Читать книгу Raising Goats For Dummies - Cheryl K. Smith - Страница 111

Llamas and alpacas are good guardian animals because they bond quickly to goats and also eat the same feed. Castrated males make the best goat guardians. Males can injure goats by trying to mount them and can be too aggressive toward humans as well. I had a female llama that I tried to use as a guardian, but she never really understood the job. She loved to chase goats for sport. She had been handled by humans for too long and didn’t get an early start on the job.

Because they’re smaller, alpacas are not the ideal guardians, especially if large predators are in the area. A neighbor of mine had a series of alpacas killed by a local cougar.

I also disliked the llama trait that people are so pleased with: always using the same spot to relieve themselves. Unfortunately, the spot my llama chose was right in the middle of the barn. Rather than go out in the pasture, if she felt the urge she came into the barn and let loose.

Unlike dogs, llamas work better as guardians when they’re alone instead of in a pack. A llama and guard dog combination can be trained to work cooperatively, though.

Llamas need strong fences to help them do the job. If a guardian llama can’t scare off a dog or coyote with his aggressive attitude, the predator may kill him.