Untitled Notes

General Structure of the Gastrointestinal Tract:
- The gastrointestinal tract of the alpaca includes:
- Duodenum
- Oesophagus
- Small Intestine
- Stomach (C1, C2, C3)
- Large Intestine (Cecum, Spiral Colon)
- Rectum
- Note: Alpacas are described as "pseudoruminants" due to their unique digestive tract.

Lips:
- Alpacas have a unique upper lip that moves independently, allowing for selective feeding.
Tongue:
- Unlike cattle, the tongue does not grasp food and rarely exits the mouth.
- The use of mineral blocks for alpacas is controversial.

Eructation:
- Occurs 3-4 times during each motility cycle.
- Increased gastric motility pattern may explain why alpacas experience less gas accumulation and clinical bloat compared to true ruminants.
Passage Times and Saliva Production:
- Alpacas have a slower particulate passage time than sheep.
- Liquid flow rate is 10.4% per hour in alpacas versus 7.7% in sheep.
- Alpacas produce a greater volume of saliva, facilitating efficient nitrogen balance through reduced urea excretion, allowing them to perform better on low-quality forages.

Transit Times and Retention Rates:
- Rumen-reticulum:
- Llama: 3.5%/h
- Sheep: 4.6%/h
- Cecum-colon:
- Llama: 9.3%/h
- Sheep: 17.3%/h
- Total Average Retention Time:
- Llama: 62.3 h
- Sheep: 40.9 h
Liquid Flow Rates and Rumen Volume:
- Dilution Rate (%/h):
- Llama: 10.4
- Sheep: 7.7
- Rumen Volume (RV) in Liters:
- Llama: 7.1
- Sheep: 7.2
- RV per kg metabolic body weight:
- Llama: 0.17
- Sheep: 0.29
- Total Turnover Time:
- Llama: 10.4 h
- Sheep: 13.6 h
- Liquid Flow Rate (L/h):
- Llama: 0.72
- Sheep: 0.54

Group Dynamics:
- Alpacas are healthier, more productive, and content in groups.
Feeding Habits:
- Active primarily at dawn and dusk.
- Consume food for 5-6 hours daily, although hot weather may reduce grazing time.
- Ruminate for 8-9 hours per day, with longer durations observed on high-fiber diets.

Expected DMI for Maintenance: (Martin & Van Saun, 2014)
- Llamas: 2% of body weight (BW)
- Alpacas: 1.8% of BW
- Other recommendations suggest averaging 1.7% for alpacas and 1.5% for llamas.
- These values exceed the National Research Council (NRC) 2007 estimates of 1%-1.5% BW.
DMI Observations:
- Overall DMI for both species averaged at 1.5% BW with llama intake slightly higher than alpacas (46.1 g/kg metabolic body weight vs. 39.4 g/kg).
- Variations noted may be attributed to forage quality: higher neutral detergent fiber (NDF) reduces intake capacity.

Daily Intake Recommendations:
- Alpacas primarily graze, consuming 1.5-2% BW in feed per day.
- Protein requirements approximated at 10-12% on a dry matter (DM) basis.
- Roughage in hay form should be continuously available to alpacas.
Adaptations for Growth or Lactation:
- To support growth, late pregnancy, or lactation, alpacas require more digestible feeds, leading to variable intake levels during physiological changes.

Body Condition Score (1-5):
- Used to assess nutritional status to avoid underfeeding or overfeeding.

Maintenance Energy Models:
- For Maintenance:
- $ME(kcal/day) = 72.85 ext{ kcal/kg BW}^{0.75}$
- Alternative: $ME(kcal/day) = 61.2 ext{ kcal/kg BW}^{0.75}$
Activity/Work Level Adjustment Factors:
- Low: 1.25 x Maintenance
- Moderate: 1.50 x Maintenance
- High: 1.75 x Maintenance
- Extreme: 2.25 x Maintenance (for nursing crias)
Growth and Pregnancy Energy Needs:
- Energy requirement for growth:
- $ME(kcal/day) = 3.2 ext{ kcal/g gain}$
- Energy requirement for lactation:
- $ME(kcal/day) = 1296 ext{ kcal/kg milk}$
Pregnancy Stages: Energy needs increase throughout various stages of pregnancy, requiring adjustments based on maintenance requirements.

Macromineral Requirements for Physiological States:
- Maintenance (M), Growth (G), Pregnancy (P), and Lactation (L) reference values provided based on beef cattle, sheep, and goats.
Micromineral Requirements:
- Similar categorization by physiological state with reference values utilized to support growth and health.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins:
- Vitamin A: 6,600–11,000 IU/kg dietary DM for maintenance; increased for late pregnancy and lactation.
- Vitamin D: constant requirement of 30 IU/kg BW for all states.
- Vitamin E:
- 5.3 IU/kg BW for maintenance
- 5.6 IU/kg BW for pregnancy
- 10 IU/kg BW for lactation and growth.

Forage Types and Their Nutritional Profiles:
- Different forages have varying percentages of crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF).
- Examples:
  - Alfalfa (pre-bud): 23% CP, 38% NDF
  - Alfalfa (mature): 15% CP, 53% NDF
  - Orchardgrass (mature): 12% CP, 52% NDF
Grains Nutritional Data:
- Nutritional content provided for grains that include TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients) equivalencies.
- Examples:
  - Barley: 84% TDN, 13.5% CP
  - Oats: 77% TDN, 13.3% CP

Trial Overview:
- A control treatment involving pasture only and a mixed grain supplement treatment were implemented.
- The trial showcased the impact of improved management based on pasture quality.
Trial Composition:
- Control Group:
- Pasture density: 22% DM, 13% CP, 9 MJ ME/kg DM, average cover 3300 kg DM/ha.
- Supplement Group:
- Contained 300 g per animal/day combined from various grains, ensuring balanced supplementation.
- Included cracked lupins and commercial grain feed at specified ratios.

Tender Stretch Technique: Can improve tenderness in alpaca carcasses.
Mix of Techniques: Suggested use of combined processing techniques for optimal results in meat quality.

Recommended Software: Small Ruminant Nutrition System (SRNS) for diet formulation, with some limitations regarding mineral and vitamin requirements. BCNRM2016 is recommended for addressing these limitations.