Best Hay for Alpacas: Grass Hay, Alfalfa, and Forage Quality Explained

For most adult alpacas, grass hay is the preferred daily forage. Timothy, orchard grass, brome, meadow grass, and mixed grass hays are common choices. Merck Veterinary Manual notes that most mature llamas and alpacas maintain appropriate body condition on grass hay containing about 10% to 14% crude protein and 50% to 55% total digestible nutrients. That makes grass hay a practical match for the needs of many nonpregnant, nonlactating adults.

Alfalfa is a legume hay, not a grass hay, and it is naturally richer in protein, calcium, and calories. That can be helpful in some situations, including growth, late pregnancy, and heavy lactation. But it can also be too energy-dense for easy-keeping adults. Merck specifically notes that legumes are usually not needed for routine feeding and may contribute to obesity. Pennsylvania State Extension also lists high alfalfa feeding as one factor that can predispose llamas and alpacas to urinary stone problems, especially when the overall mineral balance is not appropriate.

Hay quality is not only about the label on the bale. A beautiful bale of orchard grass can still be poor feed if it is stemmy, weather-damaged, dusty, or moldy. Good alpaca hay should smell fresh, feel dry, and contain plenty of leaves with minimal weeds, dirt, or foreign material. If you can get a forage test, it gives much better information than appearance alone. University of Minnesota Extension notes that hay quality testing is widely used and that visual checks still matter because some problems, like mold or storage damage, may not show up fully on a lab report.

If you are unsure whether your alpaca needs grass hay alone, a grass-alfalfa mix, or a more tailored ration, ask your vet to review body condition score, life stage, and forage analysis together. That approach is often more useful than choosing hay by name alone.

A practical starting point for alpacas is free-choice access to clean forage or a measured daily amount based on body weight and body condition. Merck states that most camelids eat about 1.8% to 2% of body weight per day on a dry-matter basis under basal conditions. Because hay is not 100% dry matter, the as-fed amount in the feeder is usually a bit higher than the dry-matter calculation.

For many adult alpacas weighing about 140 to 180 pounds, that works out to roughly 2.5 to 4 pounds of hay dry matter daily, often closer to 3 to 5 pounds as-fed depending on hay moisture and waste. Smaller alpacas, overweight alpacas, and alpacas with pasture access may need less. Growing crias, thin alpacas, late-gestation females, and lactating females may need more nutrient-dense forage or a carefully balanced supplement plan from your vet.

Alfalfa should usually be fed selectively, not automatically. Small amounts may be appropriate as part of a mixed forage plan, but feeding large amounts of alfalfa to every alpaca in the herd can push calories and calcium higher than needed. That is one reason many farms use grass hay as the base ration and reserve alfalfa for animals with higher demands.

The safest way to judge whether the amount is right is to monitor body condition score, fiber coat, manure quality, appetite, and activity level. Pennsylvania State Extension recommends regular body condition scoring in llamas and alpacas, especially during pregnancy and lactation. If your alpaca is gaining too much condition, losing topline, or leaving hay because it is unpalatable, your vet may suggest changing the forage type, amount, or feeding setup.

Poor hay choice or poor hay quality does not always cause dramatic symptoms right away. Early clues can be subtle, including slow weight gain, weight loss, reduced appetite, sorting through hay, dull fiber, or dropping partially chewed feed. If hay is too coarse, dusty, or moldy, some alpacas will eat less before they show obvious illness.

Watch for coughing while eating, nasal discharge, increased breathing effort, or reluctance to approach the feeder, especially if the hay is dusty. Moldy or poorly stored hay can irritate the airways and lower intake. Stemmy, weathered hay may also fail to provide enough usable nutrition even when the feeder looks full.

If the ration is too rich, especially with heavy alfalfa or excess concentrates, you may see unwanted weight gain, over-conditioning, or reduced interest in forage. In male alpacas, diet-related urinary issues are a special concern. Pennsylvania State Extension lists straining to urinate, frequent attempts to urinate, discomfort, and reduced urine output as warning signs of urinary blockage, which is an emergency.

See your vet immediately if your alpaca stops eating, appears bloated or painful, strains to urinate, has trouble breathing, or becomes weak and isolated from the herd. Less urgent but still important reasons to call include gradual weight change, poor body condition despite eating, or repeated refusal of a new hay batch.

If your current hay is too rich, too dusty, or inconsistent, the safest alternative for many adult alpacas is a clean, tested grass hay. Timothy, orchard grass, brome, and mixed grass hay are all reasonable options when they are harvested and stored well. A forage analysis can help you compare lots and avoid guessing.

If one group in your herd has higher needs, you do not always need to switch every alpaca to alfalfa. Another option is to keep grass hay as the base forage and use a more targeted plan for animals that need extra calories or protein. That might include a limited amount of alfalfa, a camelid-appropriate pellet, or a ration balancer chosen with your vet.

Pasture can also be part of the plan, but it should not replace hay quality management. Seasonal pasture changes can make intake less predictable, and some alpacas still need hay to maintain stable fiber intake. Clean water, appropriate minerals, and regular body condition checks matter just as much as the forage source.

If you are buying hay for a small herd, expect a typical cost range of about $6 to $12 per small square bale for grass hay and $8 to $14 for alfalfa when bought farm-direct, with higher retail costs in some regions and stores. Paying a little more for cleaner, tested hay can reduce waste and may help prevent nutrition-related problems that are much harder to manage later with your vet.