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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) / Rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with mead...
Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition2021; 106(2); 327-334; doi: 10.1111/jpn.13648

Rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.).

Abstract: Extensively used grasslands are frequently utilised for hay production for equines. Especially, extensive meadows have a great variety of plant species, which may include plants that are poisonous for equines such as meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.). To authors' knowledge investigations about horses` avoidance behaviour towards dried meadow saffron in hay are missing. Reports of farmers are contrary to clinical symptoms described in case reports and associated with meadow saffron in hay. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with meadow saffron (MS) when fed ad libitum. Methods: An 18-day feeding trial with six adult geldings to observe the rejection behaviour for hay contaminated with MS. Methods: The horses were fed a basal diet containing hay ad libitum and a mineral supplement during the feeding trial. At six different daytimes, hay contaminated with 1% or 2% dried MS was provided to the horses over a duration of 1 h. The rejection behaviour was observed personally and by video recordings. If a horse ingested more than two plants of MS during one observation period, the observation was stopped and repeated at another day. When the observation period had to be stopped twice, the horse was excluded from the experiment. Results: Five of six horses ingested MS during the first feeding periods. One horse rejected leaves and capsules at the beginning of the study, but it showed repeated ingestion of MS after the seventh observation period. Conclusions: Lack of knowledge about secondary plant metabolites affecting taste and their variability between fresh and dried plants. Conclusions: The intake of MS in hay by horses could not be ruled out with certainty. Therefore, feeding hay contaminated with MS should be avoided for equids.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
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Publication Date: 2021-10-18 PubMed ID: 34658079DOI: 10.1111/jpn.13648Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research study examines whether horses avoid or consume hay contaminated with meadow saffron, a potentially poisonous plant. The results show that horses might not readily reject hay with meadow saffron.

Overview of the Research

  • This study was conducted to investigate if horses exhibited rejection behavior when offered hay contaminated with meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.), a plant that could be poisonous to equines. Up until this study, there was limited research focusing on horses’ avoidance behavior towards dried meadow saffron in hay.
  • The study was motivated by conflicting reports – on one hand, farmers reported that horses tend to avoid meadow saffron in hay, but clinical symptoms observed in horses suggested that they might indeed consume hay containing this plant.

Methodology

  • The researchers conducted an 18-day feeding trial with six adult geldings (castrated male horses). The aim was to observe if the horses rejected hay that was contaminated with meadow saffron.
  • The horses’ usual diet was supplemented with hay contaminated with 1% or 2% dried meadow saffron at six different times during the day. Any rejection behavior was closely observed and recorded on video.
  • If a horse ate more than two meadow saffron plants during one session, the observation for that horse was stopped and resumed on another day. If this had to be done twice, the horse was dropped from the study.

Findings

  • Five of the six horses partaking in the study ingested meadow saffron during their initial feedings. Only one horse initially showed a rejection behavior towards meadow saffron, refusing its leaves and capsules, but then started consuming meadow saffron after the seventh observation period.
  • The researchers concluded that horses’ avoidance behavior towards meadow saffron in hay couldn’t be conclusively confirmed. Therefore, to avoid potential health issues, owners should steer clear from providing hay containing meadow saffron.
  • This study also highlights the need for more knowledge about how secondary plant metabolites (chemical compounds produced by plants) may affect the taste and potentially influence the rejection behavior of horses. There’s a significant gap in understanding how these metabolites vary between fresh and dried plants.

Cite This Article

APA
Mueller C, Sroka L, Hass ML, Aboling S, These A, Vervuert I. (2021). Rejection behaviour of horses for hay contaminated with meadow saffron (Colchicum autumnale L.). J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl), 106(2), 327-334. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.13648

Publication

Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
ISSN: 1439-0396
NlmUniqueID: 101126979
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 106
Issue: 2
Pages: 327-334

Researcher Affiliations

Mueller, Clara
  • Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Sroka, Louisa
  • Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Hass, Marie-Lena
  • Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Aboling, Sabine
  • Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
These, Anja
  • Department Safety in the Food Chain, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
Vervuert, Ingrid
  • Institute of Animal Nutrition, Nutrition Diseases and Dietetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Feed
  • Animals
  • Colchicum
  • Diet / veterinary
  • Horses
  • Plant Leaves

Grant Funding

  • AZ 34275/01 / German Federal Environmental Foundation, Osnabru00fcck for the financial support of the project
  • AZ 34275/01 / German Federal Environmental Foundation

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