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Buying
your llamas...
...
a few tips
You've decided to have some llamas - but how many, how old, and boys or girls or
both...?
Here are some pointers...
Male or female?
 | Bachelor groups of male (or gelding) llamas can be kept
together, with harmony prevailing most of the time.
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| Female groups can also be kept
without a male. |
| Should females be introduced to a male group then the males will need to
be separated. |
| If you do not intend to breed your
llamas, then at significantly lower cost male llamas are
the most sensible choice. |
| If you are thinking about
breeding llamas, remember that at some stage youngsters will need to
be separated from the parent stock. |
How
many?
| To some degree this is a
question of budget and facilities... |
| However, a llama should never be kept
alone. He should always have the company of at least one other llama or other field
stock. |
| Llamas do usually bond well with other field stock so a lone llama is not out
of the question if to be grazed with sheep, horses, etc. Indeed if to be used as a flock
guardian it is preferable to have a single gelding.
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| Bearing in mind your
facilities and growth of your group if you are breeding them, if
possible consider a trio or more. In the case of a breeding group,
the male is often apart from the female/s and is to some
degree a "loner" so two females are company for each other in a
"herd-like" fashion. In the case of a male group, three allows a
greater degree of group order. |
| That said, a happy herd
begins with two... |
Entire male or gelding?
| Entire males, or studs, are generally as easily
handled as female llamas. They have
none of the ferocity of the bull, nor the pushiness of a ram, nor the wildness of a
stallion, nor the danger of a rutting deer, nor the smell of a billy
goat… It is not,
therefore necessary to geld for temperament.
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| Some people consider it kinder to geld
if the llama/s will never be
used for breeding.
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| Gelding is necessary if more than one male is to live with female
llamas.
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If you wish to breed your llamas then the
options open up...
Do you buy a group of females and take them to a stud male each year
for mating? Buy a proven breeding pair? A young pair not yet ready to breed? Or perhaps a
trio of male and two females?
Like choosing colour, the decision is personal, again
perhaps dependent on personal
circumstances, budget, and - importantly - on your
facilities.
| The
favourite option for buyers of "field pets", male or female, are
yearlings (circa 10-15 months).
We strongly advise, however,
that you do not buy llamas under this age. |
| For serious breeders, a proven group of adults
removes any uncertainty as to fertility and offers
further advantages and although more
expensive, should work out mo0re cost effective ...
 | Equally, an adult group
with the female/s already in calf, although more expensive,
will offer a more immediate return. |
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Commercial groups and herds
| Breeding llamas can be a profitable business; there are so many different markets
as you will realise from reading these web pages. These varied markets not only help keep
demand above supply but they also mean that your "eggs are not all in one
basket" such as breeding purely for fibre etc.
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| Trekking ventures are proving increasingly popular and for this we recommend at
least four gelded llamas. |
| If you wish to build up a sizeable or commercially profitable breeding group,
then we can offer adult females who are in calf to entirely unrelated males, together with
a stud male who in turn, is also unrelated both to the females and to the studs to whom
they have been mated! This means that the first calves born will also be unrelated to your
stud male.
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| Adult females do not cost such a great deal more than young ones and as they
should quickly produce calves, they offer the potential of a faster return
for
your outlay. |
| Choosing adults means you know precisely what you are getting in terms of size,
final look, temperament etc…
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Do check that the llamas
you purchase for breeding are unrelated!
To offer a wide gene pool, the
RoseLand
herd has been built up with many different bloodlines from imports we have undertaken from
Chile, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Holland etc, as well as some UK stock.
Do remember that temperaments
vary enormously and that a llama suitable as a livestock guardian,
for example, may not make a suitable field pet and vice versa.
Do think ahead if you
plan to breed your llamas. Although they breed slowly, each female
having only one cria each year, the time when you will need to
separate stock will come within a few months of your first
offspring.
Important
considerations
| Remember that llamas can live for twenty years or more, so do not
rush into your decision!
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| Giving llamas
offers a wonderful, unique gift.
We get many requests from
clients for llamas as...
Birthday/Christmas/Anniversary/Valentine's/Wedding presents etc.
There could be no more magical a present, especially for the person
"who has everything", providing
you are absolutely sure the recipient truly will...
... want the llama/s
... be prepared to keep them for their lifetime (15
plus years)
... be able to provide appropriate facilities
... have the time to attend them as needed.
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| Llamas are very pleasing to own and are
even-tempered by nature. As with all animals
the wrong nurture, however, can
create a problem llama: Some llamas are deliberately hand-raised to
provide cute and cuddly youngsters for a "Pets Corner" or to
make them more saleable but when they grow up they
will become unacceptably difficult.
Never buy
hand-reared llamas and do beware the
"very friendly" youngster.
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| Many llamas in the UK have been bred from stock imported at the
end of the last century and as a consequence are very inbred. To ensure best health,
potential longevity and fertility, check that the ones you purchase are not
from an inbred line.
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| Do not buy (or plan
to have) more than one entire adult male with female llamas
unless you are able to keep the males well apart.
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We are always happy to discuss your ideas and interests, and advise on the best way
forward.
Questions?
See our
FAQs Page and
then take a look at
TalkingLlamas
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Confused?... Unsure?... or ready to go...!
Call
Paul Rose on 01363 866056
or email him
at
roseland@llamas.co.uk.
We'll happily discuss
your particular requirements and talk you through the
options...
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Stockleigh
Pomeroy, Devonshire EX17 4AY, U.K
t /f: 0(0 44)1363
866056 e: roseland@llamas.co.uk
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