Transcript Equine Nutrition

Equine Nutrition
Randy C. Webb
Virginia Tech 2007
Horse Digestive Tract
Review
Protein, Carbohydrates, fat, minerals and
vitamins are all digested in the small
intestine
 Cecum is a section of the colon where
digestive bacteria break down roughage
 Water is absorbed in the large intestine
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Definitions
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Ration – Feed allowed for a given animal during a
day of 24 hours, whether it be fed at one time for in
portions at different times
Balanced ration – Feed that furnishes the necessary
nutrients in such proportion and amount as will
properly nourish a given animal for a 24-hour period
Nutrient – Applies to any food constituent or group
of food constituents of the same general chemical
composition that aid in the support of life
Feedstuffs – Nutrients which are taken into the
digestive system
Mastication – Chewing
Definitions
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Chyme – Semi fluid mass of partly digested food
expelled from the stomach into the small intestines
Carbohydrates – Sugars and starches in feeds used
for energy
Fats – Similar to carbohydrates, but contain higher
percentage of chemical compounds, thus yielding
2.25 times more energy than carbohydrates
Protein – Any group of complex compounds which
contain nitrogen and are composed of amino acids
Vitamin – Essential organic nutrient which is required
in only small amounts
Definitions
– Minerals – Inorganic matter which aids in
skeletal growth and chemical reactions
– Epiphysis's – Inflammation of growth plates
at ends of long bones; occurs mostly in
knees one and two year olds
– Rickets – Abnormal bone growth caused by
Vitamin D deficiency
So is a horse a Non-ruminant
or
Ruminant ?
Digestive systems ...
Nonruminants

Enzymatic digestion
of carbohydrates,
proteins and fats in
foregut
Ruminants

Fiber digestion in
rumen
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Enzymatic digestion in
foregut
 Minimal fiber digestion
Limited fiber
in hindgut
absorption in hindgut
 Cow, sheep, deer
 Man, pigs, dogs

So where do horses fit in?

Somewhere in
between:
– High rates of
enzymatic digestion in
foregut (mouth to
small intestine)
– High rates of
fermentive microbial
digestion in hindgut
(cecum to rectum)
Functions of digestive system
include:
Prehension of food (grabbing)
 Mastication (chewing)
 Digestion
 Absorption
 Initial nutrient storage
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Nutrition
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What is nutrition?
– Nutrition is a science that studies the
relationship between diet and health.
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What is first thing we need to know ?
– Body weight and what the horse is used for.
Estimate body weight
with ...
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Hearth girth weight tapes
or
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Body weight equation
W = Weight
HG = Heart Girth
BL = Body Length
W=
HG squared x BL (inches)
330
Why is horse body weight so
important?
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Horses should be fed a percentage of their
body weight.
– Mature, idle and late gestation mares:
1.5 to 2% of body weight
– Mares in early lactation and growing horses: 2
to 3% of body weight
– Working horses:
1.5 to 3% of body weight
REASONS WHY ANIMALS NEED
FEED
MAINTENANCE
 GROWTH
 REPRODUCTION
 LACTATION
 WORKING
 OTHER PRODUCTS AND USES

WAYS ANIMALS USE
NUTRIENTS TO
MAINTAIN
THEMSELVES
Used to keep the
body warm
 Replace old cells
 Run the internal
organs and for body
movement

SIX TYPES OF MATERIALS THAT
PROVIDE NUTRIENTS
CARBOHYDRATES: Major sources are
corn, oats, hay, soybean oil meal and
grain sorghum.
 FATS: Meat scraps, tankage, cottonseed
and fish meal are examples.
 PROTEIN: Tankage, soybean meal,
legume hay, blood meal, feather meal, fish
meal and skim milk.
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TYPES OF MATERIALS
(CONT.)
MINERALS: Eighteen minerals are
needed by animals;six are macro minerals.
Includes calcium, salt, phosphorus,
magnesium, potassium and sulfur.
 VITAMINS: Vitamins A,D, and the B
vitamins are most important in animals.
 WATER: Most important of all nutrients.
A market hog is 40% water; newborn calf
is 70% water.
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The Purpose of the Nutrients
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Carbohydrates – Supplies Energy
Proteins – composed of units called amino acids
which are used as building blocks to develop
body tissue
Vitamins – Essential for normal body functions
Minerals – Aid in skeletal growth and chemical
reactions
Water – used for body’s chemical reactions,
regulate body heat, lubricant
TWO GENERAL CLASSES OF
FEEDSTUFFS
ROUGHAGES: Feedstuffs that are high in
fiber and low in energy.
 Examples include hay, green pasture
grasses and legumes and silage.
 CONCENTRATES: Feed that are low in
fiber and high in energy.
 Examples are corn, oats, wheat, meat
scraps, blood meal, soybean meal and
urea.
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DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENT
A digestible nutrient is the part of a
feedstuff that can be digested, or broken
down.
 Fiber in roughage is not easily digested.
 Ruminants and horses are efficient users
of roughage.
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TERMS
RATION: The total amount of feed an
animal gets in a 24 hour period.
 BALANCED RATION: A ration that provides
all of the nutrients needed by the animal
in the right amount and proportion.
 DIET: Type and amount of feed and water
an animal eats.
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THREE TYPES OF ROUGHAGE
FOR ANIMALS
PASTURE- Land where grasses and other
plants grow for animals to graze.
 HAY- Made of the leaves and stems of
plants that have been cut and dried for
feed.
 SILAGE- Made from cut green plants by
chopping them into small pieces and
placing the “chop” in a silo.
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EXAMPLES OF GRAIN
CONCENTRATES
Grains are high in TDN but do not provide
a balanced ration.
 Examples include corn, oats, wheat and
grain sorghum.
 Corn is the most widely used grain.
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SOURCES OF PROTEIN
SUPPLEMENTS
Protein supplements are high in TDN and
high in protein.
 Three types:
 Animal - meat scraps and tankage, blood
meal, fish meal, and skim milk.
 Plant- soybean oil meal, cotton seed meal
and various grain by-products.
 Synthetic- Urea, molasses, rice hulls, and
citrus pulp treated with ammonia.
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FEED ADDITIVES
Placed in feed while it is being
manufactured to preserve it and enhance
growth of the animals.
 Medications
 Wormers
 Marketing enhancement
 Antioxidants
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FACTORS TO CONSIDER IN
SELECTING FEED FOR ANIMALS
NUTRIENT CONTENT
 PALATABILITY
 FREE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
 VARIETY
 BULKINESS
 COST
 FEED STORAGE
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THREE FORMS IN WHICH
ROUGHAGE IS FED
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BALES
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LOOSE CHOP
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PELLETS AND WAFERS
WAYS CONCENTRATES ARE
MADE INTO FORMS OF FEED
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CRACKING AND ROLLING
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GRINDING
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EXTRUDING
WAYS SUPPLEMENTS ARE
PREPARED
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BLOCKS- Salt or mineral block
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LIQUIDS- Molasses
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MIXES- Salt, protein sources and other
materials