How bad is your predator problem?
Llama owners
I am considering getting a guard llama for my sheep & goats. I wanted to see if other people here have guard llamas. Do you like them? Any regrets? And suggestions for meeting their different mineral needs, sspecifically being more sensitive to copper than goats. I have 2 options. One
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I loved my llama and got very upset when we had to sale him. We down sized from 80 acres to a small hobby farm to be closer to my parents. We just didn't need LGD's and a llama and the husband opted to sale home to a good larger farm home. He was amazing and already trained when we got him. Neutered male. If you get one do your homework on the places to purchase them from in your area. If they are bottle raised then they can some times have behavior issues. Our guys only down side was he was hard to catch. It always took both my husband and my self to trick him into being caught. His previous farm he was just pasture kept with the flock of sheep and they would run through joint gates to other fields. When he moved to my place I had the back 40 and lower 30 that we had to lead between the fields. Once you caught him and got the halter on he was an angel to be handled and sheared.
Shearing normally is fine every other year. Ours didn't get too thick in a year and precious owner had him done every other year at the same time as the sheep were being sheared.
If you have a serious predator issue and can find a well trained llama then it is worth a weight in gold. I love my LGD's but that llama had a special place in my heart and I never lost and animal under his watch even when we had a coyote and bear issue.
Shearing normally is fine every other year. Ours didn't get too thick in a year and precious owner had him done every other year at the same time as the sheep were being sheared.
If you have a serious predator issue and can find a well trained llama then it is worth a weight in gold. I love my LGD's but that llama had a special place in my heart and I never lost and animal under his watch even when we had a coyote and bear issue.
We have not had much of a predator problem....yet. I know we have coyotes and I have seen either coyote or stray dog paw prints in the pasture after a fresh snowfall. The llama is just an added layer of protection, I hope. I can get a 1 year old male for cheap. He has never even handled and would need to be gelded. I don't know if he would try to breed my sheep or does as a yearling until he is gelded. People have recommended waiting until at least 15 months with most saying not before 2 years old. I just worry in that time he might hurt the ladies trying to breed them. There is a much more expensive female that is a former 4H project so very bused to be haltered which might make life easier for an inexperienced first time llama owner
No guarantee that cheap male would actually guard. Do you know if the 4H female was ever used as a guard? It is nice if the llama is trained to be handled but that doesn't guarantee that it will be a good guard either.
Normally neutered males are better at protection than the females in llamas. 12 months old is the perfect time to geld. Most vets want to do it at 12 months for bone structure but before they start having male behavioral issues. If you wait till 15 or more months with an unhandled male llama you could end up with a dangerous animals. Remember they have fighting teeth and their hooves are more like sharp talons they can use in a fight.
Yes it's nice the 4h one has been handled but you would probably end up with a show llama and not a protection llama. Females are not the llama of choice for livestock protection.
It also is very similar to LGD's in the fact you are better off if they have been raised for protection of a herd or flock. Getting a show or pet quality llama may not protect your herd at all, they may just fine but they may not.
This was our boy Loyal with his flock of Tunis sheep we used to have. We later used him with our weaning bucklings after we got out of sheep.
![Plant Working animal Grass Natural landscape Llama]()
Yes it's nice the 4h one has been handled but you would probably end up with a show llama and not a protection llama. Females are not the llama of choice for livestock protection.
It also is very similar to LGD's in the fact you are better off if they have been raised for protection of a herd or flock. Getting a show or pet quality llama may not protect your herd at all, they may just fine but they may not.
This was our boy Loyal with his flock of Tunis sheep we used to have. We later used him with our weaning bucklings after we got out of sheep.
Actually, I had 2 female llamas that were great protection. One killed a dog.
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