Llamas to protect goats?

[oldkyfarm]

Now that the winter months are approaching, I'm more worried about predators getting to my goats (this is our first year). They free range in the field and I've never seen/heard anything trying to get them, and they are closed up at night, so I'm wondering if I should be finding some other animal to protect them?! I know there are hungry foxes and coyotes around here. I've heard donkeys, cows, and llamas help keep predators away. Anyone try llamas? Do they get along well? Do they guard well? How much more up-keep is one llama added to a small group of goats?

[HappyFarmer]

A llama (although some have had success) is still a prey animal. I suggest an lgd or two. My $.02.
HF

[Bearfootfarm]

http://www.rockisland.com/~castalia/guard.html

This is an article about guard llamas

[tavia]

We had a guard llama. A 3 year old male that we gelded when we got him. He had come from a goat farm, but at the time was guarding our sheep. He didn't take too much extra care or feeding. You still still had to trim his hooves and worm him and all the normal livestock maintanence. He was really clean, they only poop in one spot.
Anyway, the sheep really clung near him when he sensed a predator. He would make this eirie shrill noise when he saw a coyote or dog he didn't know. He could sense predators from really far away. He could see farther because he was so tall. We never lost anyone...
While he was a good protector, he also was really lonely. Llamas are really supposed to have another llama companion (just like you can't have only one goat) it psychologically messes them up...ANYWAYS..he was a real pain, he would try to get romantic with the sheep, he was always jumping fences, didn't care about grain so he was really hard to catch. My husband went on a 5 hour chase all over the countryside one day. He would charge at us for know reason..I later learned there is this thing called "biserk llama syndrome" no joke, that's what its called..I think he may have had it..
Keeping your goats locked up at night is a great idea. My advice is, if you want a llama, get two, get them as babies so you can train them well. We tried to train ours, but he was so set in his ways. We even took him to a professional trainer and he came back worse.
I know this was just one llama, there are a lot of nice llamas out there. But they do need time and attention and companionship.
Just my 2 cents....

[mare]

i had three llamas that i bought to watch after my goats, i had two females and one intact male. i dont think they looked after the goats when i had all three of them. both of my females died and that is when my male started getting protectice of my goats put then he also started trying to breed them. i had him castrated and he seems fine now. everything ive read said to only have one for protection. ive watched them in the pasture and he seems to herd the goats up to the barn and he gets kinda agressive when they dont listen, he will chase them until they do what he wants them to. i have come walking out of the woods and he gets very agitated until he knows its me. i dont think he would be able to fight off a predator like a gaurd dog would but i think it is better than nothing. i only have ten acres (mostly brush and woods) and i dont think it would work to have a guard dog, not for me anyway.

[Sweet Goats]

LLamas are GREAT protectors. If you have only one. If you get two or more they are not NEAR as good. That is from experience. If something comes around, the Llama would round up the goats, and herd them back to the pen area. Then the Llama would stand at the gate and watch for whatever to leave (even people). Once the second one was brought in, neither one was as alert to the goats. The goats and Llams are very compatable, and do wonderful together. even when we took some of the goats out to go to shows the Llama would always keep watch and haller for them.

[goatkid]

My friend has llamas in with her goats. A single gelded male seems to work the best. One of her pens has 4 females and a couple months ago, she had to shoot a dog in that goat pen who was running the goats. The llamas did nothing to protect the goats. Her gelded male once kept a mountain lion from harming the goats.