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

This research examines the behaviour of Italian Heavy Draught Horse foals in semi-covered stables, feeding on two diets with differing protein levels. The results suggest that reducing protein content in the diet does not affect the foals’ performance or well-being.

Research Background and Purpose

• The study aims to understand the possible effects of reducing dietary protein in draught horse foals’ feeds. The need for such research originates from the European Nitrate Directive’s restrictions on nitrate emissions in farms.
• In an effort to comply with these regulations, one recommendation is to reduce dietary protein while maintaining regular performance and welfare standards. However, no comprehensive studies on this topic concerning horses existed, creating a knowledge gap that this research aims to fill.
• The research specifically focuses on Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHDH) foals housed in semi-covered stables.

Methodology

• The study involved 20 foals of approximately 437±60 kg of body weight, aged around 379±37 days. These foals were housed in four pens separated by sex and diet.
• Two different diets with the same energy level but with different protein levels (13.2% and 10.6% of crude protein on dry matter) were administered.
• Behavioural activities were video recorded and analyzed, and an ethogram was created. This ethogram encompassed 18 behaviors categorized under ingestion, resting, maintenance, movement, social activities, and other miscellaneous behaviors.
• The daily time spent on each behaviour category and single behaviours was examined through a single traits General Linear Model (GLM) that considered the variables of sex, diet, and their interaction.

Results and Conclusions

• The results showed that the daily activity of the foals was consistent with existing literature, with approximately 33% of the day spent on ingestion activities, 41% on resting, about 8% on social interactions, and less than 2% on individual maintenance.
• The diet seemed to affect the activity level of the foals: those fed a high-protein diet were more active, spending about 19.62±0.73% of the day moving, compared to 10.45±0.73% in the low-protein group. The low-protein group slept more, spending 43.42±1.12% of the day resting compared to 38.02±1.12% in the high-protein diet group.
• No stereotypic behaviours (repetitive behaviours usually indicating stress or frustration) were found, indicating that the foals’ welfare was maintained even with the reduction in dietary protein.
• The research findings, combined with the results of a companion study showing no changes in the growth performances of the foals, conclude that a reduction in dietary protein for foals is feasible while maintaining both performance and welfare.