No effect of moderate or high concentrate allowance on growth parameters in weanling Warmblood foals fed late-cut haylage as forage.
Authors: Mack J K, Remler H P, Senckenberg E, Kienzle E
Journal: Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Concentrate Feeding in Weanling Foals Researchers at the Bavarian federal stud investigated whether varying concentrate intake significantly affected growth outcomes in weanling Warmblood foals, comparing recommended energy allowances against a surplus of approximately 1.3 kg oats daily over a two-month post-weaning period. Both groups of foals (15 and 16 animals respectively) were fed late-cut haylage ad libitum alongside either standard or elevated concentrate rations, with individual intake and growth parameters — including body weight, condition score, and skeletal measurements — carefully monitored. Despite the substantial difference in concentrate allowance between groups (30–32 MJ versus 39 MJ metabolisable energy daily), foals demonstrated identical growth trajectories and body development, suggesting they self-regulated total energy intake by consuming less forage when concentrates increased and vice versa. The findings indicate that weanling foals receiving good-quality haylage will achieve comparable growth whether fed to GfE recommendations or surplus concentrate levels, implying that overfeeding concentrates does not accelerate skeletal development and may represent unnecessary expense. For practitioners, this reinforces the importance of monitoring total energy intake rather than concentrate allowance alone, and suggests that when quality forage is available, moderate concentrate feeding protocols are sufficient to support healthy weanling growth without the risks associated with excessive grain feeding.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Weanling foals on good quality late-cut haylage appear to self-regulate energy intake and do not require high concentrate feeding; moderate levels meeting GfE recommendations appear sufficient for normal growth
- •Overfeeding concentrates to young stock may not accelerate growth and represents unnecessary feed cost, as foals will simply reduce forage intake to maintain consistent total energy consumption
- •Monitor body condition score in young stock as it may exceed recommendations even without high concentrate feeding, particularly when forage quality is good
Key Findings
- •Moderate and high concentrate allowances produced parallel growth development in weanling Warmblood foals, with no significant difference between groups receiving 30-32 MJ/day versus 38-39 MJ/day of metabolisable energy from concentrates
- •Foals self-regulated total energy intake to approximately 60-61 MJ/day regardless of concentrate provision, likely by adjusting haylage intake inversely to concentrate intake
- •Body weight and body condition score increased above GfE and Hois recommendations in both groups despite different concentrate levels
- •Foals did not consume the complete amount of concentrates offered in either group, suggesting satiety regulation independent of concentrate availability