t. It grew well. Despite my pleading about how great the stuff was, my alpacas wouldn't touch it even at the point of starvation.
Despite their common use, there are two grasses that should be avoided.
Fescue is a fantastic grass. It is hardy, drought resistant, remains green in the winter and grows very well. Much of this success is due to a symbiotic existence with an endophyte. An endophyte is a fungus that grows internally - inside the plant. The fescue gives it a home and the endophyte provides additional nutrients for the fescue. The endophyte also produces compounds that affect pregnant and lactating camelids. The effects and symptoms are virtually identical to problems that mares have who have been fed fescue. The common problems are agalactia, thickened placentas, and ...tough fetal membranes The common problems are agalactia (milk related problems. E.g. low milk production, no milk, slow to let milk down), thickened placentas and on camelids the fetal membrane which envelopes the cria will be very tough. Not all fescue will have endophytes, but if the fescue is tall or in moist or naturally foggy areas, it will. Males have no problems with it, so your "boy" pastures would be OK.
There are fescue seeds that are endophyte-free. They don't grow as well as regular fescue, since the endophyte supplies nutrients. Also, after a while, they naturally become "infected" with the endophyte, so you're back at square one.
There are some new varieties with a hypo-virulent strain of endophyte. A hypo-virulent strain means that it is not as toxic, if at all. So its infected with an endophyte already, but its natural toxins that it produces do not have the bad effects with horses, and presumably, with alpacas.
The other popular grass to avoid is perennial rye. This is not the same as annual rye. Perennial rye can cause ryegrass staggers - a bad reaction that can lead to death.