Common Feeding Practices Pose A Risk to the Welfare of Horses When Kept on Non-Edible Bedding.

ABSTRACT: During the evolution of the horse, an extended period of feed intake, spread over the entire 24-h period, determined the horses' behaviour and physiology. Horses will not interrupt their feed intake for more than 4 hours, if they have a choice. The aim of the present study was to investigate in what way restrictive feeding practices (non adlibitum) affect the horses' natural feed intake behaviour. We observed the feed intake behaviour of 104 horses on edible (n = 30) and non-edible bedding (n = 74) on ten different farms. We assessed the duration of the forced nocturnal feed intake interruption of horses housed on shavings when no additional roughage was available. Furthermore, we comparatively examined the feed intake behaviour of horses housed on edible versus non-edible bedding. The dai

SUBMITTER: Baumgartner M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7142811 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature