Effects of Concentrate Feeding Sequence on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, VFA Production, and Fecal Microbiota of Weaned Donkeys
Lan Xie,
Jingya Xing,
Xingzhen Qi,
Ting Lu,
Yaqian Jin,
Muhammad Faheem Akhtar,
Lanjie Li,
Guiqin Liu
Affiliations
Lan Xie
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Jingya Xing
College of Animal Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266000, China
Xingzhen Qi
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Ting Lu
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Yaqian Jin
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Muhammad Faheem Akhtar
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Lanjie Li
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
Guiqin Liu
Shandong Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Breeding and Ecological Feeding of Black Donkey, Shandong Donkey Industry Technology Collaborative Innovation Center, College of Agronomy and Agricultural Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China
In this study, effects on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, volatile fatty acids (VFA) production, and fecal microbiota of weaned donkeys were observed using different concentrate feeding sequences. Fifteen healthy 6-month-old weaned male donkeys with a body weight of 117.13 ± 10.60 kg were randomly divided into three treatment groups, including group C1 (roughage-then-concentrate), group C2 (concentrate-then-roughage), and group C3 (total mixed ration, TMR). The experiment lasted 35 d. We measured nutrient digestion by the acid-insoluble ash method and analyzed the fecal microbiota of the weaned donkeys by high-throughput sequencing of 16s rRNA genes in the V3-V4 region. The results show that group C3 obtained the best growth performance, and the digestibility of crude protein (CP) and crude extract (EE) was significantly higher than that of group C1 (p p p p < 0.05). The prediction of fecal microbiota function by PICRUSt indicated that different feeding sequences had minimal impact on the function of the fecal microbiota, particularly on the high-abundance pathway. In summary, the concentrate feeding sequence changed the composition of the fecal microbe of weaned donkeys.
