Nutrition Masterclass

Words by Stacey Cosnett

Looking after different animals means each one will have its own feeding and care needs. This guide shares some simple, practical advice on choosing the right nutrition to help keep ducklings, alpaca and llama, calves, donkeys and rabbits healthy and well.

Ducklings

There are lots of ducklings around at the moment and you may come across orphan ducklings to feed. The best option for ducklings is NRM Gamebird Crumble. It is also suitable to feed to adult ducks with ducklings at foot and is great for the mother ducks as well as the ducklings. Feeding Chick Starter Crumble to ducklings is not recommended as it contains a coccidiostat that while safe for chicks is not safe for feeding to ducklings so beware of chick feeds for ducks.

Alpaca & Llama

Alpaca and llama animals don’t generally require high levels of supplementation unless pasture is limited or if they are pregnant or lactating. However, they do have some specific vitamin deficiencies that are very common, and they can benefit from being supplemented everyday with a low level of an alpaca feed to help combat these deficiencies. Alpaca and llama are prone to vitamin D and Vitamin B1 deficiency which can both cause significant animal health issues. 150 grams a day of NRM Alpaca Pellets a day can help to complement grass and keep them healthy. For pregnant animals in their last trimester and lactating animals, the feeding rate can be increased for improved nutrition support during these physiologically demanding periods.

Calves

Spring born calves should be kept on a quality 20% protein calf pellet, such as NRM Grow Up 20% Pellets or Reliance Calf Grower 20%, for at least 6 weeks after weaning off milk to help with the transition over to a forage-based diet. If grass quality or quantity is sub optimal heading into summer, it is a good idea to keep a pellet going into calves to keep them growing well – even 1kg of pellets a day can make a big different to growth rates. If there is ample good grass though and pellets are removed from the diet, it is a good idea to add in a mineral block to keep calves topped up on key minerals and trace elements often lacking in grass. This will keep them growing optimally and will help with skeletal growth and overall health. SealesWinslow Young Stock Vitality Block is a great option to go for.

Donkeys

Donkeys and mules have lower energy and protein needs compared with horses. Good management for these animals should be based largely on moderate quality forage and hay. A good supplement to add in on top of this is NRM Equine Balancer Pellets to help supplement animals with the vitamins and minerals often lacking in forage, but without the added calories. With a feeding rate of 400 grams per animal per day, the product is designed to support good health, without encouraging animals to become overweight. For donkeys and mules in late pregnancy and early lactation, they can be moved over to NRM Progress Nuts for extra nutritional support during the breeding season.

Rabbits

Rabbits prefer a high fibre diet to keep their gut healthy. It is important to offer them a feed that is well suited to their unique requirements, along with ample access to hay. If we don’t offer them enough fibre in their diet, they can be prone to digestive upsets. NRM Rabbit Pellets are a great option for supporting good gut health for rabbits. They are packed with fibre from lucerne chaff, grass seed fibre, plus a specialist raw fibre concentrate additive to support gut health.