NZ Plants and Trees - for diet and health 

The beauty about alpacas here in NZ is that they do really well when we provide them with just the simple dietary needs of Water and Pasture.  If you run out of grass then Hay is the next best food supplement to provide for them.

We have not had a shortage of grass so have not introduced hay to our animals.

When we take an animal to shows it is not usually practical to take grass with us so we feed our alpacas various feed supplements obtained from our local farm supplies retailer.

I have also found that hay in the show pens, with the animals, creates a lot more work for you trying to keep your animals free of vegetation so the judges can see the lovely fleece on the animal.

I like to include in their show diet some fresh food, so, with that in mind, I have planted patches of chicory and plantain (varieties of broadleaf grasses), along with Tree Lucerne and Willow Trees. These provide an excellent source of extra food during times of lean grass growth as well.

I have found that here, in the Bay of Plenty, the chicory and plantain have flourished during both the summer drought and the winter frosts, the Tree Lucerne grew from a 30cm seedling to a 3m tree in 1 year, and the willow trees have also been a fast growing addition to our farm.

Willow trees are not only tasty for alpacas to eat, but also have medicinal value, and provide lovely shade in the summer as well.

The Tree Lucerne has a small white flower in the winter time so is quite popular with the bees and the birds, in particular, the New Zealand Wood Pigeon.

When we have spare chicory or Tree Lucerne available to share at the shows, I have offered it to other breeders to give to their alpacas and, like most new foods, it has been received by the alpacas rather dubiously. So, I would recommend that if you are going to go to the trouble of taking this type of feed to the show (as with any new food), then, you should introduce it to the “show animals” a couple of weeks beforehand to get them used to eating it.

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The information presented here is from our own experiences, adapted from others to suit our situation, property and our animals. We don’t claim to be experts and you are welcome to disagree, if you find something useful – great. Everyone is welcome to comment and provide feedback – see Contact Us.