Can alpacas eat pumpkins? Do they actually like them?

Once Halloween has passed we often get asked the same question..... can alpacas eat pumpkins? Here on the farm we grow our own pumpkins. This year we grew over eighty, thirty of which were Atlantic Pumpkins, which means they were total whoppers!

This kids who came on our Halloween Event had loads of fun carving the pumpkins, but we're very mindful of food waste and won't let anything that can be nutritious go in the bin. So what happened to the 'insides' of our pumpkins and who ate them?

Well to begin with we made soup, lots and lots of pumpkin soup! Then we roasted pumpkin to add to our dinners. Then we froze pumpkin for use over the winter months. Then it was the animals turn! We took the tops off the pumpkins and popped them in the fields where our chickens free range. They love pumpkins and the seeds and they made very light work of even the biggest of the pumpkins!

The goats aren't so keen and left theirs pretty much untouched. But you're keen to know about the alpacas..... So here's what we did...

We took the tops off, gave the insides a good 'mush' and popped it into the females field. Misty our llama was the first to explore but turned her nose up and walked away. Persephone was next on the scene, she tried a few mouthfuls and then warned Artemis off trying to muscle in on what she appeared to have claimed as 'her pumpkin'. Juniper also attempted a hustle but was told off. After a few mouthfuls Persephone decided pumpkin wasn't her kind of thing after all and left it for the younger ones to come and explore.

Little by little they all tried a mouthful or two, but none of them seemed that bothered in all honesty!

Is this because pumpkins aren't good for them or do they just not like them?

Well in reality, pumpkins are nutritionally great for most farm animals including the more exotic alpaca. Pumpkins are rich in fibre, potassium and iron as well as vitamins A, C, E and K3. They're also rich in antioxidants which keeps an alpaca healthy and well. So why aren't they wolfing down those pumpkins? Well in all honesty I believe it's because it's not really a normal part of their diet.

Alpacas originate from South America, mostly the Andes regions. You don't find a lot of pumpkins growing up there!  So although pumpkins may be good for them as a tasty nutritional treat, perhaps they're not genetically disposed to loving them? Maybe if they were offered pumpkin more than once a year they'd get used to them? Who knows!

The seeds themselves are also really nutritious and can be fed in reasonable amounts. We have one boy that loves them but several who turn their noses up. It seems like us, alpacas all have very individual taste buds.

So can alpacas eat pumpkins? The answer is yes, but whether they will is pretty much down to your animals individual taste!



Andie Stevens-Moore is co owner at Middle England Farm, Henley in Arden, Warwickshire