Fodder beet (bulb)
15% dry matter, 12.2 MJ of metabolisable energy per kg of dry matter, 9% crude protein and 16% fibre (NDF) — the cited reference values behind our calculators.
Also called beet.
Composition
Energy is MJ ME per kg of dry matter. Everything else is a percentage of dry matter.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Dry matter | 15% |
| Energy (ME) | 12.2 MJ/kg DM |
| Crude protein | 9% |
| Fibre (NDF) | 16% |
| Starch | 0% |
| Sugar | 65.8% |
| Fat | 0.5% |
Macro-minerals, % of dry matter
- Calcium
- 0.13%
- Phosphorus
- 0.13%
- Magnesium
- 0.14%
- Sodium
- 0.28%
- Potassium
- 1.6%
- Sulphur
- 0.06%
Chloride is left out on purpose: standard lab digestion doesn't recover it, so published feed tables leave it blank and ours would be an estimate. A mineral left out here is one the source table didn't report — not a measured zero.
Where these numbers come from
Minerals from Woods, Dalley, Edwards & Judson (2023), J. NZ Grasslands 85:167–176 — a 694-sample New Zealand fodder-beet database; fibre from Feedipedia (ref. 534).
These are New Zealand bulb figures. They run materially lower in calcium, phosphorus and sulphur than the European whole-root numbers most tables carry — and that shortfall, alongside the sugar load, is exactly what makes calcium and acidosis the things to manage on a beet crop.
How it compares
Other forages in the library, ordered by how close they sit to Fodder beet (bulb) on energy.
| Feed | DM % | ME | Protein | Fibre | c/MJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fodder beet (bulb)this page | 15 | 12.2 | 9% | 16% | — |
| Turnip | 9 | 12 | 15% | 17% | — |
| Chicory | 14 | 12.5 | 22% | 34% | — |
| Pasture (leafy spring) | 16.6 | 11.9 | 26.4% | 41.7% | — |
| Process carrots | 10.7 | 11.9 | 9.1% | 11.9% | 7.9c |
A dash under c/MJ means the feed isn't bought — grazed pasture and standing crops carry no purchase price, and showing them at zero would read as free.
Does it feed the animal?
A composition on its own can't tell you that. Open the calculator with Fodder beet (bulb) added to the diet, set your stock and how much of it they're getting, and it will tell you what the diet actually supports — and which of energy, protein or gut fill runs out first.
Feedwise gives indicative models for decision support. It is not a substitute for a nutritionist or veterinarian — for animal-health decisions, talk to your vet.