Techniques on rinsing beet pulp

[Alex]

I can not get a hold of non molasses beet pulp here so i have to settle with molasses shreds. Do any of you rinse the beet pulp to get molasses out? Will soaking it then rinsing it a few times help?

Thanks

 

[Shaladar]

I soak and rinse beet pulp every day.

Everyone does it different, but I do it this way:

Either shreds or pellets, (currently using pellets)

Soak in HOT water at least 2 hours, (cold water all day, or night)

Pour into a LARGE strainer, (I have a stainless steel strainer that looks like a large pot with small holes in the bottom and lower sides)

I run HOT water (in the winter)through this until the water runs clear.

If you don't have hot water available, cold water works just as well, I just like giving a nice warm dinner on these cold days.

Other people I know have drilled small holes into the lower sides and bottom of a plastic bucket and it works just fine.

hope this helps.

Sue

 

[fowlersminis]

Uh-oh, I don't rinse mine...should I be and why?

 

[chandab]

Uh-oh, I don't rinse mine...should I be and why?

A lot of beet pulp has a bit of molasses added back in to help with with the taste, so many rinse it to remove the extra sugars (and also some beet pulp is dirty, so that's another reason to rinse).

I have plain beet pulp pellets, so I don't rinse.

 

[icspots]

I use the holes in the bucket method. take 2 buckets, one larger and one smaller that will fit inside the larger. drill holes in the bottom and sides of the smaller bucket, and that is where the dry beet pulp goes. After one feeding, I get it ready for the next feeding, fill the water until the dry pulp is totally covered, then at feeding time just pull out the small bucket and dump the water from the larger bucket. The water is definitely brown, but I don't rinse beyond that, it does leave some molasses but not as much. I guess I haven't noticed that they are all running around with sugar buzzes!

 

[muffntuf]

Molasses coated beet pulp adds extra sugar miniatures and ponies might not need.

I use a plastic strainer over a 5 gallon bucket. I strain after a few hours of soaking. You should see the collection of sugar at the bottom of the pail!

 

[Katiean]

I don't rinse mine. I just soak it for about 15 min with hot water and add the grains and feed. I have found that after 15 minutes it doesn't soak up any more water so why do it?

 

[mizbeth]

I LOVE shredded beet pulp. I would not think of rinsing it off. My horses love it and probably would not eat it if I rinsed the "sweet" off of it. I have used it for sick horses too that would not eat anything else and make it really soupy and they would drink the soupy water off of it.

I do not believe it is loaded with sugar/molasses. It does not appear to be. Omalene on the other hand and lots of other sweet feeds are loaded with molasses.

Beth

 

[txminipinto]

I LOVE shredded beet pulp. I would not think of rinsing it off. My horses love it and probably would not eat it if I rinsed the "sweet" off of it. I have used it for sick horses too that would not eat anything else and make it really soupy and they would drink the soupy water off of it.
I do not believe it is loaded with sugar/molasses. It does not appear to be. Omalene on the other hand and lots of other sweet feeds are loaded with molasses.

Beth

Totally agree. I find the rinsing of beet pulp completely unnecessary and a great example of making things more complicated than they have to be. If you think sweet feed with beet pulp is too much sugar, then feed a pelleted grain instead. The show horses get grain and the mares get sweet feed - sometimes the molasses is so thick it makes my pancakes look dry!

 

[whitney]

I found a metal mesh waste basket at Walmart that fit inside a 5 gallon bucket.

 

[Shaladar]

See??? Many different opinions on how to soak, rinse and feed it

Mine probably wouldn't eat it totally rinsed off either, it that was all they got. But when I see the brown water rinse off, I see sugar that they don't need.

If I lived in some of the extreme cold that a lot of you do, I probably wouldn't rinse it off either. (except my IR horses)

I also soak Alfalfa Cubes and add a little of those + Plat. Performance (Vitamins) and stir it up. Most of my horses do not get any actual grain. (omolene, cob, etc)

Sue

ETA: they also get hay. Beet Pulp is not their only food source.

 

[Alex]

Thank you all for all the sugestions!

Carin, the hore in question is on a sweet feed and is doing very well on it and he doesnt need any more sugar though. If it aint broke dont fix it, therefore i have no reason to change feeds. .

I dont mind the extra work to help my horses, so that is why I do it.

 

[Becky]

If you want to get the sugar out of it, soak it until it absorbs all the water it's going to, then rinse until the water runs clear. I did that when I was feeding it to an IR/laminitic mare.

I feed beet pulp shreds with molasses all the time here and I do feed it dry. Rarely ever soak it.

 

[Versatility Farm & Training]

I soak my beet pulp for the extra hydration, but never rinse. I see no worries feeding them the beet pulp with molasses, as long as they are not IR/laminitic. They sell bet pulp with and without molasses, so just buy it without (if its available). My local feed store could not get it WITH molasses for a period of time so I had to settle for without, most of my horses would not eat it, or if they did it was because it was mixed with the grain or on top of the grain. The amount of sugar in the beet pulp is not as high as you might think. And when you soak it, the brown in the water isn't just molasses, as my plain beet pulp had some brown water too.