[Carse Goodlifers]

The odd Llama can be found at minority breed sales at Thainstone and the likes from time to time.  They are pretty good guard animals......so I hear anyway.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Alpacas dont do cuddling but Donkeys do. perhaps you could adopt a couple from a rescue centre?

[Chrissie]

Ah...Thanks for all the info...the alpaca centres I contacted said anything from 350  for a castrated male to 1000 pound for a female for breeding or good stud...and That they ideally go in pairs of 3 which would almost cost thousand pounds compared to fostering a donkey and for that kind of money we could get a good stable built that could house donkey and sheep...but then again I spoke to a few other people who said donkeys aren't really guard animals so now I am properly confused ?

[Chrissie]

Adam, can you remember where you saw them for 150?

[HappyHippy]

I wouldn't trust my donkey to guard anything - except maybe his trug of feed  He's a nice donkey but definitely not a guard animal.
I also couldn't imagine him living on his own - they need other equine company to be truly happy IMHO so if you're set on a donkey, make room for two 

[adamhfc]

It was a couple years bk on Gumtree but I have seen others as well al keep a look out

[wayfarer]

Try alpacaseller.com for alpacas for sale or if you can get a list of breeders in your area give them a call as I suspect they do not advertise the older cheaper wethers that you are after.  Most breeders will have a limited amount of space so need to free up space for the younger animals that they breed from or who have better fleeces than the old ones.  But remember that you will need to get them sheared annually and if there are not many alpacas around your area it could be hard to find a shearer.

[Chrissie]

Great thanks  - I think I am narrowing it down to Alpacas then as our main reason for getting 'another' animal is to keep the fox away from the chickens and lambs....I think in due course I can see myself with donkeys but maybe when we move to a bigger place - don't want to cram in too many animals....

Next question then    :

How many? Ideally we hoped for one who would be joining the gang of sheep who are very friendly and love company - someone said at least 2 but better 3 as they then don't constantly bicker about who is the boss (again, three I would find too many for the size of the field - especially if there will be 3-4 lambs in there soon as well....)

Males or females? I have heard from a friend 'who knows someone' who has 2 months old castrated males but I am not sure if that would be too early and their personalities haven't fully come out? I know for our dog he was at least 1 1/2 before we thought about getting him snipped...

What do you guys think? 

[Chrissie]

OK Alpacas it is 

So if you come across anyone or know someone who knows please get in touch - seems harder than I thought....but will persist now that our mind is set!   

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Chrissie,


   I know this is out of your area but can I suggest that you contact jacki at beacon alpacas on  http://beaconalpacas.co.uk/
before you commit. Jacki is a well respected experienced breeder who has appeared on TV and will give you some sound advice without a hard sell. Alpacas are beautiful but really dont like being in close proximity to humans which makes routine tasks a real challenge. There are books available by alpaca training experts on how to work with them but its abit like horse whispering and takes time, understanding and patience.


I dont want to put you off them as many people keep them successfully but I think it's worth doing a bit of research before you commit. You can go on courses to learn more about them you know what you are letting yourself in for. From my limited experience ( of being asked to train other peoples ) I do know that people are often keen to get rid of the more flighty ones which make catching the others even more of a challenge so make sure that any which are offered for sale are what you want and not just somebody's pain in the @rse.   You pay a price for good quality animals of good temperament so a cheap one may not necessarily be the bargain it appears. Ask jacki about health issues too and TB.

They are also a challenge to shear and even my good natured ryeland sheep shearer wont touch them. So ask about shearing too.


Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Juliet Miller]

Hi Chrissie - we are currently rehoming our small herd of alpacas - only because we don't have our own land and it's getting too expensive to hire grazing.  We have a couple of nice quiet, well-behaved gelded boys who would be free to a good home, and we're happy to provide advice on looking after them, which isn't at all difficult.  (We had no previous livestock experience and have enjoyed looking after them for the last 7 or 8 years very much indeed.)  Please give us a call on 01361 883692 if you'd like to discuss.  Juliet & John Miller

[Chrissie]

Oh Bummer Juliet and John, I hadn't checked the site for a couple of weeks mainly due to work load and the whole family getting the flu  ....I had been in touch with the Alpaca society and they have put me in touch with someone in Fife who was looking to re-home two boys so we are actually picking them up tomorrow. They are older boys and have grown up with children and other animals around and seem very friendly and halter trained which helps a lot.... Buffy, thanks for your advice as well! I did get a couple of alpaca books and am joining the alpaca society so I hope I will be a good mum to them. There is an Alpaca championship coming up in April and we will be there to mingle and learn  Thanks everyone for all your advice, help and suggestions and please let me know if yo u are at the championship as it would be great to put some faces to names 

Chrissie.

[Juliet Miller]

Oh well, never mind! Hope you enjoy havig them and they do their stuff as chicken guards!

[nimbusllama]

Chrissie.... did you get them and how are you getting on?

[Remy]

Just seen this thread after considering getting some Alpacas myself as sheep guards. I didn't know anything about them so visited a local lady who breeds them, and she very kindly gave me a handling session with them. What I hadn't realised is how flighty and timid they are (even the 'friendly' ones) and although they are curious and can follow you around once they know you they basically don't like being touched or handled. Even the tamest bottle fed one would jump away at a sudden move - so although they look it, they aren't 'cuddly' animals. I was also told that they don't all make good guards so you'd need to know that the individuals you were buying would be suitable. Having them shorn is an expensive procedure compared with sheep, so if you only had a pair you may end up spending £80-£100 on shearing (much more than I paid for 25 sheep last year!).  If you used a dog you may have trouble with the alpacas (they would look upon dogs as foxes) so this may present problems moving sheep unless the alpaca got used to your dog. I still like them but lots to consider! 


How did you get on Chrissie?