Relative value of Soybean Hulls for Horses

Researchers at the Kentucky Equine Research Laboratory conducted digestion studies on a wide range of feedstuffs in an effort to develop regression equations for predicting digestible energy from the feedstuff’s chemical composition. Direct measurement of digestible energy values for various feed ingredients used in horse feeds were reported as follows: oats, 1.33; corn, 1.58; wheat midds, 1,26; molasses, 1.20; alfalfa hay, 1.00; timothy hay, 0.85; rice bran, 1.44; soybean hulls, 1.17; and oat hulls, 0.51 Mcal/lb. They found regression equations accurately estimated the digestible energy content of cereal grains and hays, however underestimated the digestible energy content of high-fat feeds (rice bran) and non-forage, high-fiber ingredients (soybean hulls and beet pulp). They conclude that the cell wall of soybean hulls and beet pulp is much more digestible than cell walls found in most horse feeds.

Pagan, Joe D. 2006. DE of equine feed measured. Feedstuffs, July 31. p12.