Effect of feeder style on intake rate of equine concentrates.

Overview

• This study investigated how different feeder styles affect the rate at which horses consume concentrate feed.
• The goal was to determine which feeder might slow down rapid eating, which is linked to health issues like esophageal obstruction.

Background

• Horses can be fed concentrate feeds using various types of feeders, including pans on the ground, shallow troughs, and hanging feeders.
• Rapid consumption of feed, often called “bolting,” can cause problems such as choke or esophageal obstruction in horses.
• Despite various feeder designs, there is limited scientific information about how feeder type influences the speed of intake in horses.

Objective and Hypothesis

• The study’s objective was to evaluate the effects of three common concentrate feeders on the intake rate of horses.
• The hypothesis was that horses would eat slowest when using a trough feeder compared to a pan on the ground or a hanging feeder.

Methods

• Subjects: Four gelding horses were used in the study.
• Feeder types tested:
  • P (Pan on the ground)
  • T (Shallow trough feeder)
  • H (Hanging feeder)
• Each horse was fed 0.454 kg (1 pound) of concentrate feed from each feeder type.
• Design:
  • The horses were randomly assigned to start with one feeder and then rotated through all three feeders.
  • Two trials were conducted — Trial 1 lasted 10 days, Trial 2 lasted 5 days.
• Measurements recorded:
  • Total time taken to consume the feed (TIME).
  • Number of eating bouts (BOUT), short intervals when the horse paused during eating.
  • Bout rate (BR), calculated as bouts per minute.
  • Orts (ORTS): feed refused or left uneaten.
  • Feed waste (WASTE): spilled or lost feed.

Results

• TIME:
  • The trough feeder (T) resulted in significantly longer eating times (average 261 seconds) compared to both the hanging feeder (H) and pan (P), which were similar at about 182 seconds.
• Bout Rate (BR):
  • Lowest bout rate observed with the trough feeder (1.72 bouts/min), meaning horses took fewer breaks while eating.
  • Higher bout rates were seen with hanging (2.42 bouts/min) and pan (2.65 bouts/min) feeders.
• Feed Waste (WASTE):
  • The pan feeder had the highest feed waste (131.3 grams), followed by hanging feeder (87.9 grams), with troughs having the least waste (33.8 grams).
• Orts (ORTS):
  • The hanging feeder had the lowest amount of leftover feed uneaten (3.06 grams), less than both the pan (11.87 grams) and trough (16.12 grams).

Conclusions

• Using a shallow trough feeder slowed down the total consumption time, which may help reduce rapid eating or “bolting.”
• The trough also minimized feed waste more effectively than the other feeder types.
• Hanging feeders led to reduced leftover feed, indicating more complete consumption.
• These findings suggest that changing feeder style can be a practical approach to manage horses that tend to eat too quickly, potentially reducing the risk of esophageal problems.