Preferência alimentar de equinos ao consumo de aveia preta cultivada em diferentes sistemas

Abstract

Used in the field to assist with daily work tasks, horses are known for their size and strength. These animals are monogastric, herbivorous thatthrough the evolutionof their species have developed a gastrointestinal tract with a simple stomach for enzymatic digestion and a functional caecum for digesting fibrous feed from grazing feed, which can reach 60% - 70% of all the food eaten daily. Horses have dietary habitsconsidered as selectors, in which they only consume foods that meet their taste. One of the green fodder consumption alternatives for these animals is the black oat (Avena strigosa), which has adequate morphological characteristics for the consumption of this animal, being widely used as green fodder or hay. This forage can be produced bydifferent cultivation modes such as hydroponic, aquaponic and conventional (soil use) system. In the present work, black oat forages from different production systems were offered and the consumption and feeding preference of the horses were analyzed, in order to be made by observation and comparison to the animal selection patterns for apprehension in the wild. Data were subjected to analysis using the GLIMMIX procedure of the Statistical Analysis System software (SAS System, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). In caseof significance, the Tukey test was used. The results showed that horses have parameters of feed selectivity according to texture, food availability, color and odor, and that the forages produced in conventional systems met these parameters, thus being the material of preference for animal consumption.