Horses on diets can turn to wood shavings – research
Recent question suggests woods shavings may non hold upwards every bit unpalatable to horses every bit to a greater extent than oft than non supposed – peculiarly for those on diets.
Ponies on a restricted diet tin resort to eating their bedding, as well as woods shavings are oft suggested every bit a skillful bedding fabric to discourage such behaviour.
However, horses as well as ponies on a severely restricted diet may genuinely eat considerable quantities of woods shavings, the latest outcome of Equine Science Update reports.
The study was conducted yesteryear Gemma Curtis, from the Liverpool University Veterinary School, assisted by colleagues, as well as inwards collaboration amongst Clare Barfoot as well as Dr Pat Harris of the Equine Studies Group at the Waltham Centre for pet nutrition.
The aim was to compare the answer of overweight ponies to 2 dissimilar restrictive diets: 1 of hay as well as chaff; the other of hay as well as feed balancer.
Two groups of 6 overweight ponies were set on 1 of 2 diets which provided nutrient equivalent to alone 1.25% of their trunk weight daily. The 2 diets were isoenergetic – each providing like amounts of unloose energy despite dissimilar composition. The ponies were weighed weekly as well as the nutrient allowance adjusted accordingly.
The study was conducted during a 16-week catamenia inwards the northern winter, from Oct to February. Each day, the ponies were turned out for xxx minutes do inwards grass paddocks, wearing anti-grazing muzzles.
Despite all ponies eating a like amount of food, their faecal output varied (from ·52 per cent to 1·16 per cent of trunk weight daily.
Analysis of the information revealed broad ranges inwards apparent digestibility, which were improbably depression for roughly animals. In fact, roughly animals appeared to excrete to a greater extent than than they had eaten, inwards damage of gross unloose energy (GE) as well as acid detergent fibre (ADF).
The researchers advise that the alone biologically plausible explanation for the figures was that at to the lowest degree one-half of the animals had been supplementing their diet from an option “non-feed” source.
By comparison the expected feed digestibilities amongst the values obtained inwards the study, they calculated the quantities of woods shavings ingested. Some ponies had eaten negligible amounts, but others had eaten to a greater extent than than 3kg a day. Almost one-half (five of the 12) appeared to convey consumed over 1kg of woods shavings a day.
They concluded that feed-restricted animals should hold upwards carefully observed, as well as where woods shaving ingestion is recognised or indicated yesteryear faecal bulking, the run of safe matting lonely should hold upwards considered.
Voluntary ingestion of woods shavings yesteryear fat horses nether dietary restriction.
GC Curtis, CF Barfoot, AHA Dugdale, PA Harris,CMcG Argo.
British Journal of Nutrition (2011) 106, S178-S182
Belum ada Komentar untuk "Horses on diets can turn to wood shavings – research"
Posting Komentar