By Daniela Riccio, Little Valley Farm, Wollombi Valley
When you see that slow, rhythmic chewing, it’s not boredom, it’s business.
Alpacas are what’s known as pseudo-ruminants. Unlike true ruminants such as cows, which have four stomach compartments, alpacas have three. Their digestive system is remarkably efficient, designed to draw every last bit of goodness from the grasses, hay, and pasture plants they eat.
After grazing, they’ll often settle into a quiet spot, sit down, and begin to chew the cud, regurgitating partially digested food to chew it again. It’s all part of how they process fibre and nutrients.
This slow, steady chewing has a calming rhythm to it. Spend a few minutes watching, and you’ll see their jaws move in gentle circles, their eyes half-closed, perfectly at peace. It’s one of those moments that remind you how unhurried farm life can be, where digestion doubles as meditation.
Our alpacas do this most mornings, especially when the valley is still waking up. The birds start their dawn chorus, and the soundscape is pure spring. You can watch (and listen) here:
🎥 Watch the video on Instagram
What do alpacas prefer to eat?
At Little Valley Farm, alpacas spend most of their time grazing on paddock grass, moving through rotational paddocks each week so they always have fresh feed, and the pasture has time to recover. Their food needs aren’t one-size-fits-all. Wethers, weaners, crias, pregnant females and lactating mums all have slightly different requirements depending on age, condition and season. Alongside grazing, we offer good-quality lucerne hay and, when needed, oaten chaff or lucerne chaff, adjusting with the seasons. We do keep alpaca pellets on hand, but they’re used mainly as a treat or for training, not as a daily feed. Pellets are higher in sugar and not something alpacas need regularly, even though they absolutely think they should have them every day.
Learn More
If you’ve ever wanted to understand alpaca behaviour up close, from their calm chewing to how they communicate, join one of our Introduction to Alpacas workshops here at Little Valley Farm.
We cover everything from body scoring and health checks to daily care and herd dynamics, designed especially for small farms and hobby acreage.
You can also subscribe to ourYouTube channel for more short videos from the paddocks and real farm moments, straight from Wollombi Valley.
About Daniela Riccio
Daniela Riccio is the co-founder of Little Valley Farm, a boutique alpaca farm and farm-stay located in Wollombi Valley in the Hunter Valley, NSW. Established in 2012, the farm is home to a small herd of alpacas and donkeys and focuses on sustainable living, animal care and practical education for small-acreage and hobby farmers.
Daniela works hands-on with alpacas every day and shares real-world experience through workshops, mentoring and writing, based on life on the farm rather than theory. Little Valley Farm is located around 90 minutes from Sydney and one hour from Newcastle, making it a well-known alpaca farm and country retreat in the Hunter Valley.