No effect of moderate or high concentrate allowance on growth parameters in weanling Warmblood foals fed late-cut haylage as forage.

The research article is a study on the effect of concentrate allowance on the growth of weanling Warmblood foals, indicating that the levels of concentrates didn’t significantly influence the foals’ growth as they maintained the same energy intake regardless of the energy sources.

Objective and Methodology

• The study was conducted on two groups of Warmblood foals, group ‘R’ and group ‘A’, that were fed late 1st cut of haylage, oats and foal starter feed from approximately 6 months of age.
• Group ‘R’ was provided oats in an amount sufficient to supply the respective digestible energy needs as recommended by the German Society of Nutrition Physiology (GfE). Group ‘A’ was offered a higher amount of oats, providing around 1.3 kg of additional energy per foal per day.
• The intake of concentrates, as well as the body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS) and several growth parameters, were regularly documented.

Results

• Despite the difference in concentrate supply, both groups showed a parallel development in growth parameters, body weight, and body condition score.
• Intake of concentrates was not completed fully in both groups. The average energy intake from concentrates was recorded to be 30.3 and 32.1 MJ ME (Metabolisable Energy) per day in group ‘R’, and 38.7 and 38.2 MJ ME per day in group ‘A’. The mean haylage intake for all foals was 26.2 MJ ME per day.
• The study concludes that the foals adapted their haylage intake based on the energy provided through concentrates. Higher concentrates intake led to lesser haylage intake and vice versa, resulting in an overall identical energy intake.
• The calculated average daily energy intake for all foals was around 60.5 – 61.4 MJ ME for the 7th and 8th months. The average daily crude protein intake across groups was between 640 – 647 grams per foal per day.

Conclusion

• The study suggests that despite the difference in concentrates allowance, the foals maintained the same energy intake, thereby showing similar growth parameters. This is likely because a higher concentrate intake makes the foals decrease their haylage intake and vice versa, demonstrating adaptability in their feeding behaviour based on the energy source and its availability.