Care & keeping

How much hay does an alpaca eat per day?

A

Short answer

About 2-3 lb (0.9-1.4 kg) of hay per day for an average adult, or roughly one small square bale per alpaca every 2-3 weeks.

A 150-lb alpaca needs about 2.7 lb of dry matter per day at maintenance. Hay is ~90% dry matter, so that's about 3 lb of hay, plus waste. Pregnant and nursing females eat more; pasture reduces hay needs in the growing season.

Budget about 1,000-1,200 lb (450-550 kg) of hay per alpaca per year if they have little pasture.

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