Guardian Llamas: Pros and Cons

Reader Contribution by Jan Dohner
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by AdobeStock/forestermax

When a livestock guardian dog is not right for your farm, what other choices do you have? Jan Dohner takes an honest look at another option: the guardian llama.

If you are unsure of which livestock guardian animal to choose for your place, let’s take a look at the possibilities of a guard llama. Although either females or males can make a good guardian, gelded males are most commonly used because they are larger and less expensive than females and safer than intact males. In their natural environment, the dominant male llama guarded a small group of females and he was the primary defender against threats. Generally speaking, a male will be a better choice although a retired breeding female might also be a good prospective guardian. The llama’s size and maturity are very important factors in good working ability and predator control, so your guard llama should be at least 18 to 24 months old. Size is also the reason that alpacas, which are considerably smaller and lighter than llamas, are not used as livestock guards.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of guard llamas? Would a llama be a better choice for your situation? Would you be more comfortable with a llama rather than a livestock guard dog?

Livestock Guardian Llama Pros

  • Updated on Mar 30, 2023
  • Originally Published on Sep 24, 2013
Tagged with: guard llamas, Jan Dohner, livestock guardians, Michigan, Reader Contributions
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