巴基斯坦亚热带条件下内在和外在因素对幼驹生长发育的影响。
Effect of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the growth and development of young foals under subtropical conditions of Pakistan.
作者信息
Chatha Muhammad Athar, Ahmad Nisar, Abbas Muhammad Athar, Saadullah Muhammad, Khan Jawaria Ali
机构信息
Department of Livestock Management, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan.
出版信息
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 30;20(1):e0310784. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0310784. eCollection 2025.
This study was designed to explore the impact of intrinsic (breed of foal, age of dam, and age of foal at weaning) and extrinsic (season of birth and housing type) factors on the growth and survival of foals in the subtropical conditions of Pakistan. For the growth study, retrospective data analysis of foals (n = 150) born from purebred brood mares of Thoroughbred, Arabs, and Percheron breeds (n1, n2, and n3 = 50 each) was made. Six hundred and twenty-four (n = 624) foals born between 2020 to 2022 were observed for the study of foal survival rate. The survival of these foals till the age of one year was considered. To study the growth and development of foals, height, bone, and girth measurements were taken at multiple developmental stages (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months of age). Statistical analysis revealed that late-weaned foals demonstrated superior growth metrics compared to early-weaned foals (P = 0.001) and sheltered housing conditions markedly enhanced growth parameters across all breeds and measurement intervals (P = 0.002). However, no significant effect of season (P > 0.05) on the growth measurements across breeds was found. Arab and Thoroughbred breeds demonstrated significant early growth advantages in foals from middle-aged dams, with marked differences in height, bone width, and girth; however, by 15 months, these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In contrast, Percheron foals showed consistent growth regardless of the dam's age, suggesting breed-specific developmental influences (P = 0.885). Regarding the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on foal survival, environmental conditions, and maternal age significantly impacted survival rates. Extreme winter conditions were associated with a notably lower survival probability (P = 0.002), and middle-aged dams exhibited significantly enhanced survival odds (P = 0.03). However, the influences of housing conditions and weaning age on survival were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), indicating these factors do not substantially affect foal survival within the first year. These results underscore the critical roles of weaning age, housing conditions, and age of dams in influencing foal growth and survival, highlighting the importance of tailored management practices in optimizing outcomes for the growth and development of young equines under subtropics.
本研究旨在探讨内在因素(马驹品种、母马年龄和断奶时马驹年龄)和外在因素(出生季节和饲养类型)对巴基斯坦亚热带条件下马驹生长和存活的影响。对于生长研究,对纯种育种种马所生的马驹(n = 150)进行回顾性数据分析,这些育种种马包括纯种马、阿拉伯马和佩尔什马品种(n1、n2和n3各为50匹)。观察了2020年至2022年间出生的624匹(n = 624)马驹的存活率。研究考虑了这些马驹到一岁时的存活情况。为了研究马驹的生长发育,在多个发育阶段(3、6、9、12、15和18月龄)测量了马驹的身高、骨骼和胸围。统计分析表明,与早期断奶的马驹相比,晚期断奶的马驹生长指标更优(P = 0.001),并且在所有品种和测量间隔中,有遮蔽的饲养条件显著提高了生长参数(P = 0.002)。然而,未发现季节对各品种生长测量有显著影响(P > 0.05)。阿拉伯马和纯种马品种在中年母马所生马驹中表现出显著的早期生长优势,在身高、骨骼宽度和胸围方面有明显差异;然而,到15月龄时,这些差异无统计学意义(P > 0.05)。相比之下,佩尔什马驹无论母马年龄如何都表现出一致的生长,表明存在品种特异性发育影响(P = 0.885)。关于外在和内在因素对马驹存活的影响,环境条件和母马年龄显著影响存活率。极端冬季条件与显著较低的存活概率相关(P = 0.002),中年母马表现出显著提高的存活几率(P = 0.03)。然而,饲养条件和断奶年龄对存活的影响无统计学意义(P > 0.05),表明这些因素在第一年对马驹存活没有实质性影响。这些结果强调了断奶年龄、饲养条件和母马年龄在影响马驹生长和存活方面的关键作用,突出了在亚热带地区为优化幼马生长发育结果而采取针对性管理措施的重要性。