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Digestibility of timothy hay by African elephants
Author(s) -
Roehrs J. M.,
Brockway C. R.,
Ross D. V.,
Reichard T. A.,
Ullrey D. E.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430080403
Subject(s) - dry matter , hay , biology , zoology , neutral detergent fiber , breed , phleum , feces , forage , body weight , agronomy , ecology , endocrinology
Two juvenile, female African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) were used in summer and winter trials to determine the apparent digestibility of timothy ( Phleum pratense ) hay. After 12–14 days of dietary adjustment, dry matter intake and fecal excretion were quantitatively measured for 7 days. Dry matter of timothy hay contained 8.6 and 7.7% crude protein, 57.3 and 44.0% acid detergent fiber, and 6.5 and 6.4% ash during the summer and winter trials, respectively. Estimates of apparent digestibility during summer and winter, respectively, were 39 and 35% for dry matter, 43 and 32% for gross energy (GE), 45 and 30% for crude protein (CP), and 36 and 24% for acid detergent fiber (ADF). While GE and CP digestibility estimates tended ( P < .09) to be greater in the summer trial, only the digestibility of ADF was different ( P < .05) between summer and winter. Dry matter intake was 1.4–1.6% of body weight (BW), providing an average of 144 kcal of digestible energy per kg BW 0.75 . This value is similar to that (155 kcal per kg BW 0.75 ) used for estimating digestible energy requirements for maintenance of light‐breed horses.