Question:  Feeding 10 alpacas hay

I have a client planning to purchase 10 alpacas.  They live in Western Washington and currently grow their own grass.  For now, they have a pasture mix of Timothy, clover and rye.  Is this a mix the alpacas can eat?  This is not just for grazing, but for harvesting.  It is possible they can switch mixes next year, but for now, this is what they have.  Is it ok for alpaca grazing and harvesting, or do I need to tell them they will have to purchase orchard grass for the alpacas?

Thank you very much for you time.

Answer:

The species you mentioned (timothy, clover - presumably white clover, and rye - presumably perennial ryegrass) are high quality species suitable for grazing. These can also be made into excellent quality hay. You should not need to get the orchardgrass hay.

Several comments:

1) These species are among the highest quality forages we have (certainly higher quality than the orchardgrass option you stated). These species will have higher protein levels than orchardgrass and higher digestibility (i.e. conversion efficiency of energy). The effect will depend on what alpacas you are feeding. In general alpacas (especially non-pregnant females, all males) do not require high quality forages - and you should pay attention to their weight since they might have a tendency to fatten on these higher quality forages. Young (growing) animals and lactating females will probably be better-off on these forages than on the orchardgrass.

2) Unfortunately all forages have some potential for problems (usually very low risk in most cases). You should be aware of the types of feeding disorders these species can have and assess their risk in your specific situation.

a) timothy and orchardgrass have negligible risk. Perhaps the biggest problems with timothy are its high quality and the potential for excessive weight gain. Agronomically, timothy has poorer persistence than the other species - so you might tend to see its contribution to pasture decreasing over time - especially with grazing.

b) white clover (and other clovers). White clover is a useful species since it fixes nitrogen with its rhizobia, thus minimizing the need for N-fertilizer. White clover is also very high quality and can lead to excessive weight gain - watch animal weight!! White clover can be bloating in sheep and cattle - there is less risk in alpacas. There is a rare condition on white clover called slobbers. It is the result of a bacteria that grows in warm (>80F) wet conditions (June) - it is not life-threatening but unsuitable in show animals.

c) perennial ryegrass - again another high quality forage. Perennial ryegrass has one other problem and that is the possibility to harbor endophyte. Endophyte produces toxins that are harmful to alpacas (nervous trematogens) and can cause abortion in sheep and death in lambs. We tested 50 Ohio fields and have have found endophyte in a couple of Ohio alpaca ryegrass pastures -  I would strongly suggest an endophyte test. Your options for what to do depend on the results of that test.

Also, ryegrass can be more difficult to make hay since its high density can slow drying - but with care very good hay can be made.

endophyte tests are conducted by Oregon State Univ. - Vet Diagnostic Lab

http://www.vet.orst.edu/

regards,
Dave Barker