Browsing by Author "Grev, Amanda"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    The Effect of Restricted Diet and Slow-Feed Hay nets on Morphometric Measurements and Blood Metabolites in Overweight Horses
    (University of Minnesota. Minnesota Extension Service, 2014-09) Martinson, Krishona; Glunk, Emily C.; Grev, Amanda; Lamprecht, Emily; Hathaway, Marcia
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    The Effect of Small-Square Feeder Design on Hay Waste, Herd Bodyweight Change, and Economics During Outdoor Feeding of Adult Horses
    (University of Minnesota. Minnesota Extension Service, 2014-09) Grev, Amanda; Glunk, Emily; Hathaway, Marcia; Lazarus, William; Martinson, Krishona
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    Maximizing Equine Forage Utilization through the Reduction of Hay Waste and Grazing Alternative Pasture Species
    (2015-05) Grev, Amanda
    Hay waste during feeding represents a costly expense for horse owners. The objectives of this study were to determine hay waste, herd bodyweight (BW) change, hay intake, and economics of small square-bale feeders used in outdoor feeding of adult horses. Feeder designs included a hayrack, slat feeder, basket feeder, and a no-feeder control. Feeders were placed in separate outdoor dirt paddocks. Twelve adult horses were divided into four groups and rotated through the paddocks in a Latin square design. Horses were weighed immediately before and after each rotation. Horses were fed grass hay at 2.5% of the herd BW split evenly at 0800 and 1600 hours. Waste hay and orts were collected daily before each feeding. The number of months to repay the feeder cost (payback) was calculated using hay valued at $250/ton, and improved efficiency over the no-feeder control. Mean hay waste was 13, 5, 3, and 1%, for the no-feeder control, hayrack, basket feeder, and slat feeder, respectively. The hayrack, basket feeder, and slat feeder paid for themselves in 12, 11, and 9 months, respectively. Herds gained 10 and 7 kg when feeding from the basket feeder and hayrack, and lost 3 and 11 kg when feeding from the slat feeder and no-feeder control (P ≤ 0.0015). Estimated hay intake was 2.4% BW for the basket feeder and hayrack and 2.2% BW for the slat feeder and no-feeder control (P < 0.0001). Small square-bale feeder design affected hay waste, hay intake, herd BW change, and payback. Annual grasses can serve as emergency forage but have not been evaluated under horse grazing. The objectives of this study were to evaluate annual grasses for yield, forage nutritive value, and preference under horse (Equus caballus L.) grazing at two maturities during the spring and fall. Spring grasses were planted on May 8, 2013 and April 22, 2014 in a randomized complete block (RCB) with eight replicates. Fall grasses were planted on August 1, 2013 and August 5, 2014 in a RCB with six replicates. Beginning in June and September of each year, adult horses grazed half of the replicates for four hours at an immature stage. Approximately one week later, horses grazed the remaining plots at a mature stage. Plots were mowed and grazing was repeated when annual grasses regrew to the target maturities. Although spring and forage oat (Avena sativa L.) and winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) often had the highest yields (≥ 3.9 t ha-1; P ≤ 0.0455) across seasons and maturities, they were among the least preferred annual grasses (≤ 28%; P ≤ 0.0498). Across seasons and maturities, annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) and winter and spring wheat (Tricum aestivum L.) were the most preferred annual grasses with ≥ 45% removal (P ≤ 0.0370). Among these highly preferred grasses, annual ryegrass was typically higher yielding (≥ 4.7 t ha-1), while winter and spring wheat were among the lowest yielding species (≤ 6.4 t ha-1; P ≤ 0.0455). Although differences were observed, all annual grasses resulted in ≥ 15% crude protein (CP), ≤ 59% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), ≤ 17% nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC), and ≥ 2.05 Mcal kg-1 equine digestible energy (DE). Annual ryegrass appears to be a viable option for horse owners looking to extend the grazing season or provide emergency pasture forage.
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    Reduced Lignin Alfalfa: Yield, Forage Nutritive Value, Stem and Leaf Characteristics, and Forage Digestibility by Horses
    (2018-12) Grev, Amanda
    Although alfalfa is a preferred forage source for horses and other herbivores with advanced dietary requirements, the digestibility and utilization of alfalfa by these animals is hampered by its lignin content. Populations of reduced lignin alfalfa are now available, and research with these experimental populations has shown their potential to improve forage quality and digestibility. However, field evaluations under diverse conditions are needed to determine the performance of new commercial alfalfa cultivars containing the reduced lignin trait, especially with regard to forage accumulation and nutritive value under different harvest frequencies. To evaluate the effects of varied harvest frequencies and changing forage maturity on yield, quality, and stem and leaf characteristics for reduced lignin alfalfa, two field studies were completed. The objectives of the first study were to evaluate forage accumulation and forage nutritive value for reduced lignin and reference alfalfa cultivars when subject to diverse cutting treatments during the establishment and first production year. The objectives of the second study were to characterize changes in morphological development and forage nutritive value within leaf and stem fractions for reduced lignin and reference alfalfa cultivars over time. In addition to the need for an evaluation of the performance of reduced lignin alfalfa cultivars in the field, it remains to be seen if the improvements in in vitro DMD and NDFD for reduced lignin alfalfa will translate to greater in vivo digestibility when fed to the animal directly. A variety of methods have been successfully used to evaluate digestibility and related nutritional parameters, including fecal particle size and digesta passage rates. While preliminary information surrounding the forage nutritive value and digestibility of reduced lignin alfalfa is promising, information on forage digestibility for current, commercially available reduced lignin alfalfa cultivars is not yet available, and digestibility changes have not yet been evaluated in the equine model. Therefore, a digestibility study in which reduced lignin and reference alfalfa hays were fed to horses was completed. The objectives for the study were to evaluate apparent digestibility and other digestibility-related parameters, including fecal particle size and retention time, when feeding reduced lignin and reference alfalfa hays to adult horses.