Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: alfalfa hay
Dear Wayne,
My intent is not to challenge your experience and knowledge of livestock feed, however many, many of us alpaca breeders, do in fact, live in colder climates and are well acquainted with the needs of alpaca diet during such times.
One must also keep in mind that alpacas are not cows, hogs, horses, or goats. Their requirements are different. Hence the reason why we don't feed alpacas chicken feed. Chicken feed is for chickens and other types of fowl, not alpacas.
Have a great day.
Dede Crout
Dragonfly Alpacas LLC
Marydel, MD.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Hi Janice:
Corn is high in carbohydrates=caleries. In the winter carbohydrates help them
deal with the cold and the caleries are burnd up doing this instead of adding
fat. Too many caleries and the animal puts on weight. This is why hog food is
high in corn content. We want them to be plump little beasties.
Alpaca, like all animals, require some carbohydrate especially in the cold
weather.
Please keep in mind that I live in an area where temps. in winter are quite
cold. A feeding program that works for me may or may not work for others
especialy if they live in a differnt climate.
I am 68 years old and have been feeding livestock off and on since I was in my
late teens and helping on farms befor that. All animals nutritional requirements
are different. We feed hogs large amounts of corn where as too much corn will
founder a horse.
As with most things in life feeding animals requires moderation amd balance.
BTW did you ever notice that if a serieously over wieght person has pets the pet
is likely to be over weight also and visa versa?
By for now, Wayne
http://jubileeacres.net
http://wordsmith.fateback.com
http://bramblewoods.com/
----- Original Message ----
From: "jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net" <jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, January 27, 2011 11:03:24 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] RE: alfalfa hay
Thanks Wayne, easy peasy!
I would worry tho about the corn for the alpacas; can't say why but I
seem to recall something somewhere along the way that causes me to be
concerned about feeding corn to alpacas.
I am looking at every critter on the farm and trying to determine if I
can cut costs and/or time required to feed. Both are commodities in
short supply.
I can hardly keep my pacas out of the chicken feed - laying pellets.
It drives me crazy. No matter how I try to keep them out, they always
manage to find a way in to where the hanging chicken feeder is.
Recently I decided to take the laying pellets away (figured I was
wasting money since they are not laying right now anyway, plus the ducks
and guineas are sucking down those pellets as well). So I thought I
could just switch them to scratch grains for the winter to save money.
To my dismay I discovered the scratch grains cost more than the laying
pellets!! Prices going up weekly at the feed store. They tell me it
is the corn and that the scratch grains have more corn than the laying
pellets do. So back to the laying pellets for the chickens.
Janice
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posted by Chaddo at 8:42 AM
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