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Effects of slow-feed hay net on forage intake rate, concentration of volatile fatty acids, microbial population and activity of large intestinal enzymes of horse

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran. E-mail: saremi.par@fa.lu.ac.ir

2 Corresponding Author, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran. E-mail: kiani.a@lu.ac.ir

3 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran. E-mail: azizi.ay@lu.ac.ir

Abstract

Introduction The natural behavior of horses is to spend the most of their time foraging. The feeding time of stabled horses is often far from enough to fulfill their natural eating behavior. Hay-net technique is a method aiming to promote natural foraging behavior, slowing ingestion and increasing the length of feeding time. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of using a slow-feed (hay-net) on feeding time, forage intake rate, apparent digestibility, volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration, bacterial population, and the activity of cellulolytic and amylolytic enzymes in the colon of horses.
Materials and Methods Eight Arabian horses (body weight= 396± 45 kg, age= 9±3 years) were used in a cross-over design. The length of the experimental period was eight weeks, which included two periods of four weeks in rotation. In each period, feed was provided for four horses freely and for other four horses using a hay net. Fecal samples were collected on days 21 to 28 of each period.
Results and Discussion The results showed that using hay net significantly increased feeding time from 257 to 659 minutes per day and decreased forage intake rate from 1592 and 610 g/h (P<0.05). The hay-net did not affect the total VFA and relative VFAs concentrations (P< 0.05). Lactobacillus populations in horses with hay-net increased compared to those without hay-net (P<0.05). The populations of cellulolytic, amylolytic, Escherichia coli, and coliforms bacteria were unchanged by hay-net. The activity of carboxy methyl cellulase enzyme significantly increased (P<0.05), while the activity of microcrystalline cellulase, amylase, and filter paper decomposition activity was not affected by hay-net.
Conclusion In comparison with the more traditional methods, slow-feed hay net devices successfully limited the forage intake rate, expanded feeding time, and changed the activity of some fiber-decomposing enzymes in the large intestine of horses; however, the recommendation of hay-nets for nutritional management in horses needs further investigations.

Keywords

References
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Animal Production
Volume 26, Issue 2
July 2024
Pages 123-135
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