Physicochemical characteristics of faeces of horses fed diets containing soybean hulls

• Grant number: 11/23321-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Roberta Ariboni Brandi
• Grantee: Aline Duarte de Souza
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of low-starch ingredients as an energy source (soybean hulls) in horse diets can be a preventive of gastrointestinal disorders in horses and the use of fecal quality evaluation can be a non-evasive assessment of horse diet evaluation. The objective of this project is to evaluate the effect of inclusion of soybean hulls in horse diets on the physicochemical characteristics of the horse feces. Five adult horses will be used, arranged in a 5x5 Latin square design (five animals and five experimental diets - increasing levels of soybean hulls). Horses will be housed in individual pens. Diets will consist of 60% forage and 40% concentrate. The experiment will last 75 days, with each period consisting of 15 days. The feces will be sampled during three days and sent to the laboratory for the measurement of pH and buffer effect. The feces will be evaluated by characteristics of consistency and color. Fecal dry matter content will be determined to verify if the amount of pectin present in the diet influences the retention of water by fecal matter and can influence the amount of feces produced daily. (AU)