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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(14); 1740; doi: 10.3390/ani12141740

Does Feeding Management Make a Difference to Behavioural Activities and Welfare of Horses Reared for Meat Production?

Abstract: Horses reared for meat production are generally fed a diet rich in starch with the aim of maximizing production performances. This study evaluated the effects of two feeding management systems on horse welfare by analysing the relative time spent engaged in different behavioural activities. Nineteen Bardigiano horses aged 14.3 ± 0.7 months were randomly assigned to one of two group pens: one group was fed high amounts of starch-rich concentrates (HCG; = 10), the other was fed a fibre-based diet (HFG; = 9). Behavioural activities performed by each horse were video-recorded over a 96-h period. A scan sampling process ( = 144 scans/horse/day; total of scans sampled = 10,368) was used, and the scans were analysed according to a specific ethogram. The mean frequency (%/24 h) spent exhibiting each behavioural activity was calculated to obtain the time budget. After checking for normality (Shapiro-Wilk test), Student's tests (normally distributed data) and Mann-Whitney tests (not normally distributed data) were used to compare the time budgets of the two groups of horses (HCG vs. HFG). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to identify the components explaining the variability in behavioural activities between the two groups. K-means cluster analysis subsequently confirmed the PCA results. The behavioural activities associated with feeding horses a fibre-based diet correlated with better horse welfare compared with feeding horses a starch-based diet. Feeding horses a fibre-based diet resulted advantageous from both the welfare and economic perspective; it allowed horses to spend more time expressing feeding behaviours and reduced energy expenditure in the form of excitable, or "fizzy", behaviours.
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Publication Date: 2022-07-06 PubMed ID: 35883287PubMed Central: PMC9311627DOI: 10.3390/ani12141740Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research explores the impact of different feeding strategies on the welfare and behavior of horses bred for meat production. The study suggests that a fiber-based diet is more beneficial than a starch-rich diet for the overall well-being and behavior of these horses.

Objective and Design of the Research

  • The main objective of the research was to understand the effects of two distinct feeding strategies, predominantly starch-based and fiber-based, on the behavioral activities and overall welfare of horses bred for meat production.
  • The experiment involved nineteen Bardigiano horses of approximately similar age. These horses were randomly divided into two groups and assigned different diet regimens – one group received a high concentrate of starch (HCG) while the other received a predominantly fiber diet (HCG).
  • The behaviors of the horses were video recorded throughout a 96-hour period and analyzed using scan sampling process. Specific behavioural patterns were noted using an ethogram. The average time each horse spent in each activity was computed to create a time budget.

Data Analysis and Results

  • For data analysis, the Shapiro-Wilk test was utilized initially to check for normality. Subsequently, a Student’s t-test was used for analysis of normally distributed data while data that was not normally distributed was analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test.
  • The time budgets of the two horse groups were compared, and a Principal Component Analysis was performed to identify the key variables influencing the variation in behavioral activities between the groups.
  • The results were further validated using K-means cluster analysis.
  • The findings revealed that horses in the fiber-based diet group displayed more feeding behavior and less excitable behavior, indicating enhanced welfare as compared to the horses on a starch-based diet.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The research concludes that feeding horses bred for meat production a fiber-based diet promotes behaviours indicative of better welfare compared to a starch-rich diet.
  • The study also underlines the economic advantage of feeding horses a fiber-based diet. The diet regimen allowed the horses to spend more time in feeding activities and thereby reducing energy spend on excitable behaviours.
  • This research suggests that both from a welfare and economic viewpoint, a fiber-based diet could be more appropriate for horses reared for meat production than a starch-filled diet.

Cite This Article

APA
Raspa F, Tarantola M, Muca E, Bergero D, Soglia D, Cavallini D, Vervuert I, Bordin C, De Palo P, Valle E. (2022). Does Feeding Management Make a Difference to Behavioural Activities and Welfare of Horses Reared for Meat Production? Animals (Basel), 12(14), 1740. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12141740

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 14
PII: 1740

Researcher Affiliations

Raspa, Federica
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Tarantola, Martina
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Muca, Edlira
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Bergero, Domenico
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Soglia, Dominga
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
Cavallini, Damiano
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, Italy.
Vervuert, Ingrid
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Bordin, Clara
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
De Palo, Pasquale
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Valenzano, Italy.
Valle, Emanuela
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
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