Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the apparent consumption of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) from pasture by European wild boar in a pastoral system. Two pasture-types were used, one consisting predominantly of Lolium perenne L. and the other predominantly of Plantago lanceolata L. The study was conducted in Spring and repeated in Summer. Twelve purebred European Wild Boar of 18.8 ± 0.8 kg (mean ± sem) with nose rings were randomly grouped into six pairs. Each day of the 19-day study, a pair of animals was placed into each of three areas of a pasture strip (1.4 × 6.3 m per area) from each pasture type from 8:30 h until 16:30 h, after which the animals entered a barn and had free access to a commercial diet for 45 min, with each pasture strip being grazed once. Pasture samples were taken on days 4 to 19 from each grazed area pre- and post-grazing and the DM content of these samples was used to calculate DM consumption of the animals. Additional pasture samples were collected and analysed for gross energy, crude protein and amino acids. The wild boar consumed (mean + SEM) 418 ± 72.2 and 210 ± 38.3 g of DM per day in the L. perenne paddock during Spring and Summer, respectively, and 550 ± 85.9 and 226 ± 44.8 g DM per day in the P. lanceolata paddock during Spring and Summer, respectively. The amount of DM, energy, crude protein and amino acids that the animals consumed varied markedly between days, but did not significantly differ in amount between the L. perenne and P. laceolata paddocks. However, the consumptions were significantly lower in Summer than in Spring. It is estimated that the wild boar would have satisfied somewhat less than 90 and 45% of their daily maintenance digestible energy requirements through consumption of pasture when grazing the L. perenne paddock in Spring and Summer, respectively. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.