Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Plant safety · Caution

Can Alpacas Eat Sorghum (forage sorghum)?

Sorghum (forage sorghum) (Sorghum bicolor) — a crop. Here is what alpaca owners need to know.

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team
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Use caution — it depends on the amount and the situation.

Occasional nibbles are usually tolerated, but problems occur with large amounts, certain plant stages or vulnerable animals.

Sorghum (forage sorghum) (Sorghum bicolor)
Sorghum (forage sorghum) (Sorghum bicolor). Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Pethan assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Status
Caution
Scientific name
Sorghum bicolor
Family
Poaceae
Plant type
Crop
Also known as
sorghum
Toxic parts
Young, frosted, regrowing or drought-stressed plants
Toxic compound
Dhurrin (cyanogenic) and nitrates

Why it matters

Well-cured sorghum hay tested for nitrates can be used, but fresh grazing is risky. Do not graze within 2 weeks after a frost or until regrowth is at least 18-24 in (45-60 cm) tall.

Signs of sorghum (forage sorghum) poisoning in alpacas

  • Rapid, labored breathing within minutes
  • Bright cherry-red gums and blood
  • Anxiety, trembling, staggering
  • Urinary incontinence and hind-end incoordination with long-term grazing

If your alpaca ate a lot of sorghum (forage sorghum)

  1. Remove access and estimate how much was eaten.
  2. Watch for the signs listed above over the next 24–72 hours.
  3. Call your vet if any signs appear or if a pregnant, young or sick animal ate a large amount.
  4. Reduce the plant in your pasture and keep good forage available so alpacas aren't driven to eat it.

About the plant

Sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum and also known as broomcorn, great millet, Indian millet, Guinea corn, jowar, or milo, is a species in the grass genus Sorghum. It is typically an annual, but some cultivars are perennial. It grows in clumps that may reach over 4 metres (13 ft) high. The grain is 2 to 4 millimetres in diameter.From Wikipedia — “Sorghum”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows

GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, holds 193,026 recorded observations of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench worldwide, including 10,906 in the United States. It belongs to the Poaceae family, together with Johnsongrass, Cheatgrass, Corn Plants & Stalks, Dallisgrass (ergot-infected), Foxtail Barley & Foxtail Grasses. See the occurrence map on GBIF.

Frequently asked questions

Is sorghum (forage sorghum) poisonous to alpacas?
It can be. Use caution — it depends on the amount and the situation. Well-cured sorghum hay tested for nitrates can be used, but fresh grazing is risky. Do not graze within 2 weeks after a frost or until regrowth is at least 18-24 in (45-60 cm) tall.
What part of sorghum (forage sorghum) is toxic to alpacas?
Young, frosted, regrowing or drought-stressed plants.
What are the symptoms of sorghum (forage sorghum) poisoning?
Rapid, labored breathing within minutes, bright cherry-red gums and blood, anxiety, trembling, staggering and urinary incontinence and hind-end incoordination with long-term grazing.
Is dried sorghum (forage sorghum) safe?
Drying does not reliably make poisonous plants safe. Treat dried leaves and contaminated hay with the same caution.

Keeping pastures safe

  • Walk every paddock and fence line each season and remove toxic plants, including roots.
  • Never throw garden, hedge or lawn clippings over the fence.
  • Check pastures after storms for fallen branches (cherry, red maple).
  • Buy hay from known sources and inspect it for weeds.
  • Keep pastures well managed — hungry alpacas eat plants they would normally avoid.

Browse the full toxic plant checker, the printable list of poisonous plants and the list of safe plants.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.

Data: plant status compiled from veterinary toxicology references (see sources); taxonomy and occurrences from GBIF; identifiers from Wikidata Q332062.