RE: [AlpacaTalk] RE:corn
Hi Jess,
Alpacas do not have a gizzard to grind hard cracked corn so that is certainly an understandable outcome.
While studying nutrition we learned that corn equates to "heat" so use steamed rolled corn during very cold weather.
Lona Nelsen Frank
ALPACAS of Tualatin Valley, llc Since 1988
Beaverton, Oregon 97007
503-649-2128 or cell 503-936-7722
May God Bless America
From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Acres of Love
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:11 AM
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE:corn
Although corn sugars require increased stomach acid production which can lead to ulcers when too much corn is consumed, cracked corn (such as contained in chicken scratch) is a different matter. Cracked corn is hard, with very sharp edges and inflicts lacerations on the alpaca stomach lining. There are many documented cases where necropsies revealed death related to cracked corn becoming embedded in the stomach lining.
We do not feed cracked corn or any feedstuff containine cracked corn.
Jess
Jess & Cookie Bowers
Acres of Love Alpaca Ranch
Acres of Love Alpaca Transport
11006 N 92nd East Ave
Owasso, OK 74055
918-829-9987
www.acresoflove.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Tina Travis
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2011 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE:corn
You are right about the corn,there is talk about it having too much acidic
reaction in the gut.Worry of ulcer,poor gut movement.Sorry I can not point you toward any study but the research is supposed to be available.I also know of many goat farms that have taken corn out of the diet and are having less health issues since the change.Maybe if you take the question to UA chatsite one of the Dr.'s can be more direct on the issue.Push the hay not the grain seems to be the idea and I am doing just that for the 2nd year on my farm.More Alfalfa in the cold weather along with the regular hay.More body scoring and moving skinnies around.Skinnies and crias are the ones getting the grain.I use a pelleted Llama/Alpaca feed for the ones that need it.Tina Hunt 636-459-8930
Elkhorn Alpacas
Warrenton,MO>63383
From: "jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net" <jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, January 27, 2011 10:03:24 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] RE: alfalfa hay
<<< Hi Janice:
Actually we buy chicken scratch. It is made up of wheat, oats and corn
in about
equal amounts, by volume. >>>
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
posted by Chaddo at 11:21 AM
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