Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Llama Farming


The Lama glama  commonly known as the llama can live between 20 and 30 years and is used by the natives of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile like we would use a donkey; a beast of burden, a pack animal. They can be used for food, their wool for clothes, their hides for shelter, the tallow for candles, and dried dung for fuel. But the primary usage is for their wool otherwise known as fiber. There will be more on that in a little while. The Llama was first introduced to America in the 1900’s. They were introduced to the American West as a “guard dog” for sheep and goats in the 1980’s. Llama’s have heightened sight, smell and hearing to alert them of approaching predators such as coyotes and wild dogs. The llama can be an aggressive protector and will chase away predators. The llama is a bigger animal and can grow to be six feet tall at the head and weigh between 240-450 pounds They may spit, ram or kick their agitator. A llama will bond well with the livestock and take responsibility upon itself to protect the flock against predators. Beyond even the safety of the flock they may even become the “boss” for all intents and purposes. They can take full responsibility of the livestock and make sure they stay together and even lead them to food and water. 
 A single llama is suggested because if you place two male llamas together they will buddy up with each other and may ignore the flock to its detriment. It is possible to use a few female llamas in a small flock of sheep or goats but most results say that a male llama is more effective in this 'guard dog’ role. Its also noted that the farmer must use a llama older than 1 year as a guard. It is a good idea to first introduce the llama to the flock while they are corralled in, so the two animals can get accustomed to one another. This really assist in bonding between the animals. Another piece of advice is to use a gelded llama. Otherwise an unfixed male llama might attempt to breed with the ewes and can cause harm to the sheep or goats. Raising llamas as a guard for sheep and goats is one reason for starting a Llama farm.
Another reason and the primary reason for starting a llama farm is for the llama fiber. The llama should be sheared once a year. Llama fiber can be made into jackets, clothing, blankets or used as stuffing for stuffed animals. Llamas are beautiful animals and their fiber comes in a plethora of colors such as white, gray, black or brown and comes in a variety of patterns. Llama wool is a superior quality to sheep wool. Llama fiber was created for the animal to live in the Andes Mountains which means they need to be able to live in a large swing of temperatures. There can be a difference of 50 degrees of comfort in llama wool jacket. Even a single layered jacket can be comfortable in summer or in winter. Llama fiber is hallow making it warm yet light. Sheep wool is a solid so it is always hot and itchy. Yet another plus to llama fiber is that it is a natural rain and snow repellent, and also fairly wind resistant. As if there weren't enough good things to say you can add fire retardant to the list. It is naturally soft though a little more coarse than alpaca fiber. It has low static electricity so it does not collect dirt and lint as easily as sheep wool or other materials. Finally and maybe most importantly it shrinks much less than what sheep wool does when washing! If your going to start a llama farm, raising them for their fiber may possibly be your biggest and most financially rewarding venture.
For more on llamas and how to raise them and keep them on a farm please see my site: http://secondthoughtfarming.com/ and my Hub Pages articles: http://seanfliehman.hubpages.com.



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