# Keeping a Guard Llama



## HomeCastle (Dec 27, 2012)

Hi,
I'm new to the board but I've enjoyed reading it quite a bit. I've got a question about guard llamas for anyone who might have some info.

My wife and I are purchasing a house with about 20 acres and we'd like raise some sheep (not many, probably 5-10). Coyotes are our main concern and we like the idea of a guard llama, since it can live right in with the sheep and eat the same things, seems fairly low maintenance.

Well, our purpose for the sheep is to raise them during the summer and slaughter them in the fall. We were not planning on keeping any over the winter. But if we go with a guard llama, we'd need to keep it through the winter. That's fine. But my question is, since llamas are social, would it be bad to keep a single llama over the winter after the sheep are gone?


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I would just winter over a sheep or two with the llama, they don't like being alone.


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

Llamas are herd animals. Always best to keep them in pairs. I keep two geldings, and they get along great. They look after my goats and pigs, and they have been very effective against everything except one very determined cougar. I can't fault the llamas for that.

They are the easiest keepers imaginable. They will do fine on pasture, supplemented in winter with regular hay. They don't eat much. Their feet need trimming -- I have mine done semi-annually -- and should, like most livestock, be wormed regularly. They void in chosen spots which makes cleaning up easy. The manure can go directly on your garden. Not excessively hot.

Learn to catch them and don't leave halters on them to make it easier. Llamas can easily suffocate if a halter slips down around their nose. They prefer being petted on the neck and not the head.

When you make your selection, make sure to ask if the llama was bottle-raised. If yes, do not purchase it. Llamas must be raised by other llamas. Llamas that aren't may suffer from Berserk Llama Syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserk_llama_syndrome

Enjoy your llamas!


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## HomeCastle (Dec 27, 2012)

wendle:
Keeping a sheep or two might be a possibility. Thanks.

Raeven:
Thanks for the advice. I've read that about bottle feeding and I will definitely ask. I've also read that llamas are less effective at bonding with and protecting the sheep if there is more than one llama because they just bond to each other. Since you keep two I'd imagine you disagree with that. What's your take on that claim?


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## Raeven (Oct 11, 2011)

HomeCastle... You're right, I haven't found it to be the case. It's true that one of my llamas (the younger one) bonded with the other livestock more than the other, but it's my belief that he still needs his pal around. The one who bonded closely with my goats and pigs frolics and cavorts around with them like he's one of them. It's pretty funny to watch. He is very interested in everything they are doing and becomes quite distraught in the times when I separate him from them. Hums a lot. 

Interestingly, the one animal neither llama took to was my horse. She was old, pretty intolerant and had to be euthanized a couple of years ago, so no more little skirmishes. I used to find wads of llama wool here and there around the pasture... she must have been nipping at the llamas whenever she could get her teeth on them. Bad girl!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

A guard animal needs to bond with the species that it will guard. This means the baby and momma are with the sheep so the baby imprints on the sheep as well as the llamas. This is why you can't just put any llama in with your sheep, it has to have been raised around them.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I don't raise llamas so can't say for sure how they need to be raised. My previous llama was raised with cattle. The owner wanted to get rid of him because he would keep the calves away from the grain and hog it all himself. First week he got out 3 or 4 times and we had to herd him back home. Llamas can easily jump a woven wire fence from a stand still. Then something clicked and he decided the sheep were his buddies. After that he was inseparable. The only time he would jump fence after that was to get back to his group of sheep if they somehow got separated. He was very protective of his sheep and would get between them and what he thought was danger. A year after he came to my place I had to haul my sheep to a trial and didn't leave him with any. He got out and went looking for them. Neighbor ended up llama sitting in his feed lot for the weekend. It just depends on the animal if they will work out or not.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

I have a friend who has a herd of llamas, probably 40-50.
They can't even guard themselves.
Dogs have killed several. Coyotes get a few.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

pancho said:


> I have a friend who has a herd of llamas, probably 40-50.
> They can't even guard themselves.
> Dogs have killed several. Coyotes get a few.


I think they are more of a deterrent than a scrapper. A stockdog worth his salt can move them like they would a cow, so I'm not surprised dogs would take out your friend's. I found mine useful for a small group of sheep(10), but not effective with more than that. The sheep figure out to go to the llama if there is a threat, similar to how they would with a horse, donkey, or cow. If a sheep gets worried out of the group, then he becomes the volunteer sacrifice.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

wendle said:


> I think they are more of a deterrent than a scrapper. A stockdog worth his salt can move them like they would a cow, so I'm not surprised dogs would take out your friend's. I found mine useful for a small group of sheep(10), but not effective with more than that. The sheep figure out to go to the llama if there is a threat, similar to how they would with a horse, donkey, or cow. If a sheep gets worried out of the group, then he becomes the volunteer sacrifice.


Yes.
I used to tell him the only way the llamas would keep his other animals from being killed is they tasted better than what they were supposed to guard.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

pancho said:


> Yes.
> I used to tell him the only way the llamas would keep his other animals from being killed is they tasted better than what they were supposed to guard.


Oooh Not nice lol


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

If you aren't set on a llama, you might consider a donkey. Just personal preference, but I enjoy the personality of a donkey more than a llama. Neither of the donkeys I've had were raised with sheep. I currently have one donkey, just because he is such a love and he has a job at Christmas time being part of a nativity scene. Below is Bennet with my dexter calf, a couple sheep and a couple nigerian dwarf goats.


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## Farmer2B (Oct 20, 2011)

Llamas, raised and treated right, will pay off your efforts. 

Be cautious with a donkey; donkeys are for guarding land and for guarding against dogs. Besides that they are next to useless and a huge pain.
Also recognize mini donkeys serve no guarding purpose but to eat the grain before the livestock. Standards will usually make the cut and Mammoth, when they can be found, are great too. 
The use of donkeys should not be attempted by anyone new to donkeys!!!!!!
And NEVER EVER EVER let a Mule in. They're great animals and I love them but this is not their line of work.

Good luck.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Just out of curiosity, why not a mule?


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## Farmer2B (Oct 20, 2011)

No two mules are alike and while I've seen some bond great to livestock, in cases like these why stretch it? 
Mules are odd, some need a good bop over the head to keep them in check and others need hours of love. They're like a person. 
With mules I've seen them love sheep, kill sheep, sometimes it is just boredom and sometimes it is hatred. I had a mule who used to love a rooster, the pair were imseperable. The rooster would sleep on his back like those white birds and the elephants.

So while it's possible you might get a good mule, just play it safe.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

I was curious as I recently acquired a young mule for riding. I'm in the process of getting him used to being good around the other animals. I want to be able to ride him around sheep, cows, and with dog/s around as well. So far he is tolerating the sheep, even if they are mobbing around him. He is very dog aggressive, which made me think he might also be a good guardian. He is not left unsupervised with the sheep. I do make a point to train my stockdogs in his field moving the sheep to him and around him getting him used to dealing with it. I suspect there is potential to be bad, like you said if he was bored, and especially if confined with sheep in smaller areas for long periods of time. 

Joey with some sheep


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

Very few llamas make good guard animals. They are great to have, wonderful around children, but not the best guard animal (IMO). Good advice on feed an worming. We avoided feed with molasses. Depending on where you live , they may need some extra selenium. Pleny out there on home made chutes. You may want one, makes it easy to shear in the spring time and to do feet. Depending on the llama and the time you spend with them, it may not be necessary, just nice in case of an emergency.


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

For what its worth, we would never get a male that was bottle raised.


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