Artificial feeding and nutritional status of semi-domesticated reindeer during winter

Three feeding experiments were done during 1980-82 with semi-domesticated reindeer in captivity out of doors in Northern Finland. Calves and adult hinds were fed with lichens (Cladina spp.), hay, dry molasses pulp and other feeds containing different amounts of proteins and other nutrients. The body weight, blood and faecal N were lowest in lichen fed groups. Slightly higher values were measured in groups fed with dry or ground hay, dry molasses pulp, oat bran and commercial feeds.


Introduction
Artificial feeding of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer t. tarandus L.) has long been practiced in the southern parts of the reindeer rearing area in Finland.Usually lichen, dry hay and three leaves are supplied in captivity out of do-ors and/or natural winter pastures.The objective of the present study was to investigate the utilization of different feeds and changes in body weight and condition of reindeer during the feeding periods.

Material and methods
Three feeding experiments were carried out during the winters 1980-81 and 1982 in Kaamanen field station and Palojarvi reindeer herding co-operative in Northern Finland.Altogether 62 semidomesticated reindeer (31 hinds and 31 female and male calves) were divided into 9 groups.Dry molasses pulp (Melassileike 20) used in the feeding was made by Lannen Tehtaat Oy.Feed concentrates used during 1980-81 in Palojarvi was Poroelo (Vaasan Mylloy Oy) and during 1982 in Kaamanen Ison Mullin Herkku (Raision Tehtaat).The chemical composition of the different feeds used 1982 in Kaamanen were determined by standard methods and feed values calculated by Salo et al. (1982) (Tables 1 and  2).In vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) was determined by the method of Tilley and Terry (1963).The total N content in faeces was determined by the Kjeldahl method.The blood sam-ples were taken from the jugular vein.Chemical composition of blood was measured by the methods described previously (Nieminen 1980).

Results
The feeding and consumption of feeds in different groups are given in Tables 3-5.During winters 1980-81 and 1982 reindeer in the lichen feeding groups in Kaamanen ate 2 to 2.4 kg (dry matter) lichen/reindeer/day and got 1.4 to 1.8 feed unites/reindeer/day.The content of digestible crude protein (DCP) in lichens is very low and it was calculated that reindeer got only 17¬ 22 g of digestible crude protein/reindeer/day.The consumption of dry hay in the hay feeding group was on average 1.2 kg (dry matter)/reindeer/day, which means 0.8 feed units and 86 g of digestible crude protein/reindeer/day. Reindeer fed with hay and lichen ate 0.83 kg lichen and 0.85 kg hay (dry matter)/reindeer/day and got  In vitro digestibility of lichens was low (32.1% of dry matter and 30% of organic matter).Higher values were measured for ground hay (63.9 and 62.9%) and dried Equisetum fluviatile (71.6 and 71.8%, respectively) (Table 6).
The total N content in faeces was varied between 18.3 to 19.9 mg/g dry matter in the lichen fed group in Kaamanen during winter 1982 (Table 7).The total N content was higher in groups fed with a high crude protein diet.The highest value was measured in reindeer fed ground hay and dry molasses pulp (30,9 mg/g) dry matter.Most reindeer managed to maintain body weight during the feeding trials (tables 8-9).Calves in Palojarvi fed hay, dry molasses pulp, oat bran and commercial feed also lost weight.These calves ate on average 1.6 kg dry matter/ reindeer/day and got 0.98 feed units and 109 g of digestible crude protein/reindeer/day.The blood values of minerals and metabolites decreased in the lichen fed group during the feeding period, and low serum cholesterol (1.6  mmol/1), calcium (1.9 mmol/1, inorganic phosphorus (1.2 mmol/1) and magnesium (1.4 mmol/1) were measured in spring.In the other feeding groups many blood values were slightly higher (Tables 10-12).

Discussion
Reindeer grow slowly, if at all in winter.The serum alkaline phosphatase activity (SAP) of calves is usually at the same level as in adult hinds in February (Nieminen 1980).Similar SAP values were measured in the present study.Calves, even when offered unlimited quantities of high quality food, voluntarily reduce their food intake in winter.Growth ceases and metabolic rates drop to a relatively low level.In Norway, lichen fed reindeer calves lose 24% of their body weight during winter, but calves fed In this study calves fed lichens only lost weight during the feeding period.Similar changes were noted for the reindeer grazing freely on natural winter pasture in Kaamanen during 1980-82.Calves in Palojarvi fed hay, dry molasses pulp, oat bran and commercial feed also lost weight.The crude content of lichens is very low.This protein, moreover, is poorly digestible, so the  1977) In the present study blood values of lichen fed group decreased during the feeding period, and low values were measured during spring.In the other feeding groups blood values were higher and at a similar level to that measured previously for the reindeer in good nutritional status during the winter and spring.
Feeding trials with a number of ungulate species led Erasmus et al. (1978) to propose that line-ar relationships might exist between diet and faecal concentrations of a number of key nutrients.Chemical analysis of faeces might provide a simple method for determining the quality of the available forage.In our study the total N content in faeces varied between 18.3 to 19.9 mg/g DM in the lichen fed group during winter.The values agree closely with earlier findings (Nieminen et al. 1980).The total N content in faeces was higher in groups fed with high crude protein diet.However, no significant correlation was found between the digestible crude protein content in feed and the total N content in faeces.