Windy Wether Farm

 
After moving to our new farm, we lost one chicken to raccoons.  Since then, we have trapped 7 of those boogers and relocated them to a new place. 

We have heard rumors about coyotes in our area.  STRONG rumors.  Then several farms close to us lost livestock, including a buck goat, miniature ponies, and an entire flock of chickens, all of which were dessimated by a pack of dogs.

We began to worry for our baby goats.  Well, really for all our goats, as they are minis and even our buck is smaller than most dogs.  We have read good things about Livestock Guardian Dogs, but, frankly, we just aren't dog people, especially since we began raising chickens and have seen the damage they can inflict in mere seconds.

We strongly considered donkeys, but we were looking for something we could get our hands on fast that was already trained for the job.  We read that in order for a donkey to be a proper livestock guardian, it needed to be a standard or mammoth breed, preferably a jenny and definitely not a jack.  After combing through ads and websites, we didn't find anything we considered suitable for our purposes.

What we did find, in our search for guardians for our goats, was a wealth of information regarding using llamas as guardian animals.  The idea was...intriguing.

 

Llamas have a different way of guarding.  They are naturally herd animals, and will easily accept sheep and goats as herdmates.  Llamas are very intelligent and always alert and curious.  If an unknown animal enters into a llama's territory, the llama will naturally want to inspect that animal, just for the sake of knowing, "What in the world is that?"  Because of their intimidating size, the intruder usually leaves the area instead of allowing the 6 foot tall llama to come any closer.  If the intruder is undeterred, the llama will send out an alarm sound (a high-pitched squealing) and will stomp with their powerful front legs and two daggerlike toenails.  Stories of llamas killing rattlesnakes, coyotes, raccoons, possums, and dogs are not uncommon.

We decided to see if we could find llamas in our area that we could visit to see what we thought.  Through searching the web, we found Annie Higginbotham at Head and Hearts Llama Farm. After emailing her, she helped us find two male llamas (now gelded) that would be perfect for our needs of livestock guardians, companions, and pack animals for our camping trips and hikes.

 

In May of 2010, we welcomed Ash and Gemini to our farm, and they blended in to our herd almost immediately.  Gemini is a thoughtful, shy fellow who is a favorite of our goat kids.  They will follow him anywhere, and he is always cautious to watch where he steps, in case a baby is under his feet.

Ash is a more person-oriented llama than most.  He will allow us to give him hugs, and is already ready to meet new people.  When we take them with us for walks, he wants to be able to see all of "his people" and if he can't see us, he will hum until we get in front of him where we are "safe."

Llamas are big creatures with big hearts and we are so glad we added them to our farm.  We trust that they are out there, in the field, working for us, earning their hay.  They are fun to take on hikes and can pack gear where a four wheeler could not.  They have a naturally calming affect and are a joy to watch. 

They also are easy and inexpensive to maintain, their rations being meager compared to their size.
When people ask, "Why llamas?" our response is "Why NOT llamas?"