someone near me is selling fodder beat £30 a ton, as the apples are nearly gone and the grass is poor etc i thought i would get some fodder beat for my Kune pigs.......... anyone now the food value of this beet, thought i might give them about 2 per day...... anygood?
According to 'the Newcastle document' you need 6kg fresh fodder beet to replace 1kg barley. It warns to introduce them slowly and to mince or chop them for growing pigs but says sows can eat them whole. Tops if fed should be wilted and used with caution as they contain oxalic acid.
As to food value, it gives indicative figures of (with recommended daily intakes for growing pigs in parentheses):
(but note these growing pigs won't be Kune Kunes!)
DM 18%
MJ/kg 2.4 (13.5)
Fibre 1%
Protein 1% (18)
Lysine 0.05% (1.1)
Calcium 0.05% (0.8 )
Sodium 0.1% (0.15)
Methionine & Cysteine 0.04% (0.65)
Phosphorus 0.04% (0.6)
Threonine 0.03% (0.75)
It says it would be safe to feed fodder beet (after gradual introduction) as up to 50% of the dry matter intake - but also suggests that growing pigs are only likely to eat the beet when pellets are not available.
All of which I think means you will be fine feeding a couple o' beets a day but that won't replace very much in the way of pellets.
Topic: fodder beat (Read 3162 times)
