[Jacob-list] Gaurd Animals

[Debbie Bennett]

We've had an intact male as a guard llama for five years now. Until a  
couple years ago, he was guarding our goats and we never had a  
problem with him. Two years ago, we sold the goat herd. We have had  
him guarding breeding groups of Jacobs and he likes the smell of the  
rams in the Fall. When a female llama is in heat, they lay down and  
the male lays on top of them. Danny-Boy tried to lay on the rams.  
They got up and beat him about the legs, several times, and Danny-Boy  
finally got the idea  that the rams didn't want to be mated. Until  
this year, we had him in a pasture with a group of ram lambs. We  
started seeing mating behavior and I should have moved the llama, but  
since it had never been a problem before... So, I went out to feed  
one morning only to find a dead ram lamb, suffocated by the llama.  
Danny-Boy is now in a pasture adjacent to the sheep. I also have  
three female llamas, two of which will guard and have no problem with  
the sheep. The third female was raised only around other llamas (she  
was four years old when we bought her) and she doesn't like sheep,  
chases them away from the food, spits at them, etc. When we rotate  
pastures and have sheep in with the female llamas, we have to feed  
her separately to keep the peace.
Debbie Bennett
Feral Fibre Farm
Oakland, OR

On Oct 29, 2005, at 5:12 PM, CARL FOSBRINK wrote:

> Hello Christopher,
>        Judy and I bought a weaned female llama and brought her home  
> and put her right in with one of our Jacob flocks. That was two  
> years ago. She is the greatest guard animal I have ever seen. She  
> sniffs each baby as soon as it is born and makes sure nothing  
> bothers her flock. If she thinks something is a threat she will  
> round up her flock and move them away from the threat and is  
> constantly on watch. We just love her.
>        I have been told a castrated male llama makes a good guard  
> also, but you don't want to use an intact male.
>        With grown llamas I would recommend putting one  in a pen  
> next to the flock for awhile so they can get used to each other  
> thru the fence before turning him or her in with the flock,  
> especially if the llama hasn't been used as guard animals in the past.
> Carl & Judy
> 4Horn Farm's Jacob Sheep
>
> Christopher Brantley <labradorridgejacobs at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I know many of the folks on this list ustilze GP as defenders of  
> their flock. Recently, I was asked about taking on a couple of  
> llamas that are not of show quality, but with great dispositons and  
> not good breeder material. Has anyone used llamas and what are the  
> drawbacks and advantages of llamas with Jacobs?
>
> -Christopher
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