马房护理:草料小知识(下篇)

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上期谈到,被精心饲喂和训练的马,经历冬季也依然会更健康,更有机会在开春的第一场比赛中获胜。今天我们聊聊牧草的摄入量。

牧草的摄入量

To accurately calculate the contribution that forage makes to the horse’s overall feeding program, forage intake as well as composition must be known. The table below gives a range of forage and concentrate intakes for various classes of horses based on body weight.
要精确的计算出牧草在整个饲料配置计划中,给马所带来的好处,那么我们必须了解牧草的摄入量和成分。以下表格展示了一系列的各种等级的马基于体重计算的,牧草的浓缩摄入量。

High forage intakes will occur where there is an abundance of very good forage available, such as with second or third cut, leafy alfalfa hay. Low forage intakes will occur where forage is sparse and of poorer quality such as in the tropics. These estimates illustrate how much forage quality and level of intake can affect a horse’s overall feeding program. Not taking into account the contribution that forage makes to a horse’s overall nutrient intake can result in some serious errors in feeding.
当有丰富的好牧草时,牧草的摄入量就高。比如第二次或第三次收割时,叶子繁茂的苜蓿草。当牧草稀少或质量不好时,例如牧草木质化时,牧草的摄入量就低。这些评估向我们解释了,牧草的质量和摄入量对马的整体饲料配置计划的影响有多大。如果将牧草对马的整体营养物质摄入量的影响纳入考量中,能造成一些非常严重的饲养问题。

Expected Feed Consumption of Horses: Shown as both a percentage of their bodyweight and percentage of the diet.
马的饲料消耗量的估量: 马体重的百分比和饲料的百分比

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给马喂干草时的实用技巧

When feeding horses inside, hay can be placed in a net or rack, or directly on the stall floor. Hay should be at or below the horse's head level to avoid eye irritation from dust and grass particles. Nets or racks need to be placed so that a horse cannot get a foot or halter caught in them.
在室内喂马时,干草可以被放在在料兜、干草架或者直接摊在地板上。 干草放置的位置,应该是平行于或低于马的头部水平线的,以避免尘土和草微粒刺激马眼镜。料都和干草架应该被固定以避免马蹄或者马笼头卡在上面。

When hay is provided to horses outside the stable, it is more difficult to monitor individual intake. Remember to offer hay in several widely spaced locations, with at least one pile for each horse so that less dominant animals have a chance to eat.
在放牧场喂马时,监测每匹马的摄入量的难度更大。 记住,在供给草料时,要在开阔的地方,每隔一个间隔空间,为每匹马至少放一堆干草,这样马群中地位低的马也有机会吃到干草。

Congregating horses can quickly turn a single feeding spot into a mud-hole, and moving the feeding place from time to time will help to avoid destruction of pasture. Because horses spread and trample hay as they eat, some hay will be wasted in outdoor feeding from the ground so we recommend installing several racks or feeding frames in each paddock.  
马群能迅速把那片放置干草的地面踩的泥泞不堪,因此要不断的更换放置干草的地方,以避免破坏牧草的生长。因为马在吃草时,会将干草洒的到处都是或踩在蹄下,那么在室外喂马时难免会浪费一些干草,因此我们推荐在每个放牧场安置几个架子或饲料框。

浸泡的干草

Recently many horse owners have started soaking hay before feeding it to horses in an effort to reduce the coughing caused by dusty hay or, trying to reduce its water-soluble carbohydrate content.  The practice of soaking hay has come about as people try to feed horses with diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome, polysaccharide storage myopathy, and laminitis. Thus, in an attempt to reduce levels of water-soluble carbohydrates, so dangerous for these particular horses, owners sometimes soaked hay for long periods, often for 12 hours or more.
最来许多马主开始在喂马前浸泡干草,以减少灰尘多的干草造成马咳嗽,或尝试减少干草里的水溶性碳水化合物的含量。  这种方法主要被马主用于喂生病的马,例如患有马新陈代谢综合症状、马多糖贮积肌病、蹄叶炎。 就减少水溶性碳水化合物含量的角度来说,对有上述情况的马来说非常危险,马主有时浸泡干草的时间很长,通常是12 个小时甚至更长。

A British group of researchers said that while soaking did decrease the carbohydrate levels, other research had already shown that its effectiveness varied considerably.
英国小组研究员说,浸泡干草确实减少了碳水化合物含量,别的研究已经现实出,其含量的变量相当显著。

These British researchers carried out a study and found that soaking hay caused a worrying rise in bacterial levels when compared to dry hay. The losses in water-soluble carbohydrates from soaking hay – which is why most horse owners soak hay in the first place – varied considerably, they found.
该英国研究员们进行了一项研究,通过比较浸泡后的草和干草的细菌水平,发现浸泡后的干草的细菌水平上升,减少了碳水化合物含量-马主浸泡草的主要目的,确实相当显著。

“While soaking hay, or steaming followed by soaking, can be an effective way of reducing water-soluble carbohydrate content, the losses were highly variable,” said the researchers, who found a range of 0–53 percent in their study.
研究者指出:“在浸泡干草时,或者在浸泡后进行蒸,是减少水溶性碳水化合物的有效方法,其结果有显著的不同”,该研究者发现其含量降低的水平的变化范围在0-53%。

They also found that soaking significantly increased the bacterial content, compared to the original, dry, untreated hay, which “reduced the hygienic quality of the hay”.
他们还发现相较于未经处理的干燥的草,浸泡的草的细菌含量显著增加了,也就是说 “干草的卫生质量被降低了”。

“Soaking or steaming-plus-soaking lowered water-soluble carbohydrates, but significantly reduced the hygienic quality of the hay which could potentially compromise the health of the horse,”
“浸泡或浸泡后蒸煮,虽然降低了水溶性碳水化合物含量,但是大大降低了干草的卫生质量,这可能对马的健康有潜在威胁”。

Dampening hay with water a few minutes before feeding to reduce dustiness should have no adverse effect on the hay.
在喂马前几分钟浸泡干草几分钟以减少草的灰尘,应该是没有不利影响的。

Contaminated Hay - Botulism
被污染的干草 – 肉毒杆菌症

The bacteria that cause botulism are always present in soil, so horses are never far from the source of the deadly neurotoxin produced by these microbes. However, horses that develop botulism have often developed signs after eating contaminated hay.
导致肉毒杆菌症的细菌长期存在于土壤中,马从未远离由这些微生物产生的致命的神经毒素的源头。然而,患肉毒杆菌症的马通常是在吃了被污染的干草后出现症状的。

Frequent culprits could be bales that contained too much moisture when baled, or hay that harbored a dead animal that was accidentally picked up by the baling machine. The bacteria thrive in damp, warm, anaerobic places, and among horses that ingest the toxin, up to half may die, according to results of a study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania.
大部分情况下罪魁祸首可能是那些被打包好的非常潮湿的干草,或者是偶然被打包机混入动物尸体的干草。在潮湿,温暖,缺乏氧气的环境细菌迅速繁殖,根据宾夕法尼亚大学的研究显示,摄入毒素的马中,高达半数的马死亡。

In the study, researchers looked at the records of 92 horses brought to the center because of signs of botulism. Treatment was provided for 86 of the horses. Survival rate was excellent for the 37 horses that were able to maintain a standing position, but of the 49 that could no longer stand, 40 died. The survival rate for the group of treated horses was 48%. Horses that were given an injection of antitoxin within the first six hours of treatment were 121 times more likely to survive than those that did not receive the antitoxin.
在这项研究中,研究员观察了研究中心收集的,有肉毒杆菌症中毒迹象的92匹马的记录。其中86匹马接受了治疗。其中能够保持站立的37匹马的存活率非常高;但是49匹无法保持站立的马中,有40匹马死掉了。治疗组的马中,存活率是48%。在治疗开始的前六个小时里,接收了一剂抗毒素的马存活的可能性比没有接收抗毒剂的马高121倍。

Horses are more sensitive than some other animals to botulin neurotoxin. Muscle weakness, the most common sign, is first seen as a lolling tongue, drooping eyelids, and poor control of the tail. As the weakness progresses, horses lose the ability to swallow, and eventually are unable to support themselves in a standing position. By the time the condition affects the muscles used in breathing the horses usually won’t recover.
相对于别的很多动物,马对肉毒杆菌毒素神经毒素更加敏感。 肌肉变得软弱,是最常见的迹象,首先被观察到的迹象是舌头拖出来,眼睑下垂,对尾巴的控制非常弱。随着马变得越来越虚弱,马失去吞咽的能力,最终无法支撑自己无法保持站立。当马控制呼吸的肌肉受到影响时,马将无法康复。

Treatment is most effective if it is started early. Antitoxin doesn’t immediately cure the horse but does stop progression of the disease.
在病症出现早期,治疗的效果最显著。抗毒素不会让马立刻痊愈,但是能阻止疾病继续恶化。

As you can see, there is a degree of both art and science in making, storing and feeding quality hay. Purchasing good quality hay is the best investment anyone can make in his or her horses health and welfare. I have given many lectures to horse clubs and horse owners in China and I have always been told how difficult it is to get good quality hay. But, if the consumer does not know or understand what “good quality” actually means, how can you find the best for your horse? I hope by introducing you to a little of the science behind feeding your horse, now you will understand what your horse needs to thrive and demand a quality forage for him.
如你所见,存放干草,给马喂干草不但是一种艺术,也是一门科学。购买优质干草是马主们能保证马的健康和福利的最好投资方式。我给很多中国的马术俱乐部和马主做过讲座,他们经常告诉我获取优质干草非常困难。但是如果消费者不知道或者不理解“优质的干草”是什么样的,你如何能为你的马找到最好的选择呢?通过这篇文章,我希望向你们展示一点点关于喂马背后的科学,现在你就能理解要马茁壮成长所需要的什么,并且为它们的需求为找到优质的干草。


来源:关于马的一切——Dr.K的小课堂
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