fibre intake I want it for. If not, any other suggestions appreciated

 

[Shoei]

I feed sugar beet, it's a great forage alternative that increases water intake and can be used to carry supplements etc. The sugar content depends on the brand but if you are concerned and have anything lami prone/ EMS you could use speedibeet. I use sugarbeet pellets for my two in winter and have no issues but neither are fatties.

 

[Equi]

Grass nuts or hay pellets will give the same desired fluid/fibre intake with less calories if that’s a concern.

 

[AutumnDays]

Grass nuts or hay pellets will give the same desired fluid/fibre intake with less calories if that’s a concern.

Ah of course, didn't think of those... Kind of forget they exist! I was just going to use bog standard unmolassed pellets, but I'll look into low starch and sugar alternatives. Thank you!

 

[rabatsa]

Unmolassed sugar beet is good as a high fibre feed and water carrier. It is the molassed sugar beet that will put condition on.

 

[AutumnDays]

Unmolassed sugar beet is good as a high fibre feed and water carrier. It is the molassed sugar beet that will put condition on.

Definitely would be unmolassed, they don't need the condition and they'd be like Tigger on cocaine

 

[tda]

I have always used unmollassed beet as a hay replacer (along with grass nuts)

 

[Rowreach]

Unmollassed sugar beet is also the more economic thing to use.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Speedibeet is 95% sugar free and unmolassed. I mix it with a dried grass chop to slow down the eating time.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Speedibeet for sure…with salt..might encourage more drinking.

 

[Love]

Do you replace the hay every day? If so could you wet it first? My gelding has to have his wet due to the dust but during the cold snap I wasn't able to as it would freeze. With how much extra he was drinking in those few days it made me realise how much fluid he gets just from eating the wet hay.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Unmolassed sugar beet is good as a high fibre feed and water carrier. It is the molassed sugar beet that will put condition on.

I started feeding my mare speedibeet to carry the supplements (with some grass based chaff) she doesn't get much speedibeet but goes mad for it and needs a door bucket because her front leg goes!

 

[criso]

If you can be bothered with long soak and can be organised to soak the day before Trident Equibeet is unmolassed and at my local feed merchants almost half the price of speedibeet.

You'd have to work out how much you're feeding by dry weight to compare calories but it's much lower in sugar than grass nuts.

 

[Squeak]

To play devils advocate but are you sure your horses aren't drinking enough? It might be a lot colder there than here but it's now gone really mild here and so I wouldn't be worrying about them not drinking enough. And if you are worried when it is cold could you just put some hot water in to their buckets to take the chill off them?

 

[Parksmum3]

I use fast fibre it's great for getting extra water into them and they love it. I have a older pony who is prone to laminitis so have to be careful what I give him

 

[AutumnDays]

To play devils advocate but are you sure your horses aren't drinking enough? It might be a lot colder there than here but it's now gone really mild here and so I wouldn't be worrying about them not drinking enough. And if you are worried when it is cold could you just put some hot water in to their buckets to take the chill off them?

I am pretty sure they aren't... The lad is a bit of a weirdo with what bucket he drinks out of, he like the tubtrug type, which don't hold much and then blow into the next country when empty, so they aren't out in the field, more heavy duty ones are that hold 90ltrs. When he comes in for 10mins or so, he has a massive drink from the tubtrug type, which makes me think he's not. I know if he's thirsty enough he will drink, but he's male, and they are a stubborn, awkward species, so I'm trying to cover myself

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Speedibeet (and other plain beet) on it's own provides pretty much nothing much but calcium and fibre, and can trigger an imbalance with regards to the calcium/phosphorus ratio. So I'd advise feeding something else along with it to balance things out. Grass nuts are more nutritionally balanced than beet, but are also much higher in protein, at around 14% to 16%.

I've seen people who use tub trugs for water in the field get around the blowing away issue by setting the trug inside a small car tyre, or else half filling a second trug with concrete to weigh it down and then setting the water trug inside that. I use the squashing the base of the water trug into the mud method, but we're on clay, so it's extra grippy mud!

 

[Squeak]

I am pretty sure they aren't... The lad is a bit of a weirdo with what bucket he drinks out of, he like the tubtrug type, which don't hold much and then blow into the next country when empty, so they aren't out in the field, more heavy duty ones are that hold 90ltrs. When he comes in for 10mins or so, he has a massive drink from the tubtrug type, which makes me think he's not. I know if he's thirsty enough he will drink, but he's male, and they are a stubborn, awkward species, so I'm trying to cover myself

Could you look at securing tubtrugs outside somehow? Maybe attaching them to a fence post or putting them inside a tyre?

Sugarbeet is fairly expensive at the moment and if you're worrying about them putting on weight it seems possibly counterproductive to be feeding more just to get water in to them.

 

[AutumnDays]

Great suggestions and other points of view I hadn't considered, thank you all very much I will persevere with the tubtrugs for now, I will see if I can scavenge something to wedge them in/down with. Right, off I go to locate and retrieve said tubtrugs again... Who needs a gym when you have horses hey?! Good job we don't ride anymore, I don't think I'd every have the time or energy after all this!