Influence of maternal plane of nutrition on mares and their foals: determination of mare performance and voluntary dry matter intake during late pregnancy using a dual-marker system.
Abstract: Thirty pregnant mares (538 to 695 kg BW; 4 to 19 yr of age) were used to evaluate the effects of plane of nutrition on DMI of hay and mare performance (BW, BCS, and rump fat) during the last third of pregnancy. Mares were divided into 4 blocks by their expected foaling date and randomly assigned within block to either a hay or concentrate plus hay diet (concentrate fed at 0.75% BW, as-fed basis) with 15 mares per treatment. Treatments began 110 d before expected foaling date (230 d of gestation) and terminated at parturition. Mares were housed by block and allowed ad libitum access to coastal Bermuda grass (C. dactylon) hay, and concentrate-supplemented mares were fed twice daily in individual stalls. Performance variables were recorded every 14 d, with the last measurements obtained before foaling being considered a prepartum measurement. To evaluate DMI of hay, a dual-marker system was used at 9, 10, and 11 mo of gestation. Titanium dioxide was dosed at 10 g for 14 d. Fecal grab samples were obtained on the last 4 d twice daily via rectal palpation at 12-h intervals with times advancing 3 h each day to account for diurnal variation and to ultimately represent a 24-h period. Fecal samples were analyzed for TiO2 using a colorimetric procedure. Fecal, concentrate, and hay samples were also analyzed for acid detergent insoluble ash. Treatment tended to influence prepartum BW (P = 0.09) and affected prepartum BCS (P < 0.01) and rump fat (P = 0.01), with hay-fed mares having decreased BW and BCS from d 0 (beginning of feeding trial or d 230 of gestation) until parturition, whereas mares fed concentrate gained BW and BCS (P < 0.01). Mares fed only hay consumed 2.3% BW of forage compared with 1.8% BW for concentrate-fed mares (P < 0.01). Regardless of treatment, month of gestation influenced forage intake (P < 0.06), with mares consuming less during the 10th month of gestation and more in the 11th month (1.9% and 2.2% BW, respectively). These data indicate that the altered plane of nutrition of mares in late gestation influenced mare performance. Furthermore, DMI of hay was influenced by both diet and month of gestation. Continued research investigating manipulation of maternal nutrition and its effects on DMI would be beneficial to completely understand the relationships of these observations.
Publication Date: 2013-07-03 PubMed ID: 23825323DOI: 10.2527/jas.2013-6373Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This research studied the effects of maternal diet on pregnant mares and their foals, finding that mares on a hay diet had decreased weight and body condition score towards birthing, while those fed concentrate showed gains. This suggests the diet of mares in late pregnancy can impact their physical condition. Further research could explore how adjusting maternal nutrition could influence dry matter intake and overall health and development.
Research Methodology
- A total of thirty pregnant mares, with a body weight ranging from 538 to 695 kilograms and age between 4 and 19 years, were used for this study.
- The mares were split into four blocks based on their expected foaling dates and within each block, they were randomly assigned to two groups: those on a hay diet and those on a concentrate plus hay diet (the concentrate was fed at 0.75% of body weight).
- The feeding/experimental period began 110 days prior to the expected foaling date and continued until the time of giving birth.
- To monitor the dry matter intake (DMI) of hay, a dual-marker system was deployed during the 9th, 10th, and 11th months of gestation.
- In order to gather data on the mares’ performance, variables (values of body weight, body condition scores, and rump fat) were recorded every 14 days.
Results and Key Findings
- It was found that the type of diet tended to influence the body weight of the mares before birthing and had a significant impact on their body condition scores and levels of fat in the rump area.
- Horses on a hay-only diet showed reductions in body weight and body condition scores from the start of the experiment to parturition, while mares placed on a concentrate-enhanced diet experienced gains in these areas.
- Mares consuming only hay ingested about 2.3% of their body weight in forage compared to 1.8% ingested by those on the concentrate-containing diet.
- The month of gestation also had an effect on forage intake, with mares consuming less during the 10th month of pregnancy and more in the 11th month.
Implication of The Study
- The study provides crucial insights on the impact of maternal nutrition on pregnant mares and their offspring.
- The finding highlights the role of plane of nutrition in influencing a mare’s physical condition during the final stage of pregnancy, which might have implications for the foal’s development.
- These observations prompt further research into how manipulation of diets could impact dry matter intake and ultimately affect the overall health and development of the mare and its foal.
Cite This Article
APA
Winsco KN, Coverdale JA, Wickersham TA, Lucia JL, Hammer CJ.
(2013).
Influence of maternal plane of nutrition on mares and their foals: determination of mare performance and voluntary dry matter intake during late pregnancy using a dual-marker system.
J Anim Sci, 91(9), 4208-4215.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-6373 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. kwinsco@truman.edu
MeSH Terms
- Adiposity
- Animal Feed / analysis
- Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
- Animals
- Body Composition
- Body Weight
- Cynodon / chemistry
- Diet / veterinary
- Dietary Supplements / analysis
- Energy Intake
- Female
- Horses / physiology
- Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
- Nutritional Status
- Pregnancy
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Much ML, Leatherwood JL, Zoller JL, Bradbery AN, Martinez RE, Keegan AD, Lamprecht ED, Wickersham TA. Influence of diet fortification on body composition and apparent digestion in mature horses consuming a low-quality forage.. Transl Anim Sci 2020 Jan;4(1):1-9.
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