Thinking of sheep.

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NOT a good idea. Intact male llamas have been known to kill ewes trying to breed them. Also, a guard alpaca or llama can sometimes fixate on the sheep, and guard them from YOU. For whatever reason, unknown to me, they are great protectors of any animal except sheep.

Edited to add: I have sheep, but not a llama or alpaca, the above information came from neighbors who have had both.
 
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you can run a jenny with the sheep.she will keep the yotes an dogs out.or you can get an antolian guard dog.but better watch jenny during lambing.she might kill the lambs.but i really dont know.
 
Intact males are not used for guard animals. It's juts an excellent use for the geldings. It really works! Of course there are flunkies. Where we got ours from actually guranteed to replace any of them who weren't suitable guard animals.

I've never heard of anyone using an alpaca, though. They're just not big enough and I know coyotes will go for them. Not llamas, though.

The decision for us to get the llamas was simply financial. The cost of rebuilding the entire perimeter fence for 23 acres versus a llama. If they save a single lamb from predators, they've paid for themselves.

Given my choice of guard animals, though, I would have loved to have a donkey. Just simply so we could hvae a donkey! But, they are a different 'beast' literally and the management isn't identical. That's teh advantage of llamas... same vaccinations, same dewormers, same mineral as the sheep (or goats) get. It's easy management.
 
I have 1 sheep. BaBa is a pet that we got last year and bottle fed. She is not penned up and know where she can and cant go. She never goes near the road and is happy to be by the horse and he will even pick up and drop hay over the fence to get her to come over and give him company. We also just got 5 alpacas. They are not sure what to think of BaBa and she kinda could care less about them.lol Alpacas are not very agressive and will not protect your sheep, that is left to a gelded llama or donkey. If you get young sheep and befriend them they are not hard to take care of. We also have dogs and BaBa has learned to turn and fight instead of running away. She has actually scared other dogs off the property since they didnt know what to think of that big fluffy thing that was chasing them. I love running my hands in her wool and dont find it discusting like beefy says!!! She comes when I call and is one animal that will not be processed even if my hubby jokes about it. If you are just looking for pets I would suggest a couple of ewes. Rams can be stinky just like other male farm animals when the hormones get going. I would like to take her to be bred sometime but she is happy the way it is now. Jenn
 
Thanks everyone for the information already given, PLEASE keep in coming!



If I do end up getting sheep, like was said, I'll probably only get a couple of ewes. I'd like to get lambs and bottle feed them, but like I said, I'll probably just get a couple of ewes at first.
 

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