Abstract
Anecdotal evidence from animal charities indicates that the number of overweight donkeys in the UK is increasing. Donkeys commonly have daily access to pasture therefore knowledge of grass intake is essential if feeding advice is to be relevant. The effects of herbage mass and length of grazing time on diet composition and dry matter intake (DMI) by mature donkeys were determined. There were two measurement periods: period 1 during autumn when pasture was sparse (herbage mass 92±7 g DM/m2) and period 2 during summer when pasture was more abundant (herbage mass 197±12 g DM/m2). Twenty mature donkeys were selected and split into three grazing groups (8, 12 and 23 h daily grazing access). Barley straw was fed ad libitum and each donkey was given 150 mg per day of an n-alkane marker Dotriacontane (C32) for the 12 d of each study period. Herbage mass significantly affected total DMI and diet composition. During summer DMI of donkeys in the 8 and 23 h groups was significantly greater than during autumn (P<0.05). The proportion of grass in the diets of all donkeys was also greater in summer compared to autumn (P<0.001). Grazing time did not significantly influence total daily DMI during either season due to donkeys consuming more straw when grass intake was reduced. Restricting donkeys to 12 h or less grazing per day in summer significantly (P<0.001) reduced their grass intake compared to that of donkeys with 23h access. When grazing sparse pastures (autumn) time allowed for grazing did not influence grass intake. The results show that time allowed for grazing per se was less important than the herbage mass available to the donkey in terms of grass DMI. Restricting grazing time during the summer is an important management tool for regulating grass intake by donkeys and reducing the risk of obesity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Allden, W.G. and I.A. McDWhittaker, 1970. The determinants of herbage intake by grazing sheep: The interrelationship of factors influencing herbage intake and availability. Austr. J. Agr. Res. 21, 755–766.
Archer, M., 1973. The species preferences of grazing horses. J. Brit. Gras. Soc. 28, 123–128.
Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 1990. Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (15th ed.). Virginia, USA, Association of Analytical Chemists.
Barrett, P.D., D.A. McGilloway, A.S. Laidlaw and C.S. Mayne, 2001. The effect of sward structure as influenced by ryegrass genotype on bite dimensions and short term intake rate of dairy cows. Grass Forage Sci. 58, 2–11.
Berger, A., K.M. Scheibe, K. Eichhorn, A. Scheibe and J. Streich, 1999. Diurnal and ultradian rhythms of behaviour in a mare group of Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii), measured through one year under semi-reserve conditions. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 64, 1–17.
Butterworth, M.H., A.K. Mosi and M. Nuwanyakpa, 1987. Intake and digestibility of roughages by donkeys. In: Rose, M. (ed.) Herbivore nutrition research. Research papers presented at the second international symposium on the nutrition of herbivores, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 6–10 July 1987. Brisbane, Australian Society of Animal Production, 105–106.
Carretero-Roque, L., B. Colunga, D. Smith, M. Gonzalez-Ronquillo, A. Solis-Mendez and O. Castelán-Ortega, 2005. Digestible energy requirements of Mexican donkeys fed oat straw and maize stover. Trop. Anim. Health Pro. 37 (supplement 1), 123–142.
Cuddeford, D., R.A. Pearson, R.F. Archibald and R.H. Muirhead, 1995. Digestibility and gasto-intestinal transit time of diets containing different proportions of alfalfa and oat straw given to Thoroughbreds, Shetland ponies, Highland ponies and donkeys. Anim. Sci. 61, 407–417.
Dove, H. and R.W. Mayes, 1991. The use of plant wax alkanes as marker substances in studies of the nutrition of herbivores: A review. Austr. J. Agr. Res. 42, 913–952.
Dove, H. and R.W. Mayes, 2006. Protocol for the analysis of n-alkanes and other plant-wax compounds and for their use as markers for quantifying the nutrient supply of large mammalian. Nat. Prot. 1, 1680–1697.
Friend, M.A. and D. Nash, 2000. Pasture intake by grazing horses. Canberra, Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
Gekara, O.J., E.C. Prigge, W.B. Bryan, M. Schettini, E.L. Nestor and E.C. Townsend, 2001. Influence of pasture sward height and concentrate supplementation on intake, digestibility, and grazing time of lactating beef cows. J. Anim. Sci. 79, 745–752.
Gordon, I.J., A.W. Illius and J.D. Milne, 1996. Sources of variation in the foraging efficiency of grazing ruminants. Funct. Ecol. 10 (2), 219–226.
Hughes, T.P. and J.R. Gallagher, 1993. Influence of sward height on the mechanisms of grazing and intake rate by horses. Proceedings of the International Grassland Congress, 1325–1326.
Iason, G.R., A.R. Mantecon, D.A. Sim, J. Gonzalez, E. Foreman, F.F. Bermudez and D.A. Elston, 1999. Can grazing sheep compensate for a daily foraging time constraint? J. Anim. Ecol. 68, 87–93.
Janis, C., 1976. The evolutionary strategy of the equidae and the origins of rumen and cecal digestion. Evolution, 30: 757-774.
Lamoot, I., J. Callebaut, E. Demeulenaere, C. Vandenberghe and M. Hoffmann, 2005. Foraging behaviour of donkeys grazing in a coastal dune area in temperate climates conditions. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 92, 93–112.
MAFF, 1993. Prediction of energy value of compound feedingstuffs for farm animals. Booklet 1285. Alnwick, UK, MAFF Publications.
McMeniman, N.P., 2003. Pasture intake by young horses. Canberra, Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
Mueller, P.J., H.F. Hintz, R.A. Pearson, P.R. Lawrence and P.J. Van Soest, 1994. Voluntary intake of roughage diets by donkeys. In: Bakkoury, M. and R.A. Prentis (eds.) Working equines. Proceedings of the second international colloquium held 20-22nd April 1994, Rabat, Morocco (137–148). Rabat, Morocco, Actes Éditions, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II.
Naujeck, A. and J. Hill, 2003. Influence of sward height on bite dimensions of horses. Anim. Sci. 77, 95–100.
Naujeck, A., J. Hill and M.J. Gibb, 2005. Influence of sward height on diet selection by horses. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 90, 49–63.
Nengomasha, E.M., R.A. Pearson and T. Smith, 1999. The donkey as a draught power resource in smallholder farming in semi-arid western Zimbabwe 1: Live weight and food and water requirements. Anim. Sci. 69, 297–304.
NRC, 2007. Nutrient requirements of horses (6th ed.). National Research Council. Washington, D.C., The National Academic Press.
Pearson, R.A. and J.B. Merritt, 1991. Intake, digestion and gastrointestinal transit time in resting donkeys and ponies and exercised donkeys given ad libitum hay and straw diets. Equine Vet. Sci. 23, 339–343.
Pearson, R.A., R.F. Archibald and R.H. Muirhead, 2001. The effect of forage quality and level of feeding on digestibility and gastrointestinal transit time of oat straw and alfalfa given to ponies and donkeys. Brit. J. Nutr. 85, 599–606.
Ram, J.J., R.D. Padalkar, B. Anuraja, R.C. Hallikeri, J.B. Deshmanya, G. Neelkanthayya and V. Vidya Sagar, 2004. Nutritional requirements of adult donkeys (Equus asinus) during work and rest. Trop. Anim. Health Pro. 36, 407–412.
Rutagwenda, T., M. Lechner-Doll, H.J. Schwartz, W. Schultka and W. von Engelhardt, 1990. Dietary preference and degradability of forage on a semiarid thornbush savannah by indigenous ruminants, camels and donkeys. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech. 31, 179–192.
Scheibe, K.M. and J. Streich, 2003. Annual rhythm of body weight in Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii). Biol. Rhythm Res. 34, 383–396.
Smith, D.G. and R.A. Pearson, 2005. A review of the factors affecting the survival of donkeys in semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Trop. Anim. Health Pro. 37 (supplement 1), 1–19.
Smith, D.G., 1999. The impact of grazing time allowance on the dry matter intake and foraging behaviour of cattle and donkeys managed under traditional African grazing systems. Ph.D. Thesis, Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh.
Smith, D.G., R.W. Mayes, T. Hollands, D. Cuddeford, H.H. Yule, C.M. Malo Ladrero and E. Gillen, 2007. Validating the alkane pair technique to estimate dry matter intake in equids. J. Agr. Sci. 145, 1–10.
Tisserand, J.L., F. Faurie and M. Toure, 1990. A comparative study of donkey and pony digestive physiology. In: Fielding, D. and R.A. Pearson (eds.) Donkeys, mules and horses in tropical agricultural development. Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, p. 67–72.
Wood, S.J., 2010. Some factors affecting the digestible energy requirements and dry matter intake of mature donkeys and a comparison with normal husbandry practices. Ph.D. Thesis, Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Wageningen Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wood, S.J., Smith, D.G., Morriss, C.J., Cuddeford, D. (2012). The effect of pasture restriction on dry matter intake of foraging donkeys in the United Kingdom. In: Saastamoinen, M., Fradinho, M.J., Santos, A.S., Miraglia, N. (eds) Forages and grazing in horse nutrition. Forages and grazing in horse nutrition, vol 132. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-755-4_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-755-4_17
Publisher Name: Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen
Online ISBN: 978-90-8686-755-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)
