DIGESTIBILITY AND GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRANSIT TIME OF DIETS CONTAINING DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS OF ALFALFA AND OAT STRAW GIVEN TO THOROUGHBREDS, SHETLAND PONIES, HIGHLAND PONIES AND DONKEYS

摘要

A series of 4 X 4 Latin-squaue digestibility trials was carried out to determine whether there were any differences between different types of equid in their ability to digest diets containing different levels of fibre and protein. The equids (Thoroughbreds, Highland ponies, Shetland ponies and donkeys) were offered one of four molassed diets in turn and these contained different proportions of alfalfa and oat straw: 1.0: 0, 0.67:0.33, 0.33:0.67, 0:1, respectively. The apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), gross energy (GE) crude protein (CP), acid-detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) were estimated. The rate of passage of the different diets tons measured using Cr-mordanted fibre (Cu-fibre) and Co-ethylene diamine terra acetic acid.