In Vitro Digestibility Measurement of Feedstuffs in Donkeys Using the DaisyII Incubator.

This research article investigates the use of a Daisy Incubator in assessing the in-vitro digestibility of various feedstuffs for donkeys. The study examines the incubation process over four intervals and evaluates the repeatability and reproducibility of the method.

Methodology of the Research

• The researchers used seven types of feedstuffs typically found in donkey diets; these were alfalfa, bromegrass, ryegrass, timothy hays, wheat bran, wheat straw, and barley grains.
• The feces providing the microbial inoculum were collected from four female donkeys.
• Each feedstuff was tested through four incubation sessions, with sessions occurring at 1-week intervals over a four-week period.
• For each session, two bags of each feedstuff were incubated in digestion containers holding a buffer/feces solution in a ratio of 90:10.

Measurement Parameters

• Three digestibility parameters were measured at incubation intervals of 30, 48, 60, and 72 hours: apparent dry matter digestibility (DMD), true dry matter digestibility (IVTD), and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD).

Results of the Study

• For all feedstuffs, all digestibility parameters rose significantly, from 30 hours up to 72 hours incubation.
• At the 72 hours point, the within-laboratory repeatability and reproducibility of the method exhibited respective scores of 2.7% and 5.0% for DMD and 1.6% and 3.9% for IVTD.
• For NDFD, the method provided less repeatability (4.5%) and reproducibility (10.4%).

Based on these results, the study concludes that the Daisy Incubator can be effectively used for in-vitro digestibility measurements of feedstuffs for donkeys, with the measurement reliability improving over longer incubation periods. However, for neutral detergent fiber digestibility, the method was found to be less reliable.