Kerala, India
Physiological status refers to the current state or level of physiological function that an animal exhibits; for instance the most prevalent physiological states include maintenance, growth, gestation, lactation, working and geriatric. Each physiological status demands different nutrient specifications to support bodily functions. Those states requiring the highest nutrient density are late gestation, early lactation and growth. It warrants re-emphasis here that camelids possess exceptional metabolic efficiency. Additionally, you will observe individual animal variation – some are “easy keepers” and merely looking at food causes them to become obese. Other animals are “poor keepers” and will require dietary supplementation simply to maintain weight.
Maintenance
Maintenance is characterized as the state where an animal’s weight remains stable – the animal is neither gaining nor losing weight. We commonly observe this with breeding males outside of the breeding season, castrated males that are not working or mature non-pregnant females. Since these animals demonstrate such remarkable energy efficiency, simply maintaining them in a grazing environment with mineral supplementation proves more than adequate – no grain is required. If the pasture is abundant and exhibits substantial plant growth, the animals may still develop obesity, thus restricted grazing or providing forage at 1% of body weight is recommended. Forage represents the cornerstone of camelid management, and in reality, if the diet fails to contain at least 25% crude fiber, animals will develop gastric ulceration. Forage typically contains less energy than grain, and an animal will experience reduced hunger on a forage-based diet. Grain supplementation is seldom required in a maintenance situation. Monitoring body condition score is critical to prevent “obese” animals. As an additional observation, castrated males have a lower energy requirement than intact males and females.
Growth
Growth encompasses the young cria during its developmental phase. Growth involves the formation of body structure and will demand a higher protein requirement (12-14%) than what is necessary for maintenance (8-10%). Initially the cria will obtain its nutrients from its dam’s milk. As with other mammals, immediately following birth, a newborn cria must ingest 10% of its body weight daily in colostrum. If llama colostrum is unavailable, goat colostrum may be substituted. Within 7 to 10 days, the cria will start to imitate its mother’s grazing behavior, though complete rumination does not develop for several months. Creep feed is not typically necessary unless the dam experiences a limited milk supply. Regular weighing of the cria will allow you to track this. If milk does appear to be limiting, a leafy forage such as alfalfa functions as an excellent creep feed; but if grain is utilized, crias need to be vaccinated for enterotoxemia. The cria is typically weaned at four to six months of age. Animals can be weaned as early as two months, but a substantially higher plane of nutrition is required (16-18% CP and 60% TDN). Regardless of when the animals are weaned, it represents a stressful period for the young animal, and a higher plane of nutrition is warranted during the transition.
Gestation
Gestation is the duration when the female is bred, and the embryo commences development. The gestation period is approximately 350 days. Of those 350 days, the first two trimesters or early pregnancy is when females frequently become obese – often due to the “extra care” from their owners. In the first trimester or 3.5 months, the female can be maintained on a maintenance diet unless she is lactating. If she continues nursing, clearly additional nutrients are required. When the cria is weaned, a maintenance diet alone is adequate. During the second trimester the female will progressively begin to increase her forage intake, and rarely are supplemental grains necessary. The final 3 or 3.5 months of gestation, the third trimester, is when 90% of fetal growth takes place. Now, a modest amount of grain can gradually be introduced into the diet twice daily (for example one pound twice daily for female llama). This grain level can also be maintained for the first three months of lactation to satisfy the demands of milk production. A word of caution again – each animal is unique – some will require more and some will require less – use regular body condition scoring as a monitoring tool. Most female llamas gain 45-60 pounds during gestation, while alpacas gain on average 20-30. As with all physiological stages, don’t permit the animal to become fat, as the excess fat can lead to birth complications.
Lactation
The dam typically reaches peak milk production three weeks following birth of the cria. Due to this, the female’s nutrient requirements are elevated at this time. Again as mentioned above, a modest amount of grain should be fed until the third month of lactation. Following that time, a gradual reduction in the amount of grain will facilitate lower milk production and a gradual “natural” weaning process. It should be cautioned again that the females should not be permitted to become overweight. One of the initial sites fat is deposited is the mammary gland, and there is a potential for diminished milk production in the future.
Work
Again, emphasizing that every animal is unique and that their body condition score needs to be monitored, animals under intense work (packing) require more energy. A hard working pack animal may have twice the energy requirement that it would have for maintenance. During these times grain should gradually be introduced into the diet – the amount of grain increased to provide 25-50% more energy. Caution should be exercised if an animal is working under high heat and humid conditions to prevent heat stress.
Geriatric
How animals adjust to their advanced years is as variable as people. In some, there is minimal change, while others age very rapidly – again a compelling reason to regularly body condition score and weigh animals. Older camelids actually have a lower energy requirement than younger animals. But by closely monitoring your animal, even subtle changes can be detected early. In general, with age we observe compromised strength in an animal’s muscles and bone structure (joints) and frequently arthritis affects the joints. The best thing to do for an older animal is to ensure that in the heat of the summer, shade or a cool location is provided. Older animals are more vulnerable to heat stress as they have a lower sweat gland activity. When temperatures are colder, a heated barn and warmed water provide comfort for the animal. Warmed water is particularly important, as with other species, cold and icy water can lead to decreased water consumption. Decreased water consumption can result in reduced feed intake and consequent weight loss. Also, as part of the aging process, gut function and motility is slowed, the chance of colic or an impaction occurring is higher. Monitor the animal to ensure that it visits the dung pile, or as an older animal it could be compromised very rapidly. With age, we observe a lowered immune function in all species. Thus alleviating stressful conditions can aid in immune function.