[goatlover]

The Sugar Beet harvest has just begun on our farm and I seem to recall reading something about feeding sugar beet to goats. Although cant remember if the advice was to avoid feeding males, something about urinary infections??

Does anyone know if it is ok for goats and also what do you do with the sugar beet, is it simply a case of cutting it up into fine shreds?

And should it only be given in small amounts (we will have a mountain of the stuff, so dont want to get carried away and give them too much and upset their bellies)

Thanks all

[Hopewell]

I don't see why you couldn't feed sugarbeet to goats. As with anything new start with just a small amount and build up. The worry of feeding it to males is the increased tendency to form bladder stones that block the urethra - I don't know how much of an issue this really is when feeding it fresh rather than feeding the shreds which are a byproduct of producing sugar and therefore higher in minerals.

[Lesley Silvester]

I have always fed sugar beet to my goats and, this year, that includes Curry the Kid and he hasn't has any problems.  I do buy it in conentrate form but have also fed the girls fodder beet.  Is this the same stuff?  I just chopped it up - no easy task as it's very hard.

[plumseverywhere]

Before I wised up to anchoring Reggie away from Savannah's milking stand, he did get a few mouthfuls of beet on a few occasions. We've been lucky that he was ok 

[wytsend]

I have fed well soaked sugar beet to ALL my goats since I started goat keeping.... I have been fortunate never to have had a case of urinary stones.   
Whether this is due to the wetness of the sugar beet or the proportion in the diet I do not know.

My own thoughts on urinary problems in males  are... that the local water may be the real culprit.  If you have hard water, the risk may be higher.   Well water. or soft water  may be less of an issue.

Sugar beet is valuable part of a goats diet  and should be fed if at all possible.  I know nothing about feeding it fresh  but would have thought it would need to be chopped.

[tizaala]

Cut it small enough so they can't choke on the pieces , its a bit like carrots and horses, either whole or very small , if whole they can chew off bite size themselves, and it keeps them occupied and out of mischief for a while.

[Anke]

Some cider vinegar in their drinking water will go a long way to prevent urinary calculii in (castrated) males. If have a close look at tup feed it contains sugar beet shreds, so it cannot be such a problem for male sheep/goats.