What Do Alpacas Eat?

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Alpaca and llama diets vary from region to region in the U.S., depending on pasture grasses, available supplements, and breeder preferences. The alpaca feed program at Able Oaks Ranch Alpacas is based on continuing education about alpacas and llamas. The more we observe our alpacas and llamas, the better we can assess their health.

Regular Meal Schedule

My regular schedule is to feed early in the morning. The boys get about 1/3 lb of pellets sprinkled with about 1 tablespoon of minerals offered in individual food pan for each alpaca. The girls get a mixture of 2/3 pellets 1/3 alfalfa sprinkled with minerals, again offered in indivual pans. I also provide a few extra food pans for the inevitable "musical food bowls" dance each morning.

I noticed that all of the alpacas and mini-llamas walked away from "breakfast" (pellets) at about the same time, when all the pellets were gone. As an experiment, I increased the amount. Some left early, some left later. When they all left, there were still some pellets left over. I continued to watch, and noticed it was the late pregnancy females, low weight animals, older girls etc. that stayed the longest. I realized at that time that alpacas and mini-llamas know a lot more about alpaca nutrition than me. Like us, at certain times, we need more, and at certain times we need less. I'd heard increase by X% during late pregnancy, heavy milkers add another X%, and so on.

It's so much easier to let them decide. My only fatty is my gelded llama male, who runs with the girls. He is easily "spit off" by a hungry female and gently walks away from the bowl in deference to a pregnant female.

The Primary Diet

The primary feed is, of course, my pasture grass and hay mown from those same pastures right here on my East Texas ranch. A good forage should comprise about 80 percent of the camelid diet. My pasture forage consists of 50% bahia and 50% bermuda grass. Ideally, pasture grass should have about 12% protein. In the winter, I plant a winter rye grass, as the bahia and bermuda grasses die back after the first frost. The supplemental pellets are Mazuri regional llama feed. These pellets are very small, and the alpacas never choke on them. The daily ration of pellets is about 1/3 lb for the boys, and about 1/2 lb to 1 lb for the girls, most of which are pregnant.

I recently bought 1 pregnant mini-llama, who after shearing her appearing much too underweight. She get an extra pan of pellets each evening, fed in an enclosed catch pen. I also provide an extra 1 cup of finely chopped alfalfa hay to the girls each evening when I bring them in from the day pasture to the night barn paddock. This evening treat is more of an inducement to train them that good things happen when I open the pasture gate at sunset, and they quickly file into the lane and await admittance to the barn paddock. So I don't have to spend 30 minutes chasing and rounding them up from the outer day pasture. They're smart girls; they caught on to my routine drill very quickly.

Other Supplements

Supplements include Stillwater 105 minerals, an animal probiotic primarily consisting of brewer's yeast, and some diatomaceous earth (DE) for fly control. In the Summer months, the camelids consume more Stillwater minerals, as they are very salty and also contain some electrolytes.

I've noticed that the pacas tend to get almost all the pellets, but leave quite a bit of the alfalfa and minerals in their bowls in the morning. When they are "finished," they congregate at the barn paddock gate to go out to the pasture each morning. When I bring them back to the barn paddock each evening, they head right for their bowls and begin cleaning up what was left over from the morning feed and the extra 1 cup alfalfa that I've added. So that by the next morning, they have polished off all the alfalfa and minerals and "licked their platters clean."

Separating Youngsters

I separate out young males from the other boys during feeding, as the older males tend to gobble their pellets down faster then spit off the youngsters to get that chow too. This way, I know that the youngsters are getting a fair chance to consume their nutrition.

Spacing Bowls

For the females, I put out 1 or 2 extra bowls. The girls can then play "musical bowls" as they work act out their power struggles. But the bowls are far enough apart, that to take over someone else's bowl, a female must give up the bowl that she has.

Establishing a Routine

It's important to establish a routine for feeding that works for your schedule. Alpacas and llamas are quite content to have the same ol' boring routine, day after day after day. It's safe and reassuring for them. You can also set up a feeding routine that trains them to perform some behavior that you want. For example, my routine encourages them to gather at the gate at just the right time to move them to another area.

This has worked 100% of the time up to this point. It's easy if you have more than one that needs fattening, put the two or more together. If it's just one, you can separate her for an extra meal. Then gradually taper her down to an extra meal on alternating days.