Re: [AlpacaTalk] alpaca feed

http://www.alpacaresearchfoundation.org/papers_reports/
Basics%20of%20Alpaca%20Nutrition.html

You mention the condition of acidosis being a systemic condition.
However, in regards to feeding grain and those grain by-products to
ruminants, what we're talking about it "RUMEN ACIDOSIS". They are
completely different conditions, and trying to confuse the readers does
no service to them, and their alpacas' health and nutrition care. In
fact, you say this only occurs in Compartment 3, yet Dr Irlbeck states
that it occurs in C1.

"The problem with overfeeding grain to alpaca primarily deals with the
microbe population. Remember that the microbes in Compartment I
digest/ferment the cellulose from forages. They also ferment the starch
in grains. Starch is much easier to ferment than cellulose, and if too
much grain is fed, then the microbes ferment it very fast producing
large proportion of lactic acid rather than the traditional fatty acids
we talked about earlier. The pH of lactic acid is very low and can
actually burn the inside of Compartment I. In ruminants this is called
acidosis <ruem acidosis>, in camelids it is called "grain-overload."

"If grain is supplemented to crias, they must be vaccinated for
enterotoxemia as are lambs – actually I prefer good quality alfalfa hay
as a creep feed. Just be careful of the animal consuming too many
leaves as this may create a bloat situation. Without the enterotoxemia
vaccination, microbes in the cria's gut digest the starch from grains,
changing the gut pH. A change in gut pH favors the Clostridium microbe
population normally inherent in the gut. This organism then releases an
endotoxin that will be absorbed and ultimately result in death.

One more note about grains. Notice the nutrient composition of the 4
grains presented in Table 4. Again - grains are an energy source (%TDN)
and not a protein or calcium source. There are other feedstuffs that
can supply more protein and definitely more calcium than grains. Do not
use grains as a calcium source, there is none there, and besides there
is more phosphorus than calcium which you do not want! Remember too
that alpacas are extremely efficient and if too much energy (grain) is
supplied, they can become obese. Animals should be weighed on a regular
basis, monitored and records kept."

Best regards,
Heather

Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Creswell, OR

541.895.0964

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
http://www.whitelotusalpacas.com
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AlpacaTalk/join

On Dec 23, 2008, at 8:31 AM, bluebirdhills@voyager.net wrote:
>
> It is also useful to
> understand that the compartmentalized alpaca stomach is actually a
> factory
> where the bacteria and fungi located in the first two parts of the
> stomach
> are there to convert the fiber, sugars, and starches into usable
> components including alcohols, that are quickly converted into energy
> to
> run the various systems of the alpaca.
>
> Since the diet of the
> alpaca is primarily forage which is low in protein, the third
> compartment,
> the only portion that produces acid, is responsible for digesting the
> bacteria and fungi which are the primary source of protein for the
> alpaca
> to utilize. The proteins that are found in the alpaca forage and
> supplements are actually used to create more bacteria etc. for the
> rumen
> to keep operating. This is why ulcers occur in the third compartment
> instead of elsewhere.
>
> Acidosis is not a condition in the stomach,
> but rather a condition of the pH of the blood caused by an imbalance
> of
> the bicarbonate, hydrogen ions, and carbon dioxide located
> there.  There are many, many causes for this, but the kidneys
> and the lungs are what keep things in balance. It can certainly be
> caused
> by a sudden feed change where there is an excess of starches that
> causes
> the rumen organisms to produce acids rapidly that are absorbed into
> the
> blood stream in too great a quantity to be handled by the alpaca's
> compensatory mechanisms.
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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