Re: [AlpacaTalk] Fleece blow out
Ah, this is a subject dear to my heart. In 2006, we experienced a nearly herd-wide blow out in fleece micron. Handle and character was also horrible.
My daughter's maiden who was 20.0 at 15 months in 2005, was over 27 microns in 2006. One of my mom's girls, also a yearling, who was also 20.0µ in 2005 was over 30 in 2006! My wonderful Scirocco, who was 16.6µ in 2005 jumped 6 points in 2006. We were understandably shocked and horrified. Since we changed feeds, he is now 20.8 at 4 years of age in 2008. Since the fleece blow out happened to so many in the herd, we didn't think it could be that we just had so many individuals who blew out that way, as a genetic trait.
We also had a lovely little juvie die of a perforated ulcer on her 1st birthday. She was a Color Champion at halter. Dr Chris Cebra told us recently that ulcers in alpacas is more common that one would expect.
We determined that it had to be the feed, since that was the only thing that we had no control over. They had the same pasture, same hay, same water... The feed we were feeding, though, turned out to be very poor quality. The main ingredients were things like corn, Distillers Dried Grains, wheat and other grain middlings, hulls from seed and grain crops, "plant roughage by-products", and any number of other thing that they get the best price on.
Most feeds are manufactured based on the Guaranteed Analysis, and whatever ingredients they can get, at the best price, to match the total protein, fat, nutrients, etc, is what goes into it. Most feeds are vastly different from batch to batch. Sometimes, our alpacas wouldn't eat it, because it wasn't what they had last time.
Thus began the search for a better feed. After months of research, my mom contacted a custom mill closeby to have a premium feed made, with no corn or grain by-products. Dr. Cebra also told us that he has been teaching and speaking out on removing grain from alpaca feeds for years.
Corn for livestock feed is grown largely in the midwest. It is frequently subject to drought, which stresses the plant which then forms aflatoxins, which are well, toxic to livestock. Corn and grain, and grain by products also acidify the rumen, which kills the rumen mat or makes the gut inhospitable to the proper microflora that does the real digestion of the alpacas' diet. This also causes stomach ulcers. Starch and sugars are not meant to be livestock food! This is not what they evolved eating, and it isn't healthy for them.
Our pelleted feed is based on alfalfa, flax seed (improves fleece quality), a better vitamin/mineral mix, and a very small amount of human grade wheat, oats and barley to bind into a pellet form. There is some soy oil as well. But not much more. Of course we feed free choice hay as well.
I have a friend who used to use our feed, but now she just feeds the free choice hay, some premium dairy alfalfa hay, maybe 1 lb per head per day, and she gives them 2 tablespoons flax seed and Stillwater Mineral 104. Basically the same diet.
There is no need for a transition period in getting your alpacas off grain products. The gut will return to normal and they will be much healthier.
We have seen our fleeces improve since 2006. It didn't happen overnight, actually it did take 2 years. But they have improved, and we are also seeing cria born in the correct weight range, rather than fat 20+ lb babies that make delivery very hard on the dams.
Heather
Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Oregon
Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece
On Jul 22, 2009, at 9:04 AM, cphalpacas@aol.com wrote:
Can any one tell me some info about reversing fleece blowout? Has anyone had experience with it?Thank you kindly.~Nancy Miller
Crooked Pine Hollow Alpacas
76 Van Lane
Winterville, Ga 30683
706-255-7914
cphalpacas@aol.com
www.cphalpacas.com
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posted by Chaddo at 9:50 AM
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