Is All Molassess Created Equal?

[GoatJunkie]

I read repeatedly (and have heard) to give warm water with molasses to newly kidded does, but I've not ever seen the type of molassess mentioned. Is Sorgum equal to Black Strap? Or is one better than the other? If so, which is better, and why?

[o&itw]

Regular molasses and black-strap molasses come from Sugar Cane. Sorghum molasses comes from Sorghum, which is a type of Milo. Regular Molasses is simply boiled down sugar cane sap. with the "impurities" still in, before it is refined so one has "nice white" sugar.

Black strap is mostly the impurities that have been refined out. It still has some of the sugar left in it, plus all the "good" stuff. Sometimes it is very thick like tar, or sometimes it is dried to be more like sticky granules. It is used to sweeten and fortify feeds, and is cheap because there is a bunch of it left over from sugar refining.

[Alice In TX/MO]

I use Grandma's Original from the grocery store.

[coso]

We buy it at the farmers market some man makes it local here. Some of what you buy in the grocery store has a little bit of mollasas or sorghum and a lot of corn syrup, makes it taste real mild. But I don't like it that way You are trying to boost there energy level with carbs so I don't think it is going to matter.

[Hollowdweller]

I've used both but don't know if there's any advantage to either.

I know Blackstrap is supposed to have iron in it and maybe that might be beneficial to a doe that lost blood but I don't really know the makeup of Sorghum. Maybe it's better.

But wonder if sorghum has more sugar content? And if the main goal is to raise blood suger then that might be better?

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Blackstrap is the most nutrient dense and is high in iron, copper, and zinc. Unsulphered means the sugar cane was allowed to ripen naturally so will have taken in more nutrients than sulphered which is harvested green and artificially ripened.

[badkitty]

Watch out if you are buying 'dry' molasses. I got home with a bag of it, only to discover it was a bit of molasses sprayed on sugar beet pulp, and my goats won't touch it. They won't even eat grain from a bucket that has held the stuff! You couldn't dissolve it in water, either. I was pretty disappointed with that purchase, let me tell you.

[Cyngbaeld]

None of mine like molasses at all. I've only tried the food grade, unsulphered.

[mygoat]

For as little as is used in doe water, I doubt it makes much of a difference.

I feed molasses in my feed (probably whatever form is cheapest, as I get it mixed at the mill) only because it makes the added vitamin E/Se addeitive stick better.

[TroutRiver]

There is also beet molasses, which is the most common type used in animal feeds.

[GoatJunkie]

I appreciate all the input!

I think I'll have both on hand and mix them. Iron and sugar both sound like a good idea to me....

[gabbyraja]

90% of sugar beets are GMO. badkitty, maybe your girls know what's what...

[badkitty]

Originally Posted by gabbyraja

90% of sugar beets are GMO. badkitty, maybe your girls know what's what...

Perhaps. They don't mind regular liquid molasses, though, and as far as I know, that is made from sugar beets, too. I was just frustrated because teh product was not really what was advertized.

[southerngurl]

I use blackstrap.