Effect of forage presentation on feed intake behaviour in stabled horses

• Published in: Applied animal behaviour science 2015-04, Vol.165, p.88-94
• Main Authors: Ellis, Andrea Dorothea, Fell, Michelle, Luck, Katherine, Gill, Laura, Owen, Heather, Briars, Hannah, Barfoot, Clare, Harris, Patricia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behaviour; Equine; Feed intake; Haynets; Health; Welfare
• ISSN: 0168-1591; 1872-9045
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2015.01.010

•We compared four haynets on feed intake behaviour in 12 stabled horses.•Small holed nets were similarly effective in increasing intake time by 5min.•Horses had eaten all forage by 22:30 irrespective of haynets used.•Small nets led to greater amounts of individual feeding bouts at night. In some stabled horses, the lack of foraging opportunity leads to a reduction in chewing time with consequent negative impacts on the digestive system and potentially development of stereotypies. This study aimed to compare the effect of four types of haynets on feed intake behaviour in stabled horses. Feed intake behaviour (intake time, bite rate, chews/kilogram, chews/minute) was measured in 12 horses (age 13±4 yrs; BW 585±62kg) using four types of haynets (Eliminet 25mm mesh, Furlong 30mm, Haylage net 30mm, Original ‘Large’ 75mm) in a 4×4 Latin Square Design. Horses were provided with their daily forage intake via each haynet for a 10-day period and forage intake measurements were taken at the beginning, middle and end of each period to account for acclimatisation to the haynets. Data was analysed using ANOVA and is presented as means±standard error. The ‘Large’ haynet recorded more chews per minute (66±1.1 versus 60±1.0chews/min, p