FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Frontiers in veterinary science2023; 9; 1005102; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1005102

Which animal-to-feeding-place ratio at time-controlled hay racks is animal appropriate? Preliminary analysis of stress responses of horses.

Abstract: Automated feeding systems offer numerous advantages for animals and humans, but the associated benefits and risks can often only be seen under practical conditions. The space allowance (~80 cm per horse) at time-controlled hay racks for horses in group housing, unlike at partitioned feeding stands or transponder-controlled feed stations, currently falls below the required individual distance between the horses, which can result in a high level of aggression between the horses due to the lack of partitions between them. Hence, a feed-through at a time-controlled hay rack cannot be equated with a feeding place. In this preliminary study, we therefore aimed to determine the minimum animal-to-feeding-place ratio (AFR) at time-controlled hay racks that would provide adequate individual distances between the horses. Unassigned: To do so, we assessed behavioral and physiological parameters (via video behavioral observations and salivary cortisol measurements) of up to 28 horses in a loose housing system. Over 2 observation days per treatment, four AFRs were investigated in a balanced sequence: 1:1.2, 1:2, 1:3, and C (single feeding in familiar surroundings as a control). Unassigned: We found that the horses expressed less aggressive behavior, especially those behaviors with a high risk of injury such as biting and kicking, when there were three times as many openings as there were horses at time-controlled hay racks, as compared with only 20% more openings or twice as many openings as there were horses [lineal mixed model: = 7.411; adjusted = 0.733; = 0.06, = 0.02, = 0.01]. The salivary cortisol levels during feeding decreased more strongly with more generous AFRs [ = 0.02]. The factors hierarchy and individual showed no influence. In contrast, the day of the experiment and the associated weather conditions, despite randomized selection, influenced both the behavioral and the physiological parameters. Unassigned: The results of this preliminary study indicate that the investigated time-controlled hay racks must provide at least three times as many feeding places as there are horses to ensure that neighboring horses can keep their individual distance and stress-free feeding is possible. Further studies on more farms and different types as well as arrangement of hay racks are proposed.
Copyright © 2023 Baumgartner, Erhard and Zeitler-Feicht.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-01-09 PubMed ID: 36699339PubMed Central: PMC9868146DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1005102Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 article explores the optimal animal-to-feeding-place ratio in time-controlled hay racks for horses to minimize stress and aggression. The preliminary study found that providing a feeding place for each horse and two additional openings significantly decreased aggressive behaviors and stress levels.

Study Setup

  • The researchers aimed to determine the optimal animal-to-feeding-place ratio (AFR) that would maintain adequate space between horses and thus lower aggression and stress levels. This was in response to the insufficient space at hay racks that led to an increase in horse aggression due to the lack of individual partitions.
  • The experiment involved videotaping and measuring salivary cortisol levels of up to 28 horses in a loose housing system. The cortisol levels were used as an indication of the horses’ stress levels.
  • Over two separate observation days, four AFRs were investigated, including a single horse in familiar surroundings as a control. The AFRs examined ranged from a lower ratio (1:1.2) to a higher ratio (1:3).

Key Findings

  • Horses expressed less aggressive behavior, especially those behaviors with a high risk of injury such as biting and kicking, when there were three times as many openings at the hay racks compared to the number of horses. This contrasted with conditions where there were only 20% more openings or twice as many openings as horses.
  • Horses’ salivary cortisol levels were lower when more generous AFRs were provided, suggesting less perceived stress during feeding.
  • The hierarchy among horses and individual differences had no observable influence on the horses’ behaviors or cortisol levels.
  • The day of the experiment and the corresponding weather conditions, despite being selected at random, impacted both behavioral and physiological responses of the horses.

Significance

  • This preliminary study highlights the importance of providing at least three times as many feeding places as there are horses in group housing situations, indicating that this can promote stress-free feeding and healthy behavioral interactions.
  • While the study provides valuable initial insights, more research is proposed on different farms and various types and arrangements of hay racks to fully understand and verify these findings.

Cite This Article

APA
Baumgartner M, Erhard MH, Zeitler-Feicht MH. (2023). Which animal-to-feeding-place ratio at time-controlled hay racks is animal appropriate? Preliminary analysis of stress responses of horses. Front Vet Sci, 9, 1005102. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1005102

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Pages: 1005102
PII: 1005102

Researcher Affiliations

Baumgartner, Miriam
  • Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, SNSTF, Avenches, Switzerland.
Erhard, Michael H
  • Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Zeitler-Feicht, Margit H
  • Ethology, Animal Husbandries and Animal Welfare Research Group, Chair of Organic Agriculture and Agronomy, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 44 references
  1. Federal Ministry of Justice Consumer Protection the Federal Office of Justice. Order for the Protection of Production Animals Used for Farming Purposes and Other Animals Kept for the Production of Animal Products in the Way they Are Kept. TierSchNutztV (2021).
  2. Research Services of the German Bundestag. Catalog of Questions Regarding the Keeping of Livestock Animals in Selected EU States. (2019).
  3. The Swiss Federal Council. Animal Protection Ordinance: (AniPO). Bern: (2008).
  4. BMEL. Leitlinien zur Beurteilung von Pferdehaltungen unter Tierschutzgesichtspunkten [Guidelines for the Assessment of Horse Husbandry Systems Under Animal Welfare Aspects]. Berlin: Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft; (2009).
  5. Zeitler-Feicht MH. Fütterung von Pferden unter ethologischen Aspekten [Feed provision for horses under behavioral aspects.]. Tagungsbericht der Deutschen Veterinärmedizinischen Gesellschaft e.V. (DVG), Fachgruppe Angewandte Ethologie Gießen: DVG-Verlag: (2005). p. 160–71.
  6. Blokhuis H, Miele M. Improving Farm Animal Welfare: Science and Society Working Together: The Welfare Quality Approach. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers; (2013). p. 232.
  7. Blokhuis H, Veissier I, Jones B, Miele M. The Welfare Quality® vision. In:H Blokhuis, M Miele, editors, Improving Farm Animal Welfare: Science and Society Working Together: The Welfare Quality Approach. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers; (2013). p. 71–89.
  8. Fraser D. Understanding animal welfare. Acta Vet Scand (2008) 50:1.
    doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-50-S1-S1pubmed: 0google scholar: lookup
  9. Tarazona AM, Ceballos MC, Broom DM. Human Relationships with Domestic and Other Animals: One Health, One Welfare, One Biology.. Animals (Basel) 2019 Dec 24;10(1).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10010043pmc: PMC7022888pubmed: 31878310google scholar: lookup
  10. Jensen P. The Ethology of Domestic Animals: An Introductory Text. Wallingford: CABI; (2017).
  11. Boissy A, Manteuffel G, Jensen MB, Moe RO, Spruijt B, Keeling LJ, Winckler C, Forkman B, Dimitrov I, Langbein J, Bakken M, Veissier I, Aubert A. Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare.. Physiol Behav 2007 Oct 22;92(3):375-97.
    doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.02.003pubmed: 17428510google scholar: lookup
  12. Fureix C, Bourjade M, Henry S, Sankey C, Hausberger M. Exploring aggression regulation in managed groups of horses Equus caballus. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2012) 138:216–28.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2012.02.009google scholar: lookup
  13. Fureix C, Menguy H, Hausberger M. Partners with bad temper: reject or cure? A study of chronic pain and aggression in horses.. PLoS One 2010 Aug 26;5(8):e12434.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012434pmc: PMC2928779pubmed: 20865160google scholar: lookup
  14. Hausberger M, Fureix C, Lesimple C. Detecting horses' sickness: In search of visible signs. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2016) 175:41–9.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.09.005google scholar: lookup
  15. Keeling LJ, Winckler C, Hintze S, Forkman B. Towards a positive welfare protocol for cattle: A critical review of indicators and suggestion of how we might proceed. Front Anim Sci (2021) 2:753080.
    doi: 10.3389/fanim.2021.753080google scholar: lookup
  16. Schmidt A, Hödl S, Möstl E, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C. Cortisol release, heart rate, and heart rate variability in transport-naive horses during repeated road transport.. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2010 Oct;39(3):205-13.
    doi: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2010.06.002pubmed: 20688463google scholar: lookup
  17. Schmidt A, Möstl E, Wehnert C, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C. Cortisol release and heart rate variability in horses during road transport.. Horm Behav 2010 Feb;57(2):209-15.
    doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.11.003pubmed: 19944105google scholar: lookup
  18. Stucke D, Bohnet W. Chronopsychobiological regulation diagnosis (CRD) to assess the situations of strain and to categorize horses in stress regulation types. KTBL-Schrift Aktuelle Arbeiten zur artgemäßen Tierhaltung (2009) 479:64–73.
  19. Kedzierski W, Bełkot Z, Janczarek I, Wilk I. Effects of transportation procedures on salivary and plasma cortisol concentrations in cold-blood horses. PHK (2016) 32:491–5.
    doi: 10.21836/PEM20160511google scholar: lookup
  20. Erber R, Wulf M, Aurich J, Rose-Meierhöfer S, Hoffmann G, Lewinski M. Stress response of three-year-old horse mares to changes in husbandry system during initial equestrian training. J Equine Vet Sci (2013) 33:1088–94.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.04.008google scholar: lookup
  21. Erber R, Wulf M, Rose-Meierhöfer S, Becker-Birck M, Möstl E, Aurich J, Hoffmann G, Aurich C. Behavioral and physiological responses of young horses to different weaning protocols: a pilot study.. Stress 2012 Mar;15(2):184-94.
    doi: 10.3109/10253890.2011.606855pubmed: 21875302google scholar: lookup
  22. Ille N, Lewinski M, Erber R, Wulf M, Aurich J, Möstl E. Effects of the level of experience of horses and their riders on cortisol release, heart rate and heart-rate variability during a jumping course. Anim Welf (2013) 22:457–65.
    doi: 10.7120/09627286.22.4.457google scholar: lookup
  23. Mercer-Bowyer S, Kersey DC, Bertone JJ. Use of fecal glucocorticoid and salivary cortisol concentrations as a measure of well-being of New York City carriage horses.. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2017 Feb 1;250(3):316-321.
    doi: 10.2460/javma.250.3.316pubmed: 28117637google scholar: lookup
  24. Briefer S, Bucher F, Bachmann I. Rundballenraufe für Pferde mit zeitgesteuerter Fütterungsplane [Round-bale hay rack with time-controlled tarp for horse feeding. Test report]. Prüfbericht | Agroscope - Schweizerisches Nationalgestüt (2013). p. 1–6.
  25. Zeitler-Feicht MH. Handbuch Pferdeverhalten: Ursachen, Therapie und Prophylaxe von Problemverhalten [Manual of Horse Behavior. Causes, Therapy and Prevention of Problematic Behaviors]. Stuttgart: Ulmer; (2015). p. 318.
  26. Goldschmidt-Rothschild B, Tschanz B. Soziale Organisation und Verhalten einer Jungtierherde beim Camargue-Pferd [Social Organization and Behavior in a Young Herd of Camargue Horses]. Z Tierpsychol (1978) 46:372–400.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1978.tb01458.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  27. Martin P, Bateson PP. Measuring Behaviour: An Introductory Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; (2009). p. 176.
  28. Ishizaka S, Aurich JE, Ille N, Aurich C, Nagel C. Acute physiological stress response of horses to different potential short-term stressors. J Equine Vet Sci (2017) 54:81–6.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.02.013google scholar: lookup
  29. RStudio Team. Integrated Development for R. Boston, MA: RStudio, PBC; (2020).
  30. Zeitler-Feicht MH, Streit S, Dempfle L. Tiergerechtheit von Futterabrufstationen in der Gruppenhaltung von Pferden [Automatic feeding systems for horses in group housing systems with regard to animal welfare. Part 1: Feeding stalls versus automatic feeding systems]: Teil 1: Fressstände versus Abrufautomaten. Tierarztl Prax Ausg G (2010) 38:363–70.
    doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1624008google scholar: lookup
  31. Zeitler-Feicht MH, Streit S, Dempfle L. [Automatic feeding systems for horses in group housing systems with regard to animal welfare. Part 2: Comparison of different automatic feeding systems].. Tierarztl Prax Ausg G Grosstiere Nutztiere 2011;39(1):33-40.
    doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1624615pubmed: 22138743google scholar: lookup
  32. Gülden A, Schulze Zurmussen H, Büscher W. The effect of different feeding regimes on horses' blocking and activity behavior at a concentrate feeding station for horses in group housing. J Vet Behav (2018) 24:27–35.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2017.12.006google scholar: lookup
  33. Kjellberg L, Morgan K. Introduction to automatic forage stations and measurement of forage intake rate in an active open barn for horses.. Animal 2021 Mar;15(3):100152.
    doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2020.100152pubmed: 33573955google scholar: lookup
  34. Raspa F, Roggero A, Palestrini C, Marten Canavesio M, Bergero D, Valle E. Studying the Shape Variations of the Back, the Neck, and the Mandibular Angle of Horses Depending on Specific Feeding Postures Using Geometric Morphometrics.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 10;11(3).
    doi: 10.3390/ani11030763pmc: PMC7998216pubmed: 33801885google scholar: lookup
  35. Lesimple C, Poissonnet A, Hausberger M. How to keep your horse safe? An epidemiological study about management practices. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2016) 181:105–14.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.04.015google scholar: lookup
  36. Burla J-B, Ostertag A, Patt A, Bachmann I, Hillmann E. Effects of feeding management and group composition on agonistic behaviour of group-housed horses. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2016) 176:32–42.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2016.01.011google scholar: lookup
  37. Rochais C, Henry S, Hausberger M. “Hay-bags” and “Slow feeders”: Testing their impact on horse behaviour and welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2018) 198:52–9.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2017.09.019google scholar: lookup
  38. Lesimple C. Indicators of Horse Welfare: State-of-the-Art.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 13;10(2).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10020294pmc: PMC7070675pubmed: 32069888google scholar: lookup
  39. Glauser A, Burger D, van Dorland HA, Gygax L, Bachmann I, Howald M. No increased stress response in horses on small and electrically fenced paddocks. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2015) 167:27–34.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.03.008google scholar: lookup
  40. Becker A, Orgis A, Romanowski K, Langbein J, Mohr E, Müller J. Heart rate and heart rate variability in horses on pasture: short-term effect of putting out on grass and long-term effect of adaptation to the new surrounding. In: A Becker, A Orgis, K Romanowski, J Langbein, E Mohr, J Müller, et al. Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie (Hrsg.): Proceedings of the Society of Nutrition Physiology. Rostock/Dummerstorf: (2012). p. 157.
  41. Schwinn AC, Knight CH, Bruckmaier RM, Gross JJ. Suitability of saliva cortisol as a biomarker for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation assessment, effects of feeding actions, and immunostimulatory challenges in dairy cows.. J Anim Sci 2016 Jun;94(6):2357-65.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2015-0260pubmed: 27285912google scholar: lookup
  42. Shanahan S. Trailer loading stress in horses: behavioral and physiological effects of nonaversive training (TTEAM).. J Appl Anim Welf Sci 2003;6(4):263-74.
    doi: 10.1207/s15327604jaws0604_1pubmed: 14965781google scholar: lookup
  43. ISAE Ethics Committee. Ethical Treatment of Animals in Applied Animal Behaviour Research: Guidelines. ISAE Ethics Committee (2017).
  44. Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Corporation (2016).

Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Krieber J, Nowak AC, Geissberger J, Illichmann O, Macho-Maschler S, Palme R, Dengler F. Fecal Cortisol Metabolites Indicate Increased Stress Levels in Horses During Breaking-In: A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jun 7;15(12).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15121693pubmed: 40564245google scholar: lookup
  2. Roig-Pons M, Bachmann I, Freymond SB. Impact of feeding strategies on the welfare and behaviour of horses in groups: An experimental study. PLoS One 2025;20(6):e0325928.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0325928pubmed: 40560838google scholar: lookup
  3. Hall C, Kay R. Living the good life? A systematic review of behavioural signs of affective state in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) and factors relating to quality of life. Part I: Fulfilment of species-specific needs. Anim Welf 2024;33:e40.
    doi: 10.1017/awf.2024.38pubmed: 39464387google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,727 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.