The Effect of Three Levels of Concentrate and Grain Processing on Feeding Behavior, Nutrient Digestibility, Blood Metabolites and Fecal pH Of Turkmen Horses.
Authors: Kalantari Rohallah Kamyab, Rouzbehan Yousef, Fazaeli Hassan, Direkvandi Ehsan, Salem Abdelfattah Z M
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers evaluated how concentrate level and grain processing influence digestive efficiency and metabolic health in horses by feeding 16 Turkmen horses one of four diets: 20%, 25%, or 30% processed grain concentrate, plus a 25% whole grain control, measuring intake behaviour, nutrient digestibility, blood chemistry and faecal pH. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and fibre fractions all improved significantly with the highest concentrate level (30% processed grain), with the 25% processed grain diet also outperforming the whole grain equivalent across most parameters, whilst glucose concentrations increased only at the 30% level and feeding behaviour remained unaffected across all treatments. Critically, neither fecal pH nor intake patterns were adversely affected by increased concentrate provision, suggesting that processed grains at 30% concentrate can enhance energy and nutrient availability without the digestive complications commonly associated with high-grain diets. For practitioners managing performance horses or those with variable body condition, this finding supports strategic use of processed concentrates up to 30% of total intake as a way to improve feed efficiency; however, the benefits of processing over whole grains were modest at the 25% level, indicating that the investment in processing may be more justified at higher inclusion rates.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Feeding up to 30% processed grain concentrate can safely improve digestibility in Turkmen horses without negatively affecting feeding behavior or gastrointestinal pH
- •Processing grains does not provide additional benefits over whole grains at moderate concentrate levels (25%), allowing flexibility in feed management based on cost and availability
- •Horses tolerate higher concentrate levels (30%) with processed grains without apparent metabolic stress, making this a viable option for performance or weight gain when needed
Key Findings
- •Increasing concentrate level to 30% with processed grains significantly improved digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and digestible energy compared to lower levels
- •Glucose concentration increased significantly in horses fed 30% processed grain concentrate (A30) compared to other treatments
- •Processing grains at 25% concentrate level showed no significant difference in feeding behavior, fecal pH, or blood parameters compared to whole grain at the same level
- •Feed intake, chewing rate, swallowing rate, and most blood metabolites (total protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL) were unaffected by concentrate level or grain processing method