Feed Tag Explained
Frank Pinkerton, Ph.D.
Owners typically purchase sack feeds, protein concentrates, vitamin
and/or mineral supplements, and individual feed ingredients. Some
may also have their own feeds custom processed/mixed. In any case,
they need to be able to read and interpret feed tags.
The tags found on commercial feeds are a legal requirement of State
Regulatory Agencies. State regulators belong to the American
Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). This organization
provides guidance to Feed Control Service Administrators concerning
identification of feedstuffs, feed mixtures, minerals, vitamins, and
feed additives including antibiotics. AAFCO does not tell feed
manufacturers what they can or cannot put into mixed feeds nor does
it police the products offered to buyers. Only Regulatory Service
personnel can monitor and test feeds in their laboratory and
thereafter notify manufacturers if their analyses does not match the
feed tag guarantees. In certain circumstances a feed company can be
brought to task by Regulators and penalties imposed. If a producer
feels his purchased feed is not as shown on the tag, the producer
may request the state Regulatory Agency to run a check.
AAFCO approved tags typically carry the brand name, its company
address and numerically coded batch number as well as descriptive
name (e.g., kid starter or grower or milking ration) and form
designation (meal, pellet, coarse ground, etc.). If the feed
contains any medication, the tag must identify the drugs and the
concentration either in grams of additive per ton or in mg. per lb.
Also, the medicated tag must carry a warning denoting withdrawal
time in days prior to sale of animals or product therefrom if
warranted. Most, but not all, tags also provide directions (how,
when or quantity to feed per head per day).
The guaranteed analysis section of the tag typically reads: Crude
protein not less than X%. A statement such as, "this includes
not more than X% equivalent protein from non-protein nitrogen",
must be added if all the protein is not from "natural"
ingredients, i.e., urea.
Crude fat not less than X%. Note: The minimum fat required in
daily rations for goats is not precisely known, but ranges of 1 to
5% seem adequate. Typical concentrate formulations shown on feed tag
range from 1 to 3%; forages usually contain somewhat lesser amounts
of fat.
Crude fiber not more than X%. The higher this figure, the lower the
digestibility energy of the feed; the price should reflect this
lesser energy, but frequently does not. Some manufactures also show
minimum/maximum quantities of calcium and phosphorus and other macro
and micro minerals. Units of vitamins A and D may also be shown;
such figures are not required by AAFCO.
The ingredients listing on the tag does not identify individual
feedstuffs. Instead, it uses categories of feedstuffs, e.g., grains
products (such as corn, oats, barley, wheat), processed grain
by-products (bran, brewers grain, hominy), plant protein products
(soybean meal, cottonseed meal, etc.), molasses products (cane or
beet molasses, dehydrated molasses, wood molasses), and forage
products (alfalfa meal or leaf meal). The phrase, roughage products,
identifies the presence of cottonseed hulls or other types of hulls
or ground hays. This total must be shown as a percentage of the
feed. Their presence will cause the crude fiber guarantee to be
abnormally high (16-26% or more) and, as indicated above, lowers the
digestible energy content.
The tag will also list sources of minerals, any preservatives used,
and any vitamin supplements present or used.
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Greetings
from the AlpacaPlanet!
The recent fires in California along with Hurricane Isabel
have again reminded us of the need for farms to have
pre-developed emergency plans. In the stories coming out of
the Southern California fires, friends and neighbors worked
tirelessly to evacuate local llamas and alpacas and losses
were avoided. Our hats are off to them and the impressive
cooperation they displayed in such a difficult and dangerous
situation.
Established emergency and evacuation plans can be of life
saving importance to owners during an unforeseen disaster. In
his book "Medicine and Surgery of North American
Camelids", Dr. Murray Fowler has devoted an entire
chapter to Disaster and Emergency management. It is well worth
the time and effort spent to establish even a loose plan to
avoid panic and confusion when time is of the essence in order
to save our beloved animals.
Coming in our next issue... All about Fleece -
Fleece terminology, commercial fiber analysis, importance of
crimp, clip care, nutritional effects on micron, and more.
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- Hypothermia: Are you ready for the winter?
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 David
E Anderson
DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVS
International Camelid Institute
The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio
As we enter the autumn months in North America, my thoughts
drift to concerns for care and management of livestock during
the often-harsh environmental conditions of winter. In
general, llamas and alpacas are well suited to cooler
temperatures. After all, winter in the Andes can be trying on
the soul if one is not prepared for it. However, camelids are
susceptible to extremes of environment, hot (hyperthermia) or
cold (hypothermia). The highest risk animals on the farm are
very young, very old, very thin, or diseased camelids.
Perhaps the biggest concern we have for hypothermia are
newborn crias. Crias are born without the stores of fat needed
from which to draw energy to maintain body temperature.
Newborns are dependent on the dam's colostrum and milk to
provide glucose, fat, and protein. Early and frequent access
to these nutrients are critical for the cria to survive the
first few days of life. Without the milk fat, crias have a
limited ability to maintain body temperature and blood
glucose, both of which are necessary to survival. When crias
are exposed to extremes of temperature, they must burn energy
at a much higher rate to maintain body temperature and the
remainder of the body systems may become starved. At some
point, the cria is unable to ingest adequate milk to survive
and hypothermia begins. These crias are often found down in
the pasture in a cushed position with the head and neck
extended in front of them on the ground. This posture is
designed to close off all areas where heat is lost: around the
tail (perineum), between the legs (axilla and groin), the
underside of the belly (ventral abdomen), and the base of the
neck (sternum and thoracic inlet). At this point and if body
heat and energy are not restored quickly, the cria will die
from hypothermia and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) within a
few hours.
The veterinary community has spent considerable time and
energy evaluating risk factors and developing prevention
strategies for heat stress. This is time well spent but we
must consider both sides of the coin.
Continued
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- Forage Testing - Is it worth the effort?
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 Byron
Leu
Extension Livestock Field Specialist
Iowa State University
Most Midwestern livestock producers will not forget 2003 for a
long time. The growing season began in a positive fashion,
with many producers anticipating a 'bumper' crop in all areas
of production. For a limited few, this became a reality, for
many others, however, high temperatures combined with little
or no moisture significantly reduced both forage and grain
crop production.
How did the 2003 growing season affect hay and silage
supplies? In most areas, pasture and hay production 'dried up'
in July, leaving many producers concerned about how to utilize
these reduced forage supplies to meet their animals' needs. A
useful tool in this decision-making process is forage analysis
and testing. Commercial forage testing laboratories can
quickly and accurately analyze collected hay and silage
samples. Through this process, producers can develop a
broad-spectrum overview of their feed resources to determine
how to 'best' use the feedstuffs they have available.
In production years where the quantity of feed has been
negatively impacted, producers can allocate or earmark
specific stored feedstuffs to be used by respective groups of
animals. For example
Read
on
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- Forage Palatability and Animal Preference
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Laura
Paine, Columbia County Crops and Soils Agent and Dick Ryan
August 2000
Most graziers have spent some time watching their stock graze.
Have you ever wondered why one clump of grass gets eaten and
another is refused? Have you ever been curious enough to taste
it yourself? Sounds crazy, but you might want to try it
sometime! You don't need to actually chew up and swallow the
blade of grass or cloverleaf.... it's more like wine tasting.
Just hold it in your mouth, chew a little, and savor the
flavor. Pay attention to how it feels on your tongue and how
it smells, too. If this is a pleasant experience for you,
it'll probably be pleasant for your stock. And that has a lot
to do with what gets eaten, what gets refused and ultimately
how much milk or meat gets made.
A Time-Tested Practice
Using your mouth as a method to test pastures is nothing new.
Farmers used to make a habit of tasting pasture grasses to
determine
More...
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Generally,
feed nutrients are divided into six groups. Following is a
brief discussion of these nutrients:
Protein
Protein is the only nutrient that contains nitrogen. Protein
quality - a term referring to the amino acid content - has no
significance in ruminant nutrition, except at exceptionally
high levels of milk production. Rumen microorganisms
manufacture their own body protein, consisting of all the
necessary amino acids, which are later digested by the host
animal. Protein makes up the basic animal tissue of the body
and is vital for growth, milk production, disease resistance,
reproduction, and general maintenance. The body has very
little if any excess protein. Mostly, the nitrogen is
eliminated by the kidneys and the rest is burned as energy.
Since protein is generally the most expensive part of the
ration, it is costly to feed more than what is needed. Protein
requirements vary between 12 and 16 percent of the ration dry
matter with the latter needed for high milk production.
Energy
All discussions of nutrition seem to begin with energy,
probably because this is the best defined requirement of farm
animals and is expensive. Most of the goat's energy comes from
the breakdown of the fiber of forages, while the remainder
comes from the burning up of concentrate starches and fats.
Over a longer period of time effects such as retarded growth,
delayed puberty, and decreased fertility will become apparent.
Energy is measured in two different ways by the feed industry.
The first and more established method is by Total Digestible
Nutrients (TDN). As the name suggests, the TDN consists of the
sum of the digestible carbohydrates, digestible protein, and
digestible fats (multiplied by 2.25 since fats contain that
much more energy than protein or carbohydrates). The TDN
system takes into consideration only one nutrient loss -
feces. For this reason, the net energy system is gaining in
popularity. This system considers energy that is lost in the
feces, urine, gases, and the work of digestion. In recent
years this system has been even more refined to account for
varying energy utilization needs for body maintenance, weight
gain, or milk production.
Minerals
Alpacas require many minerals. Most can be obtained from good
forage and a regular concentrate mixture. The major minerals
of concern are calcium, phosphorus, and salt, which are
usually added to the ration either in the grain mix or by
free-choice feeding. Not all alpacas will consume minerals
free choice according to their needs. It is, therefore,
recommended that additional minerals be fed through the grain
mixture if possible. The ratio of calcium to phosphorus is
important and should be kept around 2:1.
Vitamins
Vitamins are needed by the body in small amounts. Since all
the B vitamins and vitamin K are produced in the rumen and
vitamin C is manufactured in the body tissues, the main
vitamins of concern in ruminant nutrition are vitamins A, D,
E, Zinc and Selenium, during the late spring, summer, and
early fall the animals can typically get much of what they
need (with the possible exception of Selenium which depends
mainly on what area of the country you are located in) from
green pastures and plenty of sunshine. During winter months it
is necessary to supplement forages with a concentrate mixture.
Fats
Fats are of little importance in the ruminant ration.
Practically all feeds contain small amounts of fat, and added
levels are not practical. A level of 1.5 - 2.5 percent in the
grain mixture is normal.
Water
This is the least expensive feed ingredient, yet a deficiency
will affect milk production more quickly than the lack of any
other nutrient. Water is not only the largest single
constituent of nearly all living plant and animal tissue, but
it also performs exceedingly important functions during
digestion, assimilation of nutrients, excretion of waste
products, control of body temperature, and the production of
milk. Ready access to clean water is important.
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- This Quarters Useful Tips and Tricks:
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Tips
for keeping at risk alpacas warm
"I just went out and made my own warming socks to lay
by her cushed sides. You take old clean socks fill them with
rice, knot them and microwave for about two minutes. They
retain a nice warm heat for quite a while."
Kim Coulter, Day Star Alpacas - North Jackson, OH
_________________________________________
"We had a cria that was too weak to stand, we filled
gallon milk jugs with hot water -- circled the cria with them
and then draped a blanket loosely over the cria and the milk
jugs. One of us was always in the barn with it, I would be
afraid it might thrash around and get tangled and smother in
the blanket, if we left it alone. We refilled the milk jugs
with hot water every couple of hours. This obviously would
only work for one that couldn't stand."
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- Links to Alpaca related articles and sites:
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 Great
Midwest Alpaca Festival
Mid-America's Largest Alpaca Event
April 25-27, 2004
Click here for more
information on the 2nd annual event!
Cold
Weather Feed Chart
The document contains the original cold weather feed chart
developed by Dr. Norm Evans. It has additional information on
feed mixtures for weight gain.
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