Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: stock feed or sweet feed
Hi Janice and all:
During the summer, here in Southwestern Ontario, We at "Bramblewood Alpaca" pasture our animals. Since this gives them a total diet we feed just enough grain to keep them coming when called.
During winter our girls have a double load on them, no green grass and most are pregnant and due to birth in early spring. For this reason grain is fed during this time of year.
Being of an animal husbandry background we always look for the most economical way to meet our goals. In this case these goals are; to produce strong healthy crea, maintain the good health of the adults, and at the same time produce fine soft fleece in abundance.
Although this may seem strange to many of you the grain we feed is "chicken scratch". That's right the same grain that is thrown on the ground for chickens to scratch around and eat. Before you turn me off as some nut let me tell you about this feed. The scratch grain that we buy consists of the following mostly whole grains. Wheat, oats and a small amount of cracked corn, with the wheat being the most abundant ingredient. A mineral and vitamin supplement is fed separately and free choice.
There is a small chance of choking with this feed, mostly with over eager crea. We have had one minor case of choke in, I think, four years.
BTW we grow our own hay and prefer to feed second cut as it is mostly grass. I think the alfalfa is too high in protein.
And so it goes, chasing the dream.
By for now, Wayne
http://jubileeacres.net
http://wordsmith.fateback.com
http://bramblewoods.com/
From: "jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net" <jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 10:48:10 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] RE: stock feed or sweet feed
Ken, I have to agree with Heather here. The sweet and stock feeds will
not do good for your alpacas. Take them off it immediately! I have
always heard that alpacas don't really need grain supplement at all, tho
I feed and it seems most here do. I do it for management purposes more
than anything. They are conditioned to come to individual catch areas
to eat, so that when I need to do something to do them they are easy to
get to catch pens. It is also my method for getting more
nutrients/minerals in them. But you could likely just do away with it
altogether and offer a vit/min supplement free choice. Getting a good
quality hay is the most important place to spend your dollars.
That said, I get the alpaca formula from Southern States. Years ago Dr
Evans told me they had purchased and were using his formula. I do not
know if that is still the case. They have 2 formulas - Ration and
Maintenance. One is much cheaper than the other ($12 for 40 or 50#)
and I have had to switch to that one for the same reasons you state - no
work for the past year plus now. I compared labels and they seem
identical to me. But from all I have learned from Heather tho I don't
like the ingredients at all. I feed them small amts 2x day and top
dress with soaked beet pulp and minerals, sometimes flax seeds when I
can remember; the boys get no more than a handful. When I have a
preggie or nursing mom I supplement her with alfalfa pellets. My guys
have all been very healthy now for the past couple of years, and that
was not always the case, so I must be doing something right!
Really hard decisions have to be made under current economic
conditions. I feel for you; I'm right there. I was already struggling
to do the best I could with the resources I had and it was not enough.
The past year has been brutal. But truly your pacas would be better
off with no supplemental grain than the sweet or stock feed. I have
wondered, and maybe someone here can answer, about just buying whole
grains like wheat and I don't know what, by the 50# bag and mixing my
own. The commercial feeds put in vitamins, but as a nutritionist I know
they are using the cheapest synthetics that will allow them to list
levels on their labels. I won't use those things for my people, so
don't like using them for my animals either. For a long time I have
felt I should be able to mix up something better for them. But I have
not proceeded in that direction. But when you think about it, grains
are not a natural part of these animals diets anyway.
Janice in NW GA
PS I grew up in Owensboro, KY and at first thought that was what your
sig line said! Beautiful country.
During the summer, here in Southwestern Ontario, We at "Bramblewood Alpaca" pasture our animals. Since this gives them a total diet we feed just enough grain to keep them coming when called.
During winter our girls have a double load on them, no green grass and most are pregnant and due to birth in early spring. For this reason grain is fed during this time of year.
Being of an animal husbandry background we always look for the most economical way to meet our goals. In this case these goals are; to produce strong healthy crea, maintain the good health of the adults, and at the same time produce fine soft fleece in abundance.
Although this may seem strange to many of you the grain we feed is "chicken scratch". That's right the same grain that is thrown on the ground for chickens to scratch around and eat. Before you turn me off as some nut let me tell you about this feed. The scratch grain that we buy consists of the following mostly whole grains. Wheat, oats and a small amount of cracked corn, with the wheat being the most abundant ingredient. A mineral and vitamin supplement is fed separately and free choice.
There is a small chance of choking with this feed, mostly with over eager crea. We have had one minor case of choke in, I think, four years.
BTW we grow our own hay and prefer to feed second cut as it is mostly grass. I think the alfalfa is too high in protein.
And so it goes, chasing the dream.
http://jubileeacres
http://wordsmith.
http://bramblewoods
From: "jelizabethfarms1@
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogro
Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 10:48:10 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] RE: stock feed or sweet feed
Ken, I have to agree with Heather here. The sweet and stock feeds will
not do good for your alpacas. Take them off it immediately! I have
always heard that alpacas don't really need grain supplement at all, tho
I feed and it seems most here do. I do it for management purposes more
than anything. They are conditioned to come to individual catch areas
to eat, so that when I need to do something to do them they are easy to
get to catch pens. It is also my method for getting more
nutrients/minerals in them. But you could likely just do away with it
altogether and offer a vit/min supplement free choice. Getting a good
quality hay is the most important place to spend your dollars.
That said, I get the alpaca formula from Southern States. Years ago Dr
Evans told me they had purchased and were using his formula. I do not
know if that is still the case. They have 2 formulas - Ration and
Maintenance. One is much cheaper than the other ($12 for 40 or 50#)
and I have had to switch to that one for the same reasons you state - no
work for the past year plus now. I compared labels and they seem
identical to me. But from all I have learned from Heather tho I don't
like the ingredients at all. I feed them small amts 2x day and top
dress with soaked beet pulp and minerals, sometimes flax seeds when I
can remember; the boys get no more than a handful. When I have a
preggie or nursing mom I supplement her with alfalfa pellets. My guys
have all been very healthy now for the past couple of years, and that
was not always the case, so I must be doing something right!
Really hard decisions have to be made under current economic
conditions. I feel for you; I'm right there. I was already struggling
to do the best I could with the resources I had and it was not enough.
The past year has been brutal. But truly your pacas would be better
off with no supplemental grain than the sweet or stock feed. I have
wondered, and maybe someone here can answer, about just buying whole
grains like wheat and I don't know what, by the 50# bag and mixing my
own. The commercial feeds put in vitamins, but as a nutritionist I know
they are using the cheapest synthetics that will allow them to list
levels on their labels. I won't use those things for my people, so
don't like using them for my animals either. For a long time I have
felt I should be able to mix up something better for them. But I have
not proceeded in that direction. But when you think about it, grains
are not a natural part of these animals diets anyway.
Janice in NW GA
PS I grew up in Owensboro, KY and at first thought that was what your
sig line said! Beautiful country.
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