Digestible Energy Requirements of Working and Non-working Ponies

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Abstract
A total-collection digestion trial was conducted with five mature pony stallions weighing an average of 190 kilograms. Digestibility of proximate and Van Soest constituents in a hay (maintenance) and a hay-concentrate (medium work) ration was determined. Digestible energy (DE) and total digestible nutrient (TDN) values were applied to amounts of diet required to maintain 190-kg working or idle ponies at relatively constant body weights over a period of one year. An average daily intake of 7.51 Meal DE or 147 kcal DE/W.75kg was necessary to maintain 190-kg mature idle ponies. Their TDN maintenance requirement was 1.61 kg/ day. Energy requirements for medium work were 10.72 Meal DE/day or 2.32 kg TDN/day or 210 kcal DE/day/W.75kg. The relation of DE to TDN averaged 4,636 kcal DE per kilogram of TDN (4,648 for the hay diet and 4,624 for the hay and concentrate diet). Therefore, the use of this factor 4,410 kcal DE per kilogram of TDN for the conversion of DE to TDN values results in a substantial error and suggests discontinuation of its use in converting DE to TDN values. Copyright © 1977. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1977 by American Society of Animal Science.

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