Guay K A, Brady H A, Allen V G, Pond K R, Wester D B, Janecka L A, Heninger N L
Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409, USA.
J Anim Sci. 2002 Nov;80(11):2960-6. doi: 10.2527/2002.80112960x.
Matua bromegrass hay (Bromus willdenowii Kunth) is a high quality forage, but its value for mares during gestation and lactation is not well known. Intake, rate of passage, performance, and reproduction by gestating and lactating Quarter Horse mares fed the hay was investigated. In this experiment, 12, 2- to 12-yr-old gravid mares (mean BW = 553 kg, SD = 36) were fed Matua hay (CP = 11.5%) or alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa L.) (CP = 15.4%) for variable days prepartum (mean 59.9 d; SD = 23.5) and for 70 d postpartum. Matua and alfalfa hay were fed as the roughage portion of the diet with a grain supplement. Mares, blocked by age, expected date of foaling, and BW, were assigned randomly within blocks to treatments (six mares per treatment). Forage type did not affect intake, gestation length, birth weight, number of foals, foal weight gain, day of first postpartum ovulation, cycles per conception, or pregnancy rate at 70 d. On d 1, milk from mares fed alfalfa hay contained less (P < 0.03) CP than milk from mares fed Matua hay. Milk CP decreased (P < 0.01) in all mares over time. In a separate experiment, voluntary intake and rate of passage of Matua (CP = 15.5%), alfalfa (CP = 24.9%), and Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) (CP = 4.1%) hays were determined in nine 2-yr-old pregnant mares (mean BW = 447 kg; SD = 21). Diets were 100% forage. Timothy hay did not meet CP requirements for mares. Voluntary intake of alfalfa hay was higher (P < 0.01) than Matua hay. Intake of Timothy hay was lower (P < 0.01) than the mean of alfalfa and Matua hay. Rate of passage offorage was measured by passage of Cr-mordanted fiber. Passage rate and retention time did not differ between Matua and alfalfa hay; however, the retention times of Matua and alfalfa hays were shorter (P < 0.01) than for Timothy hay. Our results indicate that Matua hay is a forage that can be used safely for mares during gestation and early lactation and for their young foals.
马图阿雀麦干草（Bromus willdenowii Kunth）是一种优质饲料，但其对妊娠和哺乳期母马的价值尚不清楚。本研究调查了给妊娠和哺乳期的夸特马母马饲喂该干草后的采食量、通过率、生产性能和繁殖情况。本试验中，12匹2至12岁的妊娠母马（平均体重=553千克，标准差=36）在产前不同天数（平均59.9天；标准差=23.5）和产后70天饲喂马图阿干草（粗蛋白含量=11.5%）或苜蓿干草（紫花苜蓿）（粗蛋白含量=15.4%）。马图阿干草和苜蓿干草作为日粮的粗饲料部分，并补充谷物。母马按年龄、预计产驹日期和体重进行分组，在组内随机分配处理方式（每组6匹母马）。饲料类型对采食量、妊娠期长度、出生体重、产驹数量、驹体重增加、产后首次排卵日期、每次受孕周期数或70天时的妊娠率均无影响。在第1天，饲喂苜蓿干草的母马所产乳汁的粗蛋白含量低于（P<0.03）饲喂马图阿干草的母马所产乳汁。随着时间推移，所有母马乳汁中的粗蛋白含量均下降（P<0.01）。在另一项试验中，测定了9匹2岁妊娠母马（平均体重=447千克；标准差=21）对马图阿干草（粗蛋白含量=15.5%）、苜蓿干草（粗蛋白含量=24.9%）和梯牧草（猫尾草）（粗蛋白含量=4.1%）的自愿采食量和通过率。日粮为100%粗饲料。梯牧草不能满足母马对粗蛋白的需求。苜蓿干草的自愿采食量高于（P<0.01）马图阿干草。梯牧草的采食量低于（P<0.01）苜蓿干草和马图阿干草采食量的平均值。通过三氧化二铬标记纤维的通过率来测定粗饲料的通过率。马图阿干草和苜蓿干草的通过率和滞留时间没有差异；然而，马图阿干草和苜蓿干草的滞留时间比梯牧草短（P<0.01）。我们的研究结果表明，马图阿干草是一种可在妊娠和泌乳早期安全用于母马及其幼驹的饲料。
