Preference and Estimation of Intake in Cattle, Horses, and Pigs

The objectives were to 1) use alkanes to estimate intake of cattle consuming a mixed forage diet and then to use the alkane method to estimate intake of grazing horses and 2) determine preference for feeds with nutritive additives that can influence intake through orosensorial properties. Twelve beef cattle were housed individually with access to six feeding stations and fed a supplement dosed with dotriacontane and hexatriacontane. They were given a blended alfalfa:switchgrass hay flavored with water for control, sucrose as sweetener, or citric acid as sour additive. Intake was estimated from hay and fecal analyses for alkanes. There was no difference (P < 0.35) between actual and estimated intake using hentriacontane (C31) as an internal marker. Cattle preferred (P < 0.01) the hay with sucrose addition over both control and citric acid addition, while preferring (P < 0.01) the control over citric acid.;The alkane procedure previously used in the cattle was used to estimate intake of horses stall-fed or grazing pasture. Oats were dosed with hexatriacontane. Six mature geldings were randomly assigned to either a hay-fed or pasture treatment for 14 d and then switched to the other treatment. All horses were housed in stalls without feed from 0700 to 1300 daily and given hay ad libitum or access to pasture for 1300 to 0700. Horses were supplemented with hexatriacontane alkane-coated oats. Fecal grab samples were collected twice daily during d 8--12 of each period. Actual intake did not differ (P < 0.49) from estimated intake in hay-fed horses when C31 or tritricontane (C33) were used as internal markers. However, estimated DMI of pasture with C31 differed (P < 0.001) from estimated pasture intake with C33. Estimated pasture intake with C31 was 11.74 +/- 0.51 kg DM/d and 13.90 +/- 0.53 kg DM/d with C33.;Alkanes were used to estimate and compare intake of horses that began their daily grazing in the AM versus PM. Using oats to administer the even-chained alkane, the same six horses were assigned to either initiation of grazing in AM from 0700 to 1500 or PM from 1230 to 2030 in a random switchback design. Horses grazed non-toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue and were housed individually in pens with water during the remainder of the d. There was a tendency for an interaction where horses had higher estimated intakes (P < 0.07) in period 2, while intakes were higher in the PM for estimates with C33 as compared to C31. When estimating intake with hentriacontane, estimated intake was higher (P < 0.03) in period 2 and tended ( P = 0.10) to be higher in the PM.;Twenty second parity or greater sows of mixed breed were randomly assigned to a sweet or umami taste group with a nutritive and non-nutritive ingredient taste additive in each group. The sweet group consisted of control (CON), sucrose (SU) or non-caloric sweetener (SW) and the umami group with CON, monosodium glutamate (MSG) or non-nutritive umami additive (UM). The effect of flavoring agent fed to sows on piglet taste preference at weaning was determined by cross-fostering piglets across respective taste groups at parturition. At weaning, pigs were given 3-d double-choice preference tests. The SU and SW pigs preferred (P < 0.03) SU over CON, SU and CON pigs preferred (P < 0.02) SU over SW, and CON pigs preferred (P < 0.01) SW over CON. Pigs in the UM group preferred (P < 0.02) MSG over CON, preferred (P < 0.03) MSG over UM, but no preference (P > 0.16) UM over CON. Piglets preferred the feed with nutritive taste additives.