6 Best Narrow Trough Feeders For Alpaca Feeding That Reduce Feed Waste
Minimize feed waste with the right alpaca feeder. Our guide reviews the 6 best narrow trough designs, helping you save money and improve herd nutrition.
Watching your carefully measured alpaca pellets get flung onto the ground is more than just frustrating; it’s a waste of money and nutrition. The right feeder can turn that daily spillage into a minor annoyance, or even eliminate it entirely. Choosing the best one means understanding how alpacas eat and what designs work with their behavior, not against it.
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Why Narrow Troughs Reduce Alpaca Feed Spillage
Alpacas are natural browsers and selective eaters. When faced with a wide, open pan, they will use their noses to sift and sort through their feed, pushing pellets around to find the most desirable bits. This sorting action is the primary cause of feed waste, as pellets are easily shoved over the shallow edge and onto the bedding.
A narrow trough fundamentally changes this behavior. By restricting the side-to-side space, it forces the alpaca to focus on the feed directly in front of it. There simply isn’t enough room to push pellets around with abandon. This simple design constraint encourages them to eat what’s there, significantly reducing the amount of feed that ends up on the floor.
Think of it as the difference between eating off a large plate versus out of a tall glass. On the plate, you can move food around easily. In the glass, your only option is to eat from the top down. A narrow trough creates a "top-down" eating experience for your alpacas, which is exactly what you want for minimizing waste.
The Alpaca Feeder: A Specialized Waste-Saver
While any narrow trough is an improvement, feeders designed specifically for camelids like alpacas take waste reduction a step further. These often feature individual feeding stations or vertical dividers, sometimes called "tombstone" feeders. Each alpaca gets its own slot, which almost completely eliminates the ability to sort and spill.
This design also solves another common problem: competition. In a long, open trough, a dominant alpaca can walk the line, pushing more timid herd members away from the feed. Individual slots ensure that every animal has a protected space to eat its share in peace. This leads to more consistent nutrition across the entire herd, not just for the boldest animals.
The main tradeoff is usually cost and capacity. Specialized alpaca feeders are more complex to manufacture and thus more expensive than a simple trough. They also might hold less feed overall and can be more difficult to clean, with nooks and crannies that a simple trough doesn’t have. It’s a balance between upfront investment and long-term feed savings.
Behlen Country Poly Trough for Herd Feeding
The Behlen Country Poly Trough is a workhorse for the hobby farmer with a medium-sized herd. Its primary advantage is its simplicity and length. You can find these in various lengths, often up to 10 or 12 feet, allowing several alpacas to eat side-by-side without excessive crowding.
Made from durable polyethylene, it stands up to abuse and won’t rust or corrode. The smooth surface is incredibly easy to clean—a quick scrub and rinse is all it takes. While it lacks individual dividers, its narrow profile and relatively deep basin do a great job of containing feed compared to open pans or wide rubber tubs. This is an excellent, cost-effective first step in reducing waste.
The main consideration is that dominant alpacas can still patrol the length of the trough. You may need to place multiple, shorter troughs in different areas to ensure everyone gets a chance to eat. It’s a solid, practical solution that balances waste reduction with budget and ease of use.
Little Giant Fence Feeder for Small Herds
For those with just a few alpacas or a need to separate animals for special feeding, the Little Giant Fence Feeder is a fantastic tool. These compact feeders are designed to hang securely over a standard fence rail or stall wall. This gets the feed off the ground, preventing contamination and discouraging alpacas from stepping in their food.
Their small size is both a pro and a con. It’s perfect for providing a specific ration to a pregnant female, a growing cria, or an animal needing supplements. However, you would need several of them to feed even a small herd, which can become cumbersome. They are best used for targeted feeding, not as a primary solution for a group of ten.
Because they are lightweight and portable, they offer great flexibility. You can easily move them between pens or pastures as your herd management needs change. They are also simple to take down for a thorough cleaning.
Tarter Equine Flex Feeder for Pasture Safety
Safety is a top priority in any animal enclosure, and the Tarter Equine Flex Feeder addresses this head-on. Made from a flexible, impact-resistant plastic, it’s designed to give way if an animal runs into it, significantly reducing the risk of injury. While marketed for horses, its deep, narrow design is highly effective for alpacas.
This feeder is an ideal choice for pastures or high-traffic areas where animals might get spooked and bump into their surroundings. The forgiving material is a huge benefit over rigid plastic or metal feeders, which can cause serious bruises or cuts. It’s a smart investment in preventative care.
The tradeoff for this flexibility is that a particularly determined or bored alpaca might be able to chew on or deform the feeder more easily than a rigid one. It’s also a ground feeder, so you must be mindful of placement to keep it clean and ensure it doesn’t get kicked around. However, for peace of mind regarding animal safety, it’s hard to beat.
Brower Poly Trough for All-Weather Durability
If you’re looking for a "buy it once, cry it once" solution, the Brower Poly Trough is a leading contender. These feeders are built with exceptionally thick, heavy-duty polyethylene that includes UV inhibitors. This means they won’t get brittle and crack after a few seasons in the sun, nor will they shatter in a deep winter freeze.
This level of durability makes them a fantastic investment for farms in climates with extreme weather. They are heavy enough that alpacas are unlikely to push them around, so they stay where you put them. The robust construction justifies the higher price tag if longevity is your primary concern.
The weight can also be a minor drawback, as they are more difficult to move for cleaning or pasture rotation compared to lighter models. But for a semi-permanent feeding station in a barn or a dedicated paddock, their ruggedness is a significant advantage. This is the feeder you buy when you’re tired of replacing cheaper ones every few years.
Sydell Wall Feeder to Maximize Pen Floor Space
In barns and smaller pens, floor space is prime real estate. The Sydell Wall Feeder is designed to be mounted directly to a wall or sturdy fence post, lifting the entire feeding operation off the ground. This frees up valuable floor space and makes mucking out stalls significantly easier.
By securing the feeder to a wall, you completely eliminate the possibility of it being tipped over, pushed into a corner, or contaminated. It creates a permanent, stable, and clean feeding station. Many models also come with the "tombstone" style dividers, offering the waste-saving benefits of a specialized alpaca feeder.
The obvious consideration is the lack of portability. Once it’s installed, it’s not moving without some effort. You need to be certain about its placement and height before breaking out the drill. This makes it a perfect solution for permanent winter housing but less ideal for rotational grazing systems.
Feeder Placement and Height for Best Results
Even the most perfectly designed feeder will fail if it’s placed improperly. The single most important factor is height. The top lip of the feeder should be at the alpaca’s mid-chest level. Too low, and they will be tempted to put a foot in it. Too high, and it becomes uncomfortable to eat from, which can discourage timid eaters.
Placement within the pen is also crucial. Position the feeder in a low-traffic area where animals can eat without being constantly jostled by others passing by. Avoid placing it directly next to their water source, as alpacas dipping their mouths back and forth will quickly turn expensive pellets into a soggy, unpalatable mess.
Finally, consider the flow of your herd. If you have a dominant animal, placing two smaller feeders far apart is often better than one long one. This gives less assertive alpacas a chance to eat at the other feeder without being chased away. A little observation of your herd’s dynamics at feeding time will tell you everything you need to know to create a peaceful, low-waste environment.
Ultimately, the best feeder is one that fits your herd size, your management style, and your farm’s layout. By switching from a wide pan to a narrow trough—whether it’s a simple poly trough or a specialized wall-mounted unit—you are working with your alpacas’ natural behavior. This simple change will save you money on feed, ensure your animals get better nutrition, and make feeding time a much calmer part of your day.
