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GUARD LLAMAS - Will work for food! Ever since people began farming they have dealt with predator issues. Regardless of what the predator is, it contributes to financial loss for the farmer. This loss can come through direct animal death or a decreased reproductive rate, decreased feed conversion or decreased behavior in stressed animals. Livestock farmers employ different methods to reduce their predator loss through fencing, confinement, lights, guard dogs, donkeys and now llamas. Llamas have not been readily available for service work until the last 5 years. So consider a guard llama to protect your investment. There are many good reasons to consider a llama for guard: ¨ They are easy to care for. Treat them like a big sheep. The eat the same feed, receive the same vaccinations and are dewormed with the same medications. ¨ They aren't hard on fences or equipment. ¨ They have a natural guarding instinct and are wonderful protectors of livestock against predators like dogs, coyotes, cougars and bears. Not all llamas make good guards, but many make excellent guards. ¨ You don't need to worry about the llama biting or injuring your livestock. This can be a significant problem with some guard dogs. What to look for in a good guard: ¨ #1 a llama that has been worked on livestock previously ¨ Alert behavior and investigation of things out of the ordinary ¨ Aggressive nature towards dogs or coyotes ¨ An animal that doesn't come running to the fence for human interaction ¨ It is best to join a guard into a flock about 3 months before heavy predation season, like lambing, begins. It takes ~ 3 months for a flock to bond to the guard. ¨ A neutered male, over 2 years old, that has never been used for breeding. A female that is either not pregnant nor has her own baby (no matter the age) nearby. Gelded males work the best! NEVER use an intact or vasectomized male llama on sheep or goats! Due to the reproductive anatomical differences between the two species and the high incidence of intact male llamas breeding ewes, this results in ewe damage - DON'T DO IT! A neutered male llama that has never bred does not show any breeding behavior and does not have the necessary hormone, testosterone to allow for penile extension for breeding. What do Serenity Acres Guard Llamas have to offer: ¨ Neutered male llamas, over 2 years of age that have never been used for breeding or female llamas ¨ Experienced llamas. Llamas that have demonstrated alert, investigative behavior ¨ Llamas that have bonded to sheep and goats ¨ Correct behavior placement of llamas based on your needs ¨ All SALR llamas are guaranteed to guard against common predators like dogs & coyotes. Placement of llamas to guard against cougar & bears requires multiple highly aggressive animals. Success of a single guard defending a flock against these top predators is unlikely. ¨ References available.
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