Authors: Lu Hao, Zhang Wenjie, Sun Shuo, Mei Yingying, Zhao Guodong, Yang Kailun
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers at Yili studied how dietary supplementation during pasture grazing affects lactating mares' milk production, metabolic parameters, and gut bacterial composition, comparing unsupplemented grazing against concentrate-only and concentrate plus coated fatty acid supplementation regimens. Supplemented mares produced significantly more milk, with the combined concentrate and fatty acid group (group II) yielding the highest volumes and superior milk composition across fat, lactose, and protein concentrations; blood metabolites reflected enhanced energy metabolism in group II, though lower blood urea nitrogen in concentrate-supplemented animals suggested improved nitrogen utilisation. Microbial diversity remained relatively consistent across groups (approximately 5000 operational taxonomic units), yet the fatty acid supplement notably increased Verrucomicrobia abundance whilst selectively altering other bacterial taxa, indicating that targeted supplementation can modulate rumen fermentation patterns alongside production outcomes. For practitioners managing lactating mares on pasture, these findings suggest that modest concentrate supplementation yields production gains, but the addition of protected fatty acids delivers measurable improvements in milk yield and composition whilst favourably influencing metabolic status—particularly relevant for stud farms seeking to optimise foal nutrition during the critical nursing period without substantial feed input increases.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Supplementing grazing mares with 1 kg concentrate plus 0.4 kg coated fatty acids daily substantially improves milk yield and nutritional composition for nursing foals
- •Fatty acid supplementation during grazing alters metabolic markers and shifts fecal microbiota composition; monitor blood lipid profiles in supplemented mares
- •Concentrate supplementation alone reduces blood urea nitrogen, indicating more efficient protein utilization—this may be beneficial for lactating mares on pasture alone
Key Findings
- •Concentrate supplementation plus coated fatty acids (group II) significantly increased milk yield and milk fat, lactose, and protein levels compared to grazing alone and concentrate-only supplementation
- •Group II showed significantly higher total saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in milk, and elevated post-feeding plasma glucose, free fatty acids, triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL compared to controls
- •Verrucomicrobia abundance in fecal microflora was significantly higher in supplemented groups (I and II) than control, with group II showing the greatest increase
- •Blood urea nitrogen was significantly lower in group I (concentrate only) compared to control group, suggesting improved protein metabolism with supplementation