All Hay Is Not Created Equal

By Karen Nicholson, Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas, Stowe, VT

You are what you eat. So are our camelids. Since our grazing season is so short and so many farms are raising their animals on either a dry-lot or a pasture that is overgrazed, we rely on hay to feed them. It is important to feed them quality hay or you can end up with thin or unhealthy animals.

In Vermont, hay comes in 1st, 2^nd, and sometimes even 3rd and 4th cuts, depending on the growing season and the weather at cutting times.

First cut hay is coarse with a lot of grasses and doesn't have a lot of legumes, such as alfalfa and clover. It may have quack grass, timothy, and brome. It may be weedy too. It dries quicker.

2nd cut hay is very rich in nutrients and has higher protein. It is greener than the 1st cut. It smells sweeter as well. You have to rake and dry this crop of hay more than the 1st cut because it is heavier and thicker. Also it is more likely to rot or catch fire if baled wet.

3rd cut hay is really, really thick and green. It is rich and has a really sweet smell to it. It has a lot of legumes and less grass, which may be harder to digest. It is more difficult to dry.

Llamas and alpacas typically eat 2nd cut hay, whereas cows, horses and goats usually do well on 1st cut hay.

The best time to evaluate hay is before you buy it. Ideally, you'd want to go out to the field before it is cut and see the plants and the stage they are in. Or you can go once it is cut and on the ground before bailing. But for most of us, summer is our busiest season and we're lucky enough to get the necessary things done and get the hay in the loft. In that case, you can spend some time over the winter evaluating your hay and deciding if your source is worth sticking with.

Here are some quick tips to evaluate your hay:

1. Pick up the bail. – A good bale of hay will sag when you lift it up by the twine. Now drop the bail from at least waist level. It should bounce. If it thuds, it's a dud. Now, cut the twine or wire. The hay should spring out. If the bail had been packed too tightly it has likely trapped moisture, leading to mold growth. 
2. Look at the color. – Now that you have a bale open, look inside and see what color it is. If the outside is bleached from the sun, that's ok. But the hay should have a bright green color inside. This is an indicator that the hay has higher proteins and vitamins. Thumbs down on yellow and brown colored hay. No nutrients translates into sick alpacas.
3. Stickiness. – When you open the bale and pull the leaves apart, do they stick together? Yuck. No good. This is an indicator of mold. Does the bale feel warmer than others? Reject this loser too, and get it out of your loft. It is composting and could ignite.
4. Take a whiff. – Sniff that hay! You know what mold smells like and you can definitely smell it in hay. Quality hay smells sweet and grassy.
5. Work those eyeballs. - Really look at the hay. If you're buying alfalfa, make sure it's leafy with soft stems. In grassy hay, look for seed heads. REJECT! Lots of seed heads are an indication that the grass was cut when it was more mature and has lost protein value and palatability.
6. 'Listen' to your animals. – If you see them refusing a bale, trust that they are doing it for good reason. There can always be a bad bale in a good batch of hay (from the edge of the field, packed too tightly before they adjusted the twine properly, etc). Get rid of it and give them another. If they refuse all the hay (which happened to me one fall), first make sure it is good hay and if the only reason they are refusing it is preference, douse it with a molasses/water mixture to make it more appealing until they adapt to the taste.
7. How was it fertilized. – Ask your hay farmer what he uses for fertilizer on the field and how often. You don't want clumps of manure falling out, making it unappetizing to your animals and possibly carrying parasite eggs with it. Nor do you want hay from a field that has had little or no fertilizer – that will grow nothing but empty food for your animals. Organic fertilizer in the form of composted manure is better than chemical fertilizers.
8. Test it. – Your feed company will often do this at no charge and give you a write up on how much you should supplement your animals with grain, based on the nutrition of your hay and the demands on the animal (pregnancy, lactation, etc). Or you can have it tested by your local university or a private company.
9. Secure good hay for the next year. – If you are satisfied that your hay is of good quality and feeding your animals well, talk to your hay farmer and make sure you can secure hay from that same field next year. If you are not satisfied, begin seeking a new source now. Or consider buying a hayfield, seeding and fertilizing as you want it, and either haying it yourself, or hiring a hay farmer to do it.

Like anything, we can only do our best within the confines of everything we are doing in our lives. Thus, most of us cannot obsess about our hay. If all that time allows for are the first four of the list above, you can get by fine, as long as you monitor your animals for condition and vibrancy and make adjustments accordingly. But if time does allow, finding and securing an excellent hay source is well worth it.

Karen Nicholson, of Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas in Stowe, VT, has a herd of nine alpacas, two French Alpine dairy goats, Indian Runner ducks, broiler chickens and several laying hens all integrated into their farm management program. Any comments or questions can be directed to: stowealpacas@gmail.com.

What's In Your Hay?

By Chris Stull, SELR BoA & Adoption Coordinator, NE PA
Reprinted from the Llama Rescue Review, September 2007

The basics for feeding any llama are hay, salt, and water, with only as much grain as needed for the animal to maintain good body condition. Hay still is the basis for a good feeding program because it usually can satisfy daily maintenance requirements of energy, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, however, depending on the quality, hay can vary in its nutritional content. For example, it can contain less than 8 percent or more than 22 percent protein.

Alfalfa hay may provide much more protein than some animals need, whereas, older, yellowed grass hay might not provide enough. Protein is important for bones, muscles and just about everything else, including coat condition. Too little protein will cause a dull coat. Too much won't hurt your animal but will result in higher urine output (wet smelly stalls, increased water needs). For the average llama, probably 8 to 10 percent protein in his daily diet would be plenty. Naturally, lactating, pregnant, or working llamas may have greater requirements.

Hay analysis can be done by a county agent or any university that has an agricultural department. However, this is not always practical. A rule of thumb for testing grass hay is to look at the distance from the stem to the seed head. The longer the stem, the lower the protein. If stems on timothy hay, for instance, are about six to seven inches long, you probably would have a less than 8 percent protein hay product, and you might need to supplement with a higher protein concentrate. If the stems are all nice and short, barely coming out of the blade of grass, then the protein percentage will be higher, and you probably would not need to supplement.

Watch for moldy hay. Any hay can become moldy because of harvesting or storage problems. It can cause respiratory disease and could be toxic to llamas. Usually, llamas won't eat moldy hay, and you'll see a lot of it wasted. Bales that are heavier than those around them may be moldy. Look for discolored patches of brown or white. Also, be sure to take a whiff. You can smell mold. Good hay is always clean, leafy and sweet smelling.

Sometimes hay can be difficult to find, especially after drought conditions. If this is the case, you can substitute forages such as hay cube products or bagged forage, which are pretty good as hay substitutes. Complete beet-pulp-based ratios are not really 100% adequate to replace hay, but can be used. You need to switch slowly. In both cases, expect increased wood-chewing activity. A llama naturally spends 10 to 14 hours a day eating. A diet of only hay cubes or bagged chopped forage and concentrates can be consumed in less than four hours, therefore, these llamas will look elsewhere to chew and may resort to eating toxic weeds. Grass hay tends to be higher in calcium than phosphorous, but the ratio between the two is fairly narrow.

Your feed room should have one closed container for grain, if your animal needs it, with a couple of bags of hay cubes or bagged chopped forage in case your hay is not the best quality. There should be extra loose salt with some electrolytes to replace essential compounds lost during periods of extreme heat. For animals in good condition, that's really all you need. In our last issue I discussed the different types and qualities of hay and hay substitutes. In some cases it may be necessary to supplement your llama's diet with foods other than hay to maintain a proper body mass. Adding fat in moderate amounts is one good way to keep the weight on an animal without feeding a lot of grain. However, if you start going over one cup of vegetable oil or add too much rice bran, which is popular now, you've got to be careful. Vegetable oil has no minerals but may increase the need for vitamin E. Rice bran is high in phosphorous, and you can get into a reverse calcium-to-phosphorous ratio if you feed them too much. When phosphorous intake is higher than calcium, the animal's body tries to stabilize things by leaching the calcium out of his bones. This causes intermittent lameness, and could cause skeletal disorders and fractures. As I mentioned previously, grass hay tends to be higher in calcium than phosphorous. If you add more than about a half pound of rice bran to that, you can push the phosphorous up to a level that would get into the danger zone, especially if you're feeding grain or a bran product that's not fortified with calcium.

If your llama is losing weight or is sluggish, you may need to add grain to his diet, presuming he is not ill or carrying a heavy parasite load. Oats are not a high-energy feed. Either whole or crimped, one pound of oats contains just about the same amount of energy as one pound of excellent quality hay. Corn is a perfectly good feed for most animals, but people have gotten into trouble by not understanding it. A one-pound coffee can filled with corn contains two times the amount of energy as the same amount of oats, and if you suddenly feed the corn in the same amount as you do oats, an animal can get into trouble. Corn is also prone to mold.

There are many concentrate mixes out there that contain a mixture of corn, oats and/or barley with added vitamins and minerals. Choose one from a reputable company that is designed specifically for the animal in mind. Horse feed is not recommended for llamas. Generally the copper content in horse feed is a bit too high for llamas.

The molasses coating on sweet feed breaks down as simple sugar in the bloodstream and sets off a whole chain reaction within the body—the pancreas produces sudden rushes of insulin, which can be damaging to soft tissue and organs with repeated occurrences. If you need to put weight on an animal rapidly, use a dry pelleted feed mixed with plain soaked beet pulp for added calories. The wet beet pulp adds extra fiber and moistens the dry pellets enough to cut down on the risk of choke. Naturally, this should be mixed at each feeding and not in advance as the beet pulp can sour quickly, particularly in the heat.

Llamas also need free-choice minerals specific to their needs, as well as specific to the area in which you live. Lamas need loose minerals, as they cannot lick adequate minerals from blocks. To find out about mineral deficiencies in your area, you can consult the USGS geochemical maps at: http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/countydata.htm.

Taking Care of the Rumen

By Karen Nicholson

We've all experienced it at some point - some major stress in our life or we've altered our diet less than gradually or taken medication or something as simple as drinking different water while on vacation and it results in serious digestive upset! Well, camelids are just as susceptible or more so to gastrointestinal upset than we are. While discussing camelid digestion can be quite involved, I'll attempt to offer a few simple ways to ward off potential problems.

Digestive Flora

Scientists estimate that we humans have trillions of microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi and assorted parasites) living on the outside of our body and hundreds of millions in our digestive tract. Our bodies coexist with these living microscopic organisms, keeping us healthy most of the time and helping us digest and absorb vitamins and minerals from our food and water. These microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, etc) are also teaming within the camelid.

The population dynamics of the different species found in the forestomach will depend on the camelid's diet. This brings me to my first Tip: Avoid abruptly changing the diet for exactly this reason — the microorganisms are specific to the diet. If you change the diet abruptly, the camelid now has a population that is designed to serve a different diet and they can wreak havoc while simultaneously the forestomach has no population of the microorganisms to work with the new diet. This results in stress and a gastrointestinal challenge for the animal.

Stress

Stress impacts all the physiological systems including gastrointestinal function and health. Stresses such as: too much heat or cold; too much, too little or the wrong kind of food; aggressive companions or crowded conditions or transport and shows can lead to digestive tract problems such as colic, constipation, urinary tract problems, parasite problems, ulcers and so on. These range in seriousness from mild to life threatening. Tips: As their keepers, this is one of our tasks — stress management. We can also breed for this trait choosing camelids that are not compromised under stressful conditions. Always be alert for signs of digestive tract upset such as reluctance to eat, reluctance to stand, diarrhea, constipation, gut ache, self-isolation, change in eating habits, and food preference.

Parasites and Deworming

Parasites are one of the most important considerations in the digestive and overall health of the camelid. We'd need an entire article to address this completely. But here are a few tips that can keep parasites in check. Tips: Keep stocking density low per pen; pasture rotation is a must; when necessary, use dry lot feeding to help control a parasite problem; quarantine animals coming onto the farm; keep animals in good condition; and run fecal exams on a regular basis. For deworming - Tips: It is best to treat the individual animal, not the herd. Giving dewormers to animals that don't need them only upsets their digestive flora unnecessarily and encourages parasite resistance to the drug. Also consider giving probiotics after any medical treatment to encourage the reestablishment of gut flora.

Water

Water is one, if not the most essential, nutrient critical to proper digestion. Fresh, clean, high-quality water should be available for free choice at all times. Tips: Abrupt changes in water can lead to digestive troubles. Consider bringing your own water to shows, in transport and when relocating an animal to a new farm. It could make all the difference in your animal's health during this stressful time.

Feed

It's worth the time it takes to learn how to determine if feed is of good quality. While there are so many factors, there is one simple thing to know that can make a world of difference for your camelid. Tip: Have you ever eaten a lettuce from a plant that has bolted (gone to seed)? It tastes horrible, it's difficult to digest, and has poorer nutritional content than an immature plant. The same holds true for your hay and pasture grasses. Always try and put animals on immature pasture (mow if necessary) and the same for hay.

Crias and Weaning

The newborn cria is a non-ruminant animal. Milk is digested in the third compartment whereas in an adult, about 50%+ of digestion takes place in the forestomach or first compartment. It takes the cria about 12 weeks to ruminate as an adult and even then, only at about 80-90% of adult function. Tip: Before weaning, make sure you have observed healthy ruminant activity, then gradually wean the cria from the dam (together at night but not daytime). If transitioning to a new farm, consider weaning at 5-6 months and observe healthy behavior and digestive function before the cria leaves the farm. Also, the temperament of the camelid and the situation it will be going to will greatly impact their success at weaning and the impact it will have on their digestive upset.

Other Tips

• At changes of season, gradually put on pasture and take off. It takes the rumen two weeks to adjust to new feed.
• Consider having hay from the same source available at all times so that the camelid can use this as its base of food at all times while taking in new food (different pastures or moving to a new farm).
• Avoid forced grazing where the selection of food is limited and scarce. They will eat things that upset them before starving.
• Be very careful to not let camelids get into grain bins causing potential forestomach acidosis. Use bungee cords to secure them closed.
• Gradually change grain products or hay.
• Consider bringing all your own hay, water and grain to shows/events or to send along with an animal relocating to it's new farm.
• Sit and watch your herd for 5-10 minutes a day to make sure they are eating, ruminating and pooping/peeing normally.

Summary

High quality feed and water — gradual changes — manage stress — breed for hardiness.

Karen Nicholson, of Stepping Stone Farm Alpacas in Stowe, VT, has a herd of nine colorful alpacas bred and managed for valued traits including: fiber excellence, conformation, reproductive vigor, hardiness and temperament. Also on the farm are: two French Alpine dairy goats, Indian Runner ducks, broiler chickens and several laying hens all integrated into their farm management program. While the information shared is not meant to replace the protocol set up by your veterinarian, these methods are being successfully used with many different types of livestock including camelids. Any comments or questions can be directed to: Nicholson@websticker.com.

Plan Your Health Calendar for Healthy Animals

By Dr. Joe Klopfenstein, Vergennes Large Animal Associates

As I write this, there is still a heap of snow on the ground and sugaring season has not begun yet. It's not too early, however, to plan your health calendar for the year. If you have protocols in place for your health events throughout the year, you can make sure your camelid companions have the best possible attention to their well being.

Spring is vaccination season. Even though most camelid vaccines provide a year's worth of protection, spring is the most effective time to vaccinate since most exposure to disease occurs in the spring and summer. Since camelids are generally very healthy and have little disease risk, there are very few vaccines to worry about. The basic vaccination protocol for adult llamas and alpacas in our area includes vaccines for clostridial diseases and rabies.

Clostridial diseases are caused by bacteria that live in the soil. Clostridial organisms that may cause disease in camelids are Clostridium perfringens types C and D and Clostridium tetani (tetanus). Vaccines for these bugs are usually combined in a vaccine known by its common name, CDT. Clostridium perfringens causes disease by overgrowing in the animal's gut causing potentially severe toxemia. This overgrowth may occur after overeating grain or spoiled forage. Tetanus is caused by bacterial growth in contaminated wounds. Both diseases are life threatening and the vaccine cost is very reasonable, so it is very important to have your animals vaccinated for clostridium.

Rabies is a neurological disease caused by a virus spread by a bite from an infected animal. The disease is 100% fatal. Already this year, there have been nearly two dozen animals in Vermont confirmed with rabies, including some livestock. Rabies vaccination is a must to protect your animals and your family.

There are other vaccines available for camelids that may be important in your herd. Talk with your veterinarian about the use of vaccines for Leptospirosis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and E. coli diarrhea. In most cases, these vaccines are not necessary but your vet is the person to ask about disease risk in your herd. If you have pregnant females that will be giving birth this spring and summer, talk with your vet about vaccinations during late pregnancy and protocols for your newborns.

Summer is the time to focus on parasite control. Internal parasites in llamas and alpacas are picked up on pasture while grazing. Parasite loads in your animals will vary depending on the number of animals in your pastures, your past parasite control program, how big your pastures are, whether or not you rotate your pastures, whether sheep and goats have shared your pastures, and how often you clean up fecal piles.

When your vet visits your animals in the spring, you should talk with him or her about your parasite control program. You should take some representative samples of fresh stool from the pile to assess the level of worms your animals are currently carrying. This can you help plan your parasite control program. Many animals may need to be dewormed only once or twice in the spring, others need more intensive deworming. Last spring's cool, wet conditions enabled a boom of parasite growth on pastures, resulting in many heavily parasitized animals, so it will pay to be aggressive with parasite control. Many effective deworming products are on the market. After you have checked your herd for parasites, talk with your vet about specific products.

In the fall and early winter, your parasite control program switches to focus on the meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis). This worm is a normal parasite in deer and can cause disease in llamas and alpacas by aberrant migration through the spinal cord. The meningeal worm eggs are deposited in pastures by visiting deer, pass through a snail and are consumed by llamas and alpacas as they graze. Camelid owners should focus on this parasite from May through December. Effective dewormers can be administered every 4-6 weeks to prevent damage from the meningeal worm. Ivermectin (1cc per 75 — 100 pounds under the skin) is currently the best choice for meningeal worm control. There are a variety of products on the market that contain Ivermectin or similar compounds.

During the winter, focus turns to nutrition. Once animals are no longer grazing and are eating stored forage, some decisions need to be made. Have your hay tested for its nutrient value. Your vet can take a representative sample and submit it to a testing laboratory for the required tests. The cost is very reasonable and the resulting information is valuable. Test results can help you select grain that balances the nutritional needs for your animals. Not only is proper nutrition economical, but it can also result in much better health during the long winter months.

Proper animal care is a year long commitment. With a little planning you can provide excellent health care for your llama or alpaca throughout the changing seasons. Your vet is a great resource for questions you may have about health care concerns with your animals and risks for your area. Here's to a healthy and happy year for your animals!

Llama Nutrition

By Al Tollefsen, Sugar Run Llamas

From The Llama Source, July/ August, 1996

(This is an article I recently rediscovered. I have been thinking about nutrition since the GALA conference where my working llamas were scored as 6-7! If these guys are chubby, there are a lot of overweight llamas out there! The statement that I will remember most is that llamas are 25 % more efficient than sheep. We determined that my group of 8 adults males should be eating 27 lbs of hay a day... not even a bale. So I am giving it a try. They certainly are glad to see me and they clean their plates! When I weighed and body scored my females, I felt that 2 were in perfect condition. Everyone else was too thin or too heavy! So how can we deal with this, as well as taking into account the weather, weather while haying (protein was way down due to the rain), lactation , and even personalities of animals? There are those that look at food and the pounds add up! To determine proper nutrition, you need to know what you are feeding your animals. Test your hay, weigh the feed, and try to feed according to groups, maybe separating the older or thinner animals. But when it's cold l still feel guilty and I give them a little more... sorry LaRue!) editor LC

This topic is so subjective that there is no one reference that is considered "the source." However, generalities that seem to be agreed to by some of the gurus follow:

First you need to consider and take into account whether you are in a feedlot or pasture style operation. I submit that most llama owners are nearer a feedlot style.

The energy requirements of llamas can usually be met by ad libitum of "good" quality hay or pasture. "Good" doesn't mean alfalfa - which, because of its relative high protein content, is quite often not fed to llamas. It is because of the variation in nutritional content of different types of hays, (further affected by cuttings, storage, age, etc.) that the hay being fed should be analyzed to establish a baseline.

It is generally accepted that llamas will consume 1.8-2% of their body weight, on dry matter basis, daily. But we all know animals that would eat their body weight in grain if allowed. That's why it is imprudent to feed grain or chow feeds by free choice, or in large feed containers. Those animals high on the pecking order will overindulge and those on the lower end will often not get the desired amounts. Further, this feeding technique seems to increase the potential for choking.

Most authorities recommend not less than 25% of a llama's diet be roughage to reduce the possibility of gastrointestinal ulcers, especially in C-3 duodenal ulcers.

In general, if you want to put weight on a llama, feed it grain. If you want to take weight off, feed it poor quality hay.

Individual animal needs will vary. We all seem to separate our animals into the established categories of required protein in the old 8-10, 12-14, and 16% schedule. But within those categories we need to consider body conditioning. Some of those full figured gals are, in reality, overweight, and need to be thinned down. And often you can find one or two that are underweight.

If at all possible, a change of diet, in amounts and/or type of food, should be done gradually. For instance, if it was 1 can of dairy chow and you are changing to a can of llama feed, at one point it should be 1/2 can of each.

Recognize that a pasture's nutritional values decrease during the summer. Pasture grasses use up ground nutrients, and are affected by summer droughts. Rotation, fertilizing, and watering can reduce the effect, but it can't be stopped.

Rain, ultra violet rays, and heat will degrade nutritional values of rolled hay. Also, one should understand that heat can and will reduce the protein content of sheltered hay, so having it in the barn (or covered with a tarp) doesn't ensure maintaining its quality.

This may also be the place to mention that nutrient digestion through metabolic action generates heat. This can be helpful in keeping the animal warm during the winter, but it can create problems with thermo regulation during the summer. Some foods take more energy to digest (generate more heat) than others. An example is whole corn (corn that isn't cracked or rolled). It generates relatively high digestive heat.

If you have animals that ignore free choice vitamins and minerals, you might consider adding powdered molasses to increase the taste or palatability, and to increase consumption. This"sweet tooth" hint is found in an article by LaRue Johnson, and he says to ensure that the mixture is protected from the weather.

Water: Many publications forget to emphasize that water represents 10-80% of the composition of foods. Llamas may be camelids and able to get along for a period with only one good drink a day. However, daily they will (on average) require 5-8% of their body weight. Water weighs about 6.5 pounds per gallon, so if a 100# cria drank at 7%, he would need over a gallon a day, only some of which can be made up through food sources.

Green forages are important sources of Vitamin A & E, so when llamas do not have access to pasture (snow covered, flooded, long show circuit, whatever) vitamin supplements may become essential. Selenium deficiencies may also be in this category.

There can be danger with too much of a good thing. It's not only overeating that causes llamas to be overweight; over-ingestion of certain vitamins or minerals can also cause physical problems. As an example, it is thought that llama diets should have calcium and phosphorus in a ratio not to exceed 2:1. So, if general diet is grass hay, there is a distinct possibility of a calcium deficiency in the diet. However if alfalfa is the principle, it is possible that the diet is phosphorus deficient. It is essential to recognize the animals' diet components, even if the study is only adding component values off the labels on the bags and using a general average nutritional basis on the forages being offered.

Other than articles by LaRue Johnson, I have been unable to find any data on the caloric needs of llamas. Dr. Johnson indicates a llama has a daily requirement of around 75 Kcal of body weight. Because efficiency of maintenance increases as the body size increases, the per unit of body weight is expressed as a metabolic weight (MW). As a reference, a 55 pound animal has a MW of 12, a 220 pounder is about 32, and a 440 pounder has a MW of about 51. He also states that llamas require about 5.36 Kcal daily per gram of desired growth. Those studies are in "The Veterinary Clinics of North American Food Animal Practice" March 1989, and July 1994. Unfortunately, there is not sufficient information to develop a caloric dietary table in the same pattern that can be developed for other forms of livestock and pets.

Animal foods are scientifically evaluated in a process known as proximate analysis, where water or moisture is first removed, making it what is termed as dry matter. A text, Feeds & Feeding 4th Edition, Cullison Lowery, shows most hays are between 90-95% dry matter, whereas pasture sources can be as low as 30% dry matter - that's why grass is green and juicy, and hay is yellow and dry. For example: Bermuda grass fresh (pasture) averages 29% dry matter (or 71% water). When it becomes sun-dried hay, it averages 91% dry matter. This means a 100-pound llama eating 2% of his weight daily, will consume about 2 pounds of dry matter feed. That would equate to 2.2 pounds of the hay (2.2 x .91 = 2) or 6.9 pounds of grass (6.9 x .29 = 2 pounds dry weight), or a combination of same. See, I told you most of us are nearer a feedlot type of operation. Think about it, 7 pounds of pasture daily for a cria. However, this does not account for, nor address the nourishment content of supplemental grains, vitamins, salt blocks, etc. that you might offer. It is also why your vet laughs at you when you say you give 1 can of feed to the gals and 1/2 a can to the guys. The feedbag has an analysis (which may or may not be accurate) on it expressed in units like pounds - not cans.

I offer this article not as an inclusive guide, but rather a means of provoking thought by the reader. I want to point out that like most things dealing with llamas, nutritional needs are not well understood and that while too little is dangerous, too much is also possible and equally dangerous. It is essential that llama owners continually review their llama nutritional programs. if you have any doubts, or don't feel confident, get your vet involved.