Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:24:58.320Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evaluation of behaviour in stabled draught horse foals fed diets with two protein levels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2016

C. Sartori ,
N. Guzzo ,
S. Normando ,
L. Bailoni  and
R. Mantovani
C. Sartori*
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padua, Viale dell’Universita’, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
N. Guzzo
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padua, Viale dell’Universita’, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
S. Normando
Affiliation:
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Viale dell’Universita’, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
L. Bailoni
Affiliation:
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Viale dell’Universita’, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
R. Mantovani
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padua, Viale dell’Universita’, 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
*
† E-mail: cristina.sartori@unipd.it
Get access

Abstract

The present work is aimed at evaluating the behaviour of Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHDH) foals reared in semi-covered stables and fed two isoenergetic total mixed rations with different dietary protein levels (13.2% and 10.6% of CP on dry matter). The study was prompted by the restrictions for nitrate emissions in farms of the European Nitrate Directive. One suggested solution is to reduce dietary protein while maintaining normal performance and welfare, but there is a lack of literature in studies of horses. The behaviours of 20 foals of 437±60 kg of BW, aged 379±37 days and stabled in four pens by sex (S) and diet (D) were video recorded and analysed to build a suitable ethogram including 18 behaviours in six categories: ingestion, resting, maintenance, movement, social activities, other. The percentage of the daily time spent in each behavioural category and single behaviours was analysed via a single traits GLM including S, D and their interaction. Daily activity was consistent with existing literature: foals spent about 33% of the day in ingestion activities and 41% in resting, whereas social interactions constituted 8% of the time and individual maintenance <2%. Concerning diet, foals fed high protein spent more time in movement (19.62±0.73% of day v. 10.45±0.73% in low-protein (LP) foals; P⩽0.001), whereas the LP group increased resting (43.42±1.12% v. 38.02±1.12%; P⩽0.001). No stereotypies were found, and daily activity followed the typical values for draught breeds for foals in both dietary groups, a result that suggests the maintenance of well-being after dietary protein reduction. This result, together with the findings of a companion study showing no changes in growth performances of foals, showed that a reduction of CP in foal diet is reconcilable with the maintenance of performance and welfare.

Keywords

behaviourdietary proteindraught horsefoalsvideo recording
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 147 - 155
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Appleby, MC and Lawrence, AB 1987. Food restriction as a cause of stereotypic behaviour in tethered gilts. Animal Production 45, 103–110.Google Scholar
Connysson, M, Muhonen, S, Lindberg, JE, Essén‐Gustavsson, B, Nyman, G, Nostell, K and Jansson, A 2006. Effects on exercise response, fluid and acid‐base balance of protein intake from forage‐only diets in standardbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 38, 648–653.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawkins, MS 2003. Behaviour as a tool in the assessment of animal welfare. Zoology 106, 383–387.Google Scholar
DeNapoli, JS, Dodman, NH, Shuster, L, Rand, WM and Gross, KL 2000. Effect of dietary protein content and tryptophan supplementation on dominance aggression, territorial aggression, and hyperactivity in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 217, 504–508.Google Scholar
Edouard, N, Duncan, P, Dumont, B, Baumont, R and Fleurance, G 2010. Foraging in a heterogeneous environment – An experimental study of the trade-off between intake rate and diet quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 126, 27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, AD, Longland, AC, Coenen, M and Miraglia, N 2010. Biological basis of behaviour in relation to nutrition and feed intake in horses. EAAP Publication 128, 53–74.Google Scholar
Essén‐Gustavsson, B, Connysson, M and Jansson, A 2010. Effects of crude protein intake from forage‐only diets on muscle amino acids and glycogen levels in horses in training. Equine Veterinary Journal 42, 341–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham-Thiers, PM, Kronfeld, DS, Kline, KA and Sklan, DJ 2001. Dietary protein restriction and fat supplementation diminish the acidogenic effect of exercise during repeated sprints in horses. The Journal of Nutrition 131, 1959–1964.Google Scholar
Grimmett, A and Sillence, MN 2005. Calmatives for the excitable horse: a review of L-tryptophan. The Veterinary Journal 170, 24–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heleski, CR, Shelle, AC, Nielsen, BD and Zanella, AJ 2002. Influence of housing on foal horse behaviour and subsequent welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 78, 291–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malmkvist, J and Christensen, JW 2007. A note on the effects of a commercial tryptophan product on horse reactivity. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, 361–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantovani, R, Guzzo, N, Sartori, C and Bailoni, L 2014. In vivo performance of Italian Heavy Draught Horse foals fed two different protein levels and slaughtered at two different ages. Journal of Animal Science 92, 4984–4994.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantovani, R, Sartori, C and Pigozzi, G 2013. Retrospective and statistical analysis of breeding management on the Italian Heavy Draught Horse breed. Animal 7, 1053–1059.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin-Rosset, W, Andrieu, J, Vermorel, M and Jestin, M 2006. Routine methods for predicting the net energy and protein values of concentrate for horses in the UFC and MADC system. INRA, Paris, France.Google Scholar
McDonnell, S 2003. A practical field guide to horse behaviour – the equid ethogram. The Blood Horse Inc., Lexington, KY, USA.Google Scholar
McGreevy, P 2012. Equine behaviour: a guide for veterinarians and equine scientists. Elsevier Health Sciences, Saunders, Philadelphia, PA, USA.Google Scholar
Meunier-Salaün, MC, Edwards, SA and Robert, S 2001. Effect of dietary fibre on the behaviour and health of the restricted fed sow. Animal Feed Science and Technology 90, 53–69.Google Scholar
Miller-Graber, PA, Lawrence, LM, Foreman, JH, Bump, KD, Fisher, MG and Kurcz, EV 1991. Dietary protein level and energy metabolism during treadmill exercise in horses. The Journal of Nutrition 121, 1462–1469.Google Scholar
Nicol, CJ, Badnell-Waters, AJ, Bice, R, Kelland, A, Wilson, AD and Harris, PA 2005. The effects of diet and weaning method on the behaviour of young horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 95, 205–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noble, GK, Brockwell, YM, Munn, KJ, Harris, PA, Davidson, HPN, Li, X, Zhang, D and Sillence, MN 2008. Effects of a commercial dose of L-tryptophan on plasma tryptophan concentrations and behaviour in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 40, 51–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Research Council (NRC) 2007. Nutrient requirements of horses, 6th revised edition. National Academies Press, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
Oenema, O, Witzke, HP, Klimont, Z, Lesschen, JP and Velthof, GL 2009. Integrated assessment of promising measures to decrease nitrogen losses from agriculture in EU-27. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environments 133, 280–288.Google Scholar
Pearson, RA and Dijkman, JT 1994. Nutritional implications of work in draught animals. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 53, 169–179.Google Scholar
Ransom, JI and Cade, BS 2009. Quantifying equid behaviour – a research ethogram for free-ranging feral horses. U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods Report 2–A9, Reston, Virginia, USA.Google Scholar
Redbo, I and Nordblad, A 1997. Stereotypies in heifers are affected by feeding regime. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 53, 193–202.Google Scholar
SAS Institute 2009. SAS/STAT 9.2, User’s guide, 2nd edition. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.Google Scholar
Schiavon, S, Tagliapietra, F, Dal Maso, M, Bailoni, L and Bittante, G 2010. Effect of low-protein diets and rumen-protected conjugated linoleic acid on production and carcass traits of growing double-muscled Piemontese bulls. Journal of Animal Science 88, 3372–3383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tateo, A, De Palo, P, Ceci, E and Centoducati, P 2008. Physicochemical properties of meat of Italian Heavy Draught horses slaughtered at the age of eleven months. Journal of Animal Science 86, 1205–1214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Krimpen, MM, Kwakkel, RP, Reuvekamp, BFJ, Van Der Peet-Schwering, CMC, Den Hartog, LA and Verstegen, MWA 2005. Impact of feeding management on feather pecking in laying hens. World’s Poultry Science Journal 61, 663–686.Google Scholar
Walz, JC, Stertz, L, Fijtman, A, dos Santos, BT and de Almeida, RMM 2013. Tryptophan diet reduces aggressive behavior in male mice. Psychology and Neuroscience 6, 397.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waran, NK 2001. The social behaviour of horses. In Social behaviour of farm animals (ed. LJ Keeling and HW Gonyou), pp. 247–273. CABI Publishing, CAB International Wallingford, Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Yarnell, K, Hall, C, Royle, C and Walker, SL 2015. Domesticated horses differ in their behavioural and physiological responses to isolated and group housing. Physiology and Behavior 143, 51–57.Google Scholar
Young, T, Creighton, E, Smith, T and Hosie, C 2012. A novel scale of behavioural indicators of stress for use with domestic horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 140, 33–43.Google Scholar
Yurtman, IY, Savas, T, Karaagac, F and Coskuntuna, L 2002. Effects of daily protein intake levels on the oral stereotypic behaviours in energy restricted lambs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 77, 77–88.Google Scholar