Nutrient content and adequacy of roughage for horse nutrition: An investigation under Swiss conditions
2007
Nater, S. | Wanner, M. | Wichert, B.,Universitaet Zuerich, Zuerich (Switzerland). Institut fuer Tierernaehrung
For horses no special tables related to nutrients for Swiss roughage exist. For this reason samples of hay, straw, silage/haylage and green forage were taken from 46 horse keeping farms in 22 cantons. The samples were judged by sense and following the nutrient- and macromineral-content as well as the content of fructans were analysed. Regarding its quality no sample was totally inadequate for horses. The mean contents of crude protein in Swiss hay for horses were clearly lower than in hay for ruminants and in German hay for horses. The mineral contents (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus) showed a wide range. On average they were also lower than the values provided in tables for ruminants. Except for one sample the silages/haylages showed a dry matter content of more than 40%. No nutrient tables for silage or haylage, which are such high in dry matter contents, were found in the literature. The contents of fructans in silage/haylage and green forage also showed a wide range with a maximum of 94 g/kg DM fructan.
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