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    Digestibility of Fiberezy® and Timothy Haylage and behavioural observations and voluntary feed intake of FiberEzy® and rye clover hay in Thoroughbred horses : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Patel, Deepa
    This thesis describes a field study, a laboratory study and two animal studies evaluating the production of timothy grass grown under New Zealand conditions, the composition of a commercially prepared ensiled lucerne and timothy mix ( FiberEzy®: a 50:50 timothy lucerne mix) and ensiled timothy grass;, the stability of FiberEzy® during 12 months of storage; and also the digestibility and voluntary feed intake of FiberEzy®, ensiled timothy grass and Rye-clover hay when fed to Thoroughbred horses. For the field study, grass samples were collected from a representative section (6m x 16m) of a field in Reporoa, (Waikato, New Zealand) sown with timothy grass (Phleum pratense L.) on the 10th of March 2010 at Longitude 176°34’E, Latitude 38°39’S. The samples were collected at regular intervals to investigate changes in the dry matter (DM), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and lignin content of the crop over the growing season. There was an increase (17.7to 35.89%) in the dry matter content and lignin content (3.0to 6.3%) of timothy grass over time as the grass matured. Once harvested and ensiled, a sample of timothy grass and FiberEzy® were analysed for total DM, percentages of: crude protein; crude fat; crude fibre; ash; gross energy; hot water soluble carbohydrates; pectin, (NDF), (ADF), lignin, and vitamin E content. Lab analysis showed that FiberEzy® had higher levels of crude protein, pectin, lignin, ash and vitamin E (p<0.05), and lower levels of crude fibre and NDF (P<0.05) than the timothy grass. A shelf life stability study of FiberEzy® (was carried out by sub-sampling a stored bag of the product every 3 months and analysing for total DM, percentage crude protein, percentage hot water soluble carbohydrates and vitamin E (mg/kg) for a total of 12 months. During the storage trial, analysis of FiberEzy® showed an increase in the content of vitamin E (37.6to 124.9mg/kg) over time. A digestibility study was conducted to compare FiberEzy® and New Zealand grown and ensiled timothy haylage on Thoroughbred horses. FiberEzy® and timothy haylage was offered on a DM basis at 2.5% of the body weight to four Thoroughbred horses (10 ± 1 yr; 562.5± 30.7 kg initial BW). The horses were stalled individually in loose boxes (4 x 4 4 m) lined with rubber matting. Horses were randomly paired and assigned to be fed FiberEzy® or timothy haylage for two 18 day periods, in a 2 x 2 Latin square experimental design. Each 18 day period comprised of a 14 day dietary adaptation period where the horses were habituated to the pens and diet, and a 4 day (96 h) total faecal collection. The apparent digestibility of DM and GE were measured on days 15-18; at 12 hourly intervals faecal material from each horse was collected, weighed, and a subsample was taken and frozen at -20°C. One kg samples of the feed were collected and frozen at -20°C on day 15. The energy content of the FiberEzy® and timothy haylage varied between the first and second part of the study, with the DE of timothy haylage varying from 6.9 MJ/kg DM to 9.4 MJ/kg DM. Total energy intake of FiberEzy® and timothy haylage varied between horses, and between groups, with horses fed timothy haylage after FiberEzy® reducing their total energy intake. The apparent digestibility of FiberEzy® tended to be greater than that of timothy haylage. The apparent DM, crude protein and energy digestibility of the feed was similar to values reported in other studies using young horses. A voluntary feed intake (VFI) trial was conducted using six thoroughbred geldings, (10 ± 1 yr; 550.6±15.8 kg) were offered FiberEzy® or Rye-clover hay at >3% of the body weight. The horses were again stalled individually in loose boxes (4 x 4 m) lined with rubber matting. Voluntary feed intake was measured over 17 days. Day 1 to 8 was the adaptation phase and from day 9-17 of the study the horses were scan sampled and videoed for two hours every morning(9:30-11:30 am) after feeding and two hours in the evening (4:30-6:30 pm) after feeding. There were significant differences in VFI between time periods (24.3±0.9 vs 17.8±0.4 kg DM /day, p<0.05) and between feeds (FiberEzy®: 24.3±0.4 vs. Rye-clover hay: 17.8±0.7 kg DM /day) but not an interaction. Behaviours were typical of loose box housed horses and differences in feeding behaviour observed correlated with the differences in VFI measured between feeds. The results of this thesis suggest that FiberEzy® is a suitable alternative to concentrate-based supplementary feed.
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    A study of the effect of the digestibility of hay on its feeding value when given to lactating cows grazing on pasture : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science, Department of Animal Science, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1990) Sangsritavong, Sunan
    Sixteen cows with an average milk yield of 20 litres per day, were randomly allocated to two treatment groups. One group was supplemented with high digestibility hay (57 .3% DMD) while the other group was supplemented with low digestibility hay (52.0% DMD). Cows in both treatments grazed on pasture during the night time and were stall-fed with either high or low digestibility hay during the day time. The pastures were predominantly of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perene). The experiment was carried out for 28 days in September 1988. The two treatment groups were given a common pasture allowance of 11-12 kgDM per cow per 12 hour period of grazing. Hay intake (fed ad libitum), pasture intake, milk yield, milk composition, liveweight and condition score were measured. Herbage intake was estimated by the sward cutting technique and was 3.85 and 4.30 kgDM per cow per day for the high and low digestibility hay groups respectively. The difference between the groups in intake was significant (P<0.05). Daily intake of high digestibility hay (8.65 kgDM per cow) was significantly (P<0.0001) greater than the consumption of low digestibility hay (6.53 kgDM per cow). The estimated values for daily metabolisable energy intake were 115 MJ per cow and 99 MJ per cow for the high digestibility and low digestibility hay groups respectively. Residual herbage mass was slightly higher (1130 v 1100 kgDM per hectare), but not significantly, when cows were supplemented by high digestibility hay. Substitution rate for the increase in hay intake was -0.45 kgDM pasture intake for an increase of 2.12 kgDM of hay intake or 0.21 kgDM pasture per one kgDM increase in hay intake. Cows fed on the high digestibility hay produced slightly more milk than those on the low digestibility hay. The difference was significant (P<0.01) in week 1 but not significant thereafter. Yields of milk constituents were also slightly increased for cows fed on the high digestibility hay. Digestibility of hay had small and insignificant effects on the concentrations of milk fat, milk protein and milk lactose. However the concentration of milk fat and milk protein were slightly higher for cows fed low digestibility hay. Cows fed high digestibility hay gained significantly more liveweight (P<0.05) and condition score (P
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    Simulation of cow-calf systems in the Salado Region of Argentina : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science, Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Romera, Alvaro Jorge
    The Salado region of Argentina covers 9.5 million ha, is located in the centre-East of the Buenos Aires Province, and concentrates about 6.9 million cattle. Cow-calf systems are predominant in the area. A simulation model was developed with the purpose of assisting in the design and evaluation of cow-calf systems in the Salado Region. The model was designed to produce long term simulations of the dynamic interactions between herd structure, climatic variation and farm management over periods of several decades using daily weather data, real or simulated. Existing models were used to describe soil, pasture and animal components of the farm, linked with management actions in a dynamic framework. The model was driven by decision rules entered by the user, which allowed the representation of management options that respond to changing farm conditions according to a predetermined policy. An object-oriented approach (OOA) was used in the design and implementation of the model. In the OOA, objects in the real world (e.g. cows, paddocks) are represented as objects in the computer program. The simulation of individual cows and individual paddocks made it possible to distribute feed resources flexibly among animals and provided many other points of flexibility in management strategies. The management strategies simulated in trying to improve cow-calf systems in the Salado region were based on Reserva 6, an experimental cow-calf farm located at the INTA-Balcarce Experimental Station. Every spring-summer, 30% of the area is devoted to make low quality hay (by cutting at high herbage mass), most of which is destined to provide maintenance feed for pregnant adult cows in winter. Cows are kept on a small paddock from weaning (March) to calving (August-September), during which time they receive 6-9kg DM of hay per day. A set of decision rules was developed to represent (on a 100ha farm) the management applied in Reserva 6 and, using this as a base system, a series of simulation experiments was conducted. Firstly, three preliminary experiments, aimed at gaining insight into the system and testing the model, were carried out. In the first of these, the effect of delaying the breeding season 15 and 30 days was analysed. The model was run over 30 consecutive years using a real weather sequence, 1970-2000, from INTA-Balcarce, for each scenario. It was found that, when the appropriate management variables (i.e. weaning and sale dates) were adjusted accordingly, changing the calving period had little effect on the productivity of a cow-calf system. In the second experiment, the dynamic consequences of three different heifer replacement policies on the production outcomes of the system were explored. The policies produced different patterns of oscillations in key farm outputs as a result of periodic behaviour in the age structure of the herd, and the differences between strategies were shown to be dependent on the environmental variability being simulated. The third experiment analysed different policies for hay use during the autumn-winter period, including a control strategy in which no hay was harvested or used. The results suggested that, provided hay was utilized on the farm, the pattern of use did not make much difference to liveweight production. Secondly, the long term performance, in terms of annual liveweight sold, of a range of hay quantity-quality combinations was compared. Each policy was simulated across a range of cow numbers (170 to 350, cows plus heifers in a 100ha farm) and was replicated 20 times. Each replication consisted of 50 years of random weather sampled from the real sequence (1970-2000). The benefit of using hay and the contrasts between the effects of different haymaking strategies on animal outputs increased as the cow numbers increased. The long term analysis suggested that the liveweight production of cow-calf farms, under a calendar-based haymaking policy like that followed in Reserva 6, would be maximized by harvesting 40-50% (but not more) of the total farm area and aiming to harvest hay at medium herbage mass (therefore medium quality). Therefore, the policy currently followed in Reserva 6 of allocating 30% of the farm to haymaking could be considered as conservative, and its productivity might be increased by making hay at lower herbage mass. Thirdly, the possible advantages of incorporating flexibility into the haymaking policy used in Reserva 6 were evaluated using the same experimental design. The results indicated that controlling haymaking in a flexible fashion, basing the decisions of closing, releasing and cutting paddocks on a simple pasture budget, would give the system productive advantages (i.e. increases in productivity and reductions in variability) in relation to a calendar-based approach. Using a flexible haymaking policy allows the manager to make more hay than required for the next winter, providing a buffer for the system. A flexible haymaking policy permitted significantly greater levels of herbage utilization by making large amounts of hay without negative effects on the carrying capacity of the system. A preliminary analysis of risk and costs highlighted major advantages in using hay in cow-calf systems, especially when a flexible approach to haymaking is implemented.