Carretero-Roque L, Colunga B, Smith D G, González-Ronquillo M, Solis-Mendez A, Castelán-Ortega O
Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, México.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2005 Nov;37 Suppl 1:123-42. doi: 10.1007/s11250-005-9012-3.
The limited availability of food, together with the constraints that traditional management systems impose on the natural foraging behaviour of donkeys, often results in severe under-nutrition. Few studies have been conducted into the digestibility of different forages and little information exists on nutritional requirements of donkeys. In order to measure digestible energy requirements of donkeys under tropical conditions, an experiment was carried out at the Centre for Research in Agricultural Science (CICA) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Universidad Aut6noma del Estado de México located in the Toluca valley, Central Mexico. Thirty-two donkeys of a body condition typical for Central Mexico were divided into four groups of 8 animals each according to their sex and live weight: group 1 (G1) comprised male donkeys below the average body weight (102+/-5 kg); group 2 (G2) comprised male donkeys of average body weight (121.5+/-4 kg); group 3 (G3) comprised female donkeys below average weight (111.8 +/- 5 kg); and group 4 (G4) comprised female donkeys of average weight (127.6 +/- 5 kg). A diet of oat straw or maize stover and 15% alfalfa hay was offered to meet exact maintenance requirements. The donkeys were monitored for 13 months. The live weight of all animals was recorded daily in order to monitor whether maintenance requirements were being met. Mean daily digestible energy (DE) requirements were measured during the winter, spring, summer and autumn of 2003-2004. Digestible energy requirements of all four sex and liveweight groups were significantly (p > 0.05) higher during the spring than during the other seasons of the year (13.5, 18.0, 10.4 and 14.3 MJ DE per day during winter, spring, summer and autumn, respectively). Predicted DE requirements of donkeys with a live weight range betweenn 90 and 150 kg using the data from the present study were less than those predicted using scaled-down horse feeding standards.
食物供应有限，再加上传统管理系统对驴自然觅食行为的限制，常常导致严重的营养不良。针对不同草料的消化率开展的研究很少，关于驴的营养需求的信息也很匮乏。为了测定热带条件下驴的可消化能量需求，在位于墨西哥中部托卢卡山谷的农业科学研究中心（CICA）和墨西哥州立自治大学兽医学院进行了一项实验。将32头具有墨西哥中部典型身体状况的驴，根据其性别和体重分为四组，每组8头动物：第1组（G1）包括体重低于平均水平的雄性驴（102±5千克）；第2组（G2）包括体重平均的雄性驴（121.5±4千克）；第3组（G3）包括体重低于平均水平的雌性驴（111.8±5千克）；第4组（G4）包括体重平均的雌性驴（127.6±5千克）。提供燕麦秸秆或玉米秸秆以及15%苜蓿干草的日粮，以满足精确的维持需求。对这些驴进行了13个月的监测。每天记录所有动物的体重，以监测维持需求是否得到满足。在2003 - 2004年的冬季、春季、夏季和秋季测量了平均每日可消化能量（DE）需求。所有四个性别和体重组的可消化能量需求在春季均显著高于一年中的其他季节（冬季、春季、夏季和秋季的每日DE分别为13.5、18.0、10.4和14.3兆焦）（p > 0.05）。利用本研究的数据预测，体重在90至150千克之间的驴的DE需求低于使用按比例缩小的马饲养标准预测的需求。
