# How to introduce a llama.....



## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

We are getting a female llama to guard our flock of sheep plus a few goats. 

What is the best way to introduce her to the herd? Do you just put her in the field with them, or put her in a pen for a few days? 

Thanks!


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Good luck with that.

I made the mistake of trying a llama to guard my sheep. He was terrified of dogs and tried to kill the lambs. Not really very useful.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

If it already lives with other livestock it may work. Can you pen it near them till they get use to each other? then let it out in the field and see what happens. Then penned it back up at night away from them for a while. 

During kidding/lambing season I would pen it back up away from them. A lady here had it killing the babies as it saw them as intruders. 

I had a llama for a very short time, neighbor issues made me give it to a rescue, then I got dogs


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## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

Hubby decided to just put her out with them, as we are building new pens but didn't have one available for her. 

She is very cautious, walking around the pasture over and over and over, just seeming to take everything in. She hasn't interacted with any of the goats/sheep or cow/calf that are all together right now. 

What should I watch for? If she's chasing them, etc? 

Thanks all!


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 8, 2008)

We penned our in a pen within the goat pen for a few weeks. She really took to one of the doelings that did not have much attachment to the herd and would keep stray dogs out of the pen. We has her for about 8 months before she died from issues caused by a miscarriage as she was bres WAY too early, which she was not supposed to be bred, I contacted the seller and explained she may want to keep better track of her males. She was awesome with the goats if a little skittish with us humans. Only problem we had at all was she rolled my husband once but it was just after a thunderstorm and he has having to catch one of the goats to milk and her baby started crying and it was dark. So big something chasing one of her herd and one of her baby's crying she was not having it. I miss her so bad, I will probably be getting another after the rest of this years babies are born.


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## redroving (Sep 28, 2005)

My friend got two llamas and put them directly in with her sheep and they had no problems except that the ram saw them as a threat and attacked them. They had to pen up the ram (luckily he had been in over a month and a half so breeding was over).
I worried about when she started lambing but they didn't attack the lambs so all is well.


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