"Annie isn't a good guard llama…"(my heart sank because I really thought she was), "she is a premier guard llama," said Olive Higgins, the owner of Ramsden Farm, Birdsboro, PA. She then went on to bend my ear on how magnificent Annie was as a sheep guard. Those are the words I love to hear.
Our relationship started with the Higginsons coming to my farm looking for a guard animal to protect their sheep. I did not have any males old enough to geld to sell to them so I sent them onto another farm but warned them not to buy anything younger than 18months of age for guarding. Since they were also interested in fine fiber, I said that if they could not find an animal and wanted to wait until the one they wanted was old enough, I would lend them a female to guard until he was ready. A week or so later they called wanting to wait and eager to get an animal on their farm. Knowing Annie's behavior, I suspected that she would make a good guard, so I confidently took her over to their farm.
It only took the sheep a few hours to get used to her. Poor Annie only wanted to be friends and they kept running away from her. We introduced them to each other in a rather small area and that worked well. Now that I have more experience, I introduce the llama in a neighboring paddock. After the sheep get used to her, I allow her to go in with them. The bonding time between the two only takes a few hours and soon they are friends. It could take up to 24 hours so I am told, but I haven't seen any take that long. An animal younger than 18 months of age cannot really guard. The animal needs to have time in its own herd to learn guarding behavior and to mature enough to want to guard. A young llama left to guard sheep will only fall prey to the same dangers as the sheep. He, too, will run for his life and most likely get to safety faster then the sheep.
The characteristics that made Annie a "premier" guard animal were as follows:
Annie is an extremely alert animal and sees everything. Sometimes she worries too much but that is good. She seems to love guarding and being the boss. Her size alone (45'at the withers) makes her a force to reckon with from a predator's standpoint. "Umm think I'll go to the neighbor's farm where there isn't this big creature staring me down and ready to stomp me to death if I lay a single paw on the property."
I feel extremely fortunate that I have a sheep farm that I can screen my potential guard llamas to test for their guarding ability. Not all llamas are good guards; some make better guards than others. The wonderful aspect about guard llamas is that their diet is the same as sheep and so is their regimen of vaccinations, worming, shearing, and toenail trimming. In areas where a high population of whitetail deer exist, a monthly dose of Dectomax is necessary to prevent meningeal worms which can cripple and kill a llama. A bushing here or there might be nice, but if you have a light wooled animal, that brushing is a mere 5-10 minutes. The typical CD&T at 2cc per animal is needed once a year along with a rabies shot. Basically guard llamas like to be left alone, but it is nice when you have one that will come over and give you kisses occasionally like Annie does. I think that she is really just checking us out when she gives those kisses so freely. Annie really is an excellent guard llama, and I want to see if she can mentor some others until she goes to her new home to guard alpacas.
Guard llamas should be selected with great care. Buying the cheapest one you can find at an auction will not necessarily work. It may, but you are really taking a great risk. Don't be afraid to spend $1,000 to $1,200 for a proven guard. You will save money in other ways--not having to replace it every few years, and no extra feed expense. By proven guard, I mean one that has had experience guarding. There is in existence the Llama Guardian Program where breeders specialize in producing guards. Other breeders, like myself, will screen the animals for their guarding ability. I can't speak for the Guardian Program but I know that if my animal is not a good guard for some reason, I will replace it. Since I screen mine, that shouldn't happen but it always could. If you buy a llama guard, the breeder should stand by it. If he doesn't then don’t' buy from him. Would you spend $1200.00 on a piece of equipment and not get some sort of warranty? It is only fair that there is a time limit on the time of exchange and also some sort of investigation because maybe the animal was not set up for success. Perhaps the owners expected the llama to guard two fields at once with no access to the other field. Rest assured that not all llamas are equal in ability for guarding.
The animal should also be either a gelded male or a female. Never use an intact male to guard. If you use a gelding be sure that he is not put in with his sheep or goats for at least 90 days after castration. Females make great guards but tend to be more expensive. An animal less than 18 months of age usually cannot guard. They are not strong enough or mature enough to take on that responsibility. Your guard llama should also be in good health with sound conformation. A trait that may indicate an animal's guarding ability is a high level of curiosity and awareness. Guard llamas should have been halter and lead trained for you to be able to handle and vet them. Ask the breeder if you can walk the llama. Many sheep owners get around the halter issue by simply keeping the halter on the animal. This should never be done. Most of the time the halters don’t fit properly and the animals cannot eat or give the alarm call when needed.
You do want to avoid getting a guard animal that is too friendly to humans. In fact, good guards are usually a little more aloof. Also, llamas are gentle animals and should never show any kind of aggressiveness towards humans. After all, you need to be in with your sheep everyday without the worry of a big llama coming after you. Good guard llamas know when danger is around. One guard animal even permitted a red fox to raise her little ones in the distant pasture because he knew that they were not a threat. So listen to your guard llama when he gives the alarm call and go to investigate. Sometimes the call may be the result of a strange noise or object. One time my one girl gave the alarm call for about 15 minutes as she spotted a hot air balloon lurking over the outer pasture. Always the alarm call means something so it is worth your while to investigate--who knows what you may find--a hot air balloon or a hungry coyote.
Two books which are extremely helpful in learning about llamas are:
"Caring for Llamas and Alpacas" by Clare Hoffman, DVM, and "A Guide to Raising Llamas" by Gale Birutta.
My goal as a llama breeder is to match an animal's strengths to a human's wants. It is important that the animal is good at whatever activity (guarding, cart driving, showing, obstacles, nursing home visits, fiber production, breeding to mention a few,) it is being sold to do. My other concern is that all owners are well educated as to the needs of these animals so they can be good caretakers. Please feel free to call, (610 582-9051) visit or write (Buckhollowllamas@juno.com) anytime.