The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: sweet_lfa on August 19, 2012, 04:34:17 pm
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I have about 1/4 sack of sugar beet shreds going spare (I worked out it was making my horse even more mental than usual, but that is a different story! :relief:), so I thought I would feed it to the kunekunes. Can anyone tell me if I need to soak it first, or can I feed it to them as it is? Thanks.
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I think I would soak it first otherwise if one is a bit faster and greedier than the others and eats too much it will swell inside her and may cause problems :(
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Yes, definately soak it ;)
They'll love it ! Just introduce it gradually and not too much or they will get pretty fat :innocent: ;D
Mine had fresh sugar beet first and used to pick up entire roots and run of squeeling in delight (Rora even used to hide behind the arc to eat her's in peace ::)) they'll eat the soaked stuff too though :thumbsup:
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I always soak sugar beet, although I find 12 hours' soaking to be enough for cattle and pigs (it stresses on the bag that it must be soaked for 24 hours for horses.)
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You don't need to soak shreds or pellets for pigs. Don't think there's much nutrition in them but I've used them before to eke out expensive pig feed when I'd got the sugar beet cheap. I wouldn't feed them too much of it or for a long period though.
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We have been feeding soaked sugar beet to pigs. Why wouldn't you feed it for along period Hughesy?
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Why wouldn't you feed it for along period Hughesy?
Only for the reason that I don't really know what they're getting nutrition wise. How much do they need? Are they going to get fat? Just lots of questions that arise which aren't an issue if I'm feeding "proper" pig feed and I know exactly how much to feed. Same as any other non standard feed really. Some of mine have been getting rolled oats and flaked maize lately due to me having got it cheap but it's a nightmare knowing how much to feed them.
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There's info to help work out the feed values of different feedstuffs in The Newcastle Document (http://www.britishpigs.org/Newcastle_handbook_of_raw_materials.pdf) (link is the PDF.)
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they can get fat on proper pig food more dependent on age and how much feed also the breed of pig
beet pulp can be an appetiser and it can flavour the meat if fed long term
grain has tendency to layer the fat on but is more breed dependant :farmer:
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Robert yes they can get fat on pig feed. My point was that I know how much "proper" feed to give them to regulate this but if I'm feeding anything else it's guesswork as to the amount.
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yes it is a bit of guess work but to feed anything else you are effectively watering down the proper pig feed and unless you are weighing them on a weekly basis you could just as easily be overfeeding as underfeeding and by the time they go to slaughter it is to late even if you can condition score by fingertips
also it does not matter if you are growing them for whenever they are ready if you cut back on proper food and augment it with cheaper variations it could save you a bit of money :farmer:
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That's a fair point Robert and makes sense. The only reason anyone would use feeds other than routine pig feed would be to save a few quid and I'm no exception.
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That's a fair point Robert and makes sense. The only reason anyone would use feeds other than routine pig feed would be to save a few quid and I'm no exception.
And so say all of us :) :)
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I have always found that mine turn their noses up on shreds, and leave lots of them behind... Found that using home produced goats milk is better, and reducing proper pig feed a bit.
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we feed our nursing sows a good bucket of soaked sugarbeet along side there normal rations, just to top them up, they r not greedy with it, a bucket lasts them a few days.
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do i need to soak whole fresh pulled sugar beet (ive got a few of this years crop) or do i just chuck it in for them to occupy themselves.... also are the green tops ok
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That's a fair point Robert and makes sense. The only reason anyone would use feeds other than routine pig feed would be to save a few quid and I'm no exception.
And so say all of us :) :)
i find that some sows need to eat soo much to keep weight on if they r feeding a big litter, they seem to crap all the sows rolls right out. we offer soaked beet aswell just as extra calories without the weetabix effect ::) ::) but dont cut down the rolls. other sows live just basic rations and do v well.
do i need to soak whole fresh pulled sugar beet (ive got a few of this years crop) or do i just chuck it in for them to occupy themselves.... also are the green tops ok
iv never fed fresh beets but i presume u dont soak them as they havent been dried.
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I've fed fodder beet, not sugar beet, whole. I didn't soak it no, but I did read that the tops must be wilted and too much of the green tops could cause stomach upsets.
Did you look in the Newcastle document? It usually tells you things like it must be soaked, don't feed the tops, etc.
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do i need to soak whole fresh pulled sugar beet (ive got a few of this years crop) or do i just chuck it in for them to occupy themselves.... also are the green tops ok
We fed fresh sugar beet (without tops) and didn't have any problems Harry :thumbsup:
HTH