Intake and Utilization of Nutrients in Adult Donkey during Work and Rest

Six adult large white donkeys with mean body weight 147.94±2.07 kg were selected for rest group (RG) and another six were selected with mean body weight of 152.69±1.34 kg for work group (WG). Chaffed dry sorghum fodder was fed ad libitum along with 1.0 kg concentrate mixture to both the groups. The donkeys of WG were engaged for 2 hours of light work (10% draft of their body weight) and the donkeys of RG were tied in shed with no work. The intake of nutrients in RG and WG were 2.85±0.06 and 3.44±0.05 (DM kg/day), 1.93±0.03 and 2.29±0.03 (% DM of body wt.), 7.70±0.39 and 13.00±0.74 (water lit/day), 136.83±2.42 and 163.17±3.17 (DCP g/day) and 6.17±0.07 and 7.80±0.19 (DE Mcal/day). Similarly the results of percent digestibility of nutrients in RG and WG were 53.94±1.16 and 58.50±1.08 (DM), 58.71±1.14 and 60.91±1.14 (OM), 54.27±1.10 and 57.35±0.80 (CF), 59.60±0.76 and 63.77±0.91 (CP) and 58.48±0.95 and 61.56±1.05 (NFE) respectively. The results of nutrients intake and their digestibility were significantly higher in WG than that of RG. Positive nitrogen balance (9.39±1.13g/day in RG and 2.62±0.38 g/day in WG) were observed in both the groups. This indicate that the diet offered to the experimental animals was sufficient enough to maintain their body weight and also for the work load given to them.