This study evaluated the influence of coastcross hay substrate hydration and equine fecal inoculum dilution on the parameters of fermentation and microbiology in in vitro essays. A 2 × 2 factorial block design was used. The first factor was hydration of the coastcross hay substrate 12 h before incubation or at the time of incubation, and the second factor was the dilution of fecal inoculum with a nutrient solution in a weight: weight ratio of 1:1 or 1:3. Degradation of the dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 h. Microorganisms were counted 24 h after inoculation. The ammoniacal nitrogen concentration (NH 3-N), pH, and cumulative gas production were measured up to 72 h and adjusted by the non-linear Gompertz regression model. Hydration of substrate and time of incubation increased nutrient degradation of coastcross hay, as well as the final volume of gases and the concentration of Streptococcus spp. The 1:3 dilution increased the final pH and Streptococcus spp. concentration. The hydration of substrate did not have any effect on NH 3-N, Lactobacillus spp., cellulolytic, and total anaerobic bacteria concentrations. In addition, no effect of hydration was observed on the fermentation rate and the maximum fermentation time on the model used. The fermentation profile of the grass substrate is not affected by dilution, and, therefore, horse feces can be used as a source of inoculum in in vitro fermentation trials. Hydration increases the gas volumes and the nutrient degradation of grass hay, renders the lag phase time insignificant and, therefore, can be irrelevant in terms of fermentation model settings.
-The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of prebiotic fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplementation on the development of Mangalarga Marchador suckling foals. Sixteen Mangalarga Marchador foals, from birth to 75 days of age, were evaluated in a completely randomized design, with two treatments (experimental group and control group) with eight repetitions (animals). The foals were evaluated through body weight, morphometric, and circumferential measures. The daily, weekly, and cumulative weight gains were recorded and the morphometric measures were: withers height, croup height, body length, mid-back height, mid-back width, and thorax, shin, knee, and forearm circumferences. The mean body weight was 32.3 and 77.9 kg at birth and 75 days of age, respectively. The mean withers height was 86 and 103.8 cm at birth and 75 days of age, respectively, and the mean body length was 63.9 cm at birth, reaching 89.1 cm at 75 days of age. No significant differences in the FOS supplementation or interaction of age versus supplementation between the experimental and control groups were observed for any of the parameters evaluated. However, there were significant differences between the ages. Supplementation with prebiotic FOS does not affect the development of the Mangalarga Marchador suckling foals from birth to 75 days of age.
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