Animal. 2016 Dec 8:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]
- 1AgroSup Dijon,URANIE,USC1335 Nutrition du cheval athlète,26 Bd Docteur Petitjean,F-21079 Dijon,France.
Abstract
Feeding
a diet with a small amount of hay and a high proportion of concentrate
given in large meals entails a risk of colic to horses as this can
impact the hindgut microbial ecosystem. To counteract this potential
negative effect, one feeding strategy is to modify the distribution
sequence of concentrate and hay. The purpose of the present study was to
assess the impact of feeding the concentrate meal before or with the
hay meal on fermentative parameters postprandial variations in caecum
and right ventral colon contents and faeces. We focused on the
comparison of pH value and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations
between the three compartments. Four horses fitted with two cannulas in
the caecum and right ventral colon were fed a 100% hay diet (H) for a
3-week period, and then a 40% concentrate-60% hay diet for two
consecutive periods of 3 weeks each. Concentrate and hay were offered
simultaneously in two equal meals at 0800 and 1700 h (HC1) during one
period, or separately in two equal meals at 0800 and 1600 h for the
concentrate and at 1000 and 1730 h for hay (HC2) during the second one.
During the 2nd week of each diet period (H, HC1, HC2), caecal, right
ventral colonic and faecal samples were collected before (0) and at 2,
4, 6 and 8 h after the morning meal. pH values and VFA concentrations
were measured. Adding concentrate to the hay was associated with a
decrease of pH value in the caecum, right ventral colon and faeces and
an increase of faecal VFA concentrations (P<0.01). An impact of the
concentrate feeding sequence was observed on caecal pH and faecal
propionate concentration (P<0.001) but none on the other parameters
investigated. In the caecum and right ventral colon, pH values decreased
and VFA concentrations increased within the range of 4 to 8 h after the
morning meal. Our data suggested that the variation of faecal pH could
be an indicator of those of the caecal and right ventral colonic pH with
a delay of 2 h. The present study showed that hay and commercial
pelleted could be safely distributed simultaneously, thus making easier
every day horse feeding.
KEYWORDS:
concentrate feeding sequence; fermentative parameters; hindgut; horse; postprandial evolution
