# Donkey or Llama for guarding goats and poultry?



## mama24 (Jun 28, 2012)

What would you get and why? I actually am not sure a llama is even an option. I see alpacas for sale from time to time, but I've never seen a llama. But I could try to find one if it is a better option. Or would an alpaca be the same, just need more care, shearing, etc? We have 5 goats and tons of poultry. A fox has been taking out my poultry at amazing rates during the day. My goats have been fine, but they won't go out into the back pasture, and I suspect it is b/c of coyotes, which we have in the area but rarely see or hear from. Thanks for your thoughts! I want to get to work finding something asap!


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jun 28, 2012)

An alpaca is not a guard animal. Alpacas need to have a guard animal, believe it or not. A llama is, on the other hand, a guard animal. You should contact eleven. She has a llama and might be able to tell you alot about them. I know there are some on here that have donkeys too. I can't really help much because  I don't either. Just a dog. lol


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## ksalvagno (Jun 28, 2012)

If a fox is taking out your poultry, I would suggest an LGD. I don't have experience with donkeys but not sure a llama would take care of a fox. Llamas do make good guardians but I'm not sure the smaller stuff like a fox would worry them. And alpacas are not guard animals.


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## mama24 (Jun 28, 2012)

Yeah, I had it all lined up to trade my nice 50% kiko doe for a 5 mo pyrenees pup who has been raised with chickens and goats. 2 hours before I was supposed to leave, my dh, who had been telling me he wasn't sure it was a good idea, came out and said no, no more dogs. We have a 5 month old australian shepherd husky mix that I brought home a few months ago after years of arguing about how I have never lived without a dog and he's never had one and he just doesn't like dogs. It's making me crazy. He's doing fine with her, but he doesn't wasn't another, even if it lives outside full time. I know a pyrenees is the best thing for us, but gotta keep the hubby happy too. I'm about ready to give up on poultry. Our goats are fine without a guardian for now. If we got more, they'd have to go further out for forage, and the coyotes would probably become a problem, but they're fine now.


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## Roll farms (Jun 28, 2012)

Neither.

Llamas won't kill weasels / possums / coons / fox (they don't see them as 'predators', or poultry as their herd to protect) and a donkey may well kill anything 'new' you bring in / is born there.  I've seen many horror stories of donkeys killing new kids.

A husky mix dog could end up to be your worst nightmare....huskies have a huge prey drive.


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## mama24 (Jun 28, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Neither.
> 
> Llamas won't kill weasels / possums / coons / fox (they don't see them as 'predators', or poultry as their herd to protect) and a donkey may well kill anything 'new' you bring in / is born there.  I've seen many horror stories of donkeys killing new kids.
> 
> A husky mix dog could end up to be your worst nightmare....huskies have a huge prey drive.


Yes, we already found that out. She's very smart, so I hope we can train it out of her. She ate 2 of my chickens and 1 duck, but she hasn't killed any in weeks. My kids have finally learned that they absolutely can't let her outside without a leash. And she ate them, didn't just kill them for fun. She definitely has the herding drive. She also doesn't like dog food. She'll go days without eating. I've started feeding her a mostly raw diet and leftovers from our meals (not scraps, real food) and I think that has just as much to do with her leaving my poultry alone a the kids keeping her leashed. We do let her out unleashed with us out there with her and she ignores the poultry now unless she decides to herd them back into their pen if they're out. She herds the goats occasionally and sometimes plays with the 3 month old doeling but has never gotten too rough with her, so I don't think she'll ever be a problem with the goats. She's half Siberian, not Malamute, which also makes a difference. I don't think she's going to weigh much more than 40lbs full grown. She's at 30 now at 5 mos.


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## Alice Acres (Jul 22, 2012)

We have used llamas as guardians with our sheep for years. They are very effective. 
We had gelded males previously, now we have a female and her 1 yr old cria.
Our predators are mainly coyotes and stray dogs (we are in MN).

I'm not sure how most llamas would react to a fox. 

I do know that Stef (our mama llama) would NOT let a fox near. She is very alert and very selective of what comes near. 
I came up in the dark once (downwind) to the back door of our barn and was "greeted" by a snaked out and alert llama head in the doorway!
She is very tame, and is a retired show llama - so humans aren't normally a trigger...but a sound in the dark had her on high alert. I was startled, but then very happy with her response!

ps - we also have free range chickens and chicks in the same area - barn/pasture/yard - and they have been safe as well.


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## GoatRancher11 (Aug 2, 2012)

You are in the "Piedmont" of North Carolina and there are some donkeys available out that way (I'm in the Southeast part of Wake County).  I know this b/c I was actually looking for one last night for a different paddock I have to put my goats on in the fall and I'll need another donkey once I have to wean the doelings/bucklings.  Up until now, I thought my donkey was pregnant but I don't think she is now.

I have one with my 22 goats and she is amazing.  There is a neighbor out there who walks her dogs and when she does, my Jenny has her head on the ground walking the fence line just daring them to come in the fence.  I've watched a fox run through the pasture and she didn't care much about that but the fox wasn't interested in the goats at all either.  I've seen her call the goats back to her when they got too far from her and the ones that were far away came on back.  My donkey has been with my goats for over a year now and I swear she thinks they are all her "kids", it's unbelievable.  Animal behavior is a fun thing to watch.  She is definitely in charge out there and everyone knows it.  

They don't eat too much and they are low maintenance.  I just had her hooves trimmed (cost me $20) about 2 weeks ago and it had been over a year since doing it.  We're on sandy land so it isn't as much of a big deal in trimming the hooves.  If you have tougher terrain, you would probably want to get them trimmed every 6 months I would say.

Hope this helps!  I'm in huge favor of the donkey over a dog, llama, etc although I know some people definitely have horror stories.  I just don't.  Donkeys are easy to feed, they just browse/graze on whatever.  Just keep salt blocks and plenty of water out there for them.  Not sure it is actually a specie thing as much as it is the disposition of each animal.  I may have just gotten really lucky.  I have all purebred kiko does myself.  You are welcome to come check out our farm anytime and watch them together.  You are not that far from us.


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## GoatRancher11 (Aug 2, 2012)

Oh yeah, and if you do have dogs and get a donkey, don't let the dogs in there no matter how tough you think they are.  A donkey will kill a rabid rottweiler in a heartbeat.  They're tough as nails!  Donkeys hate dogs!


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## Ranchhandok (Mar 25, 2013)

Sounds as is a donkey might be good for my new pasture. How do they do in a brushed area?  I've heard the llamas are good in open pasture but no so good in brushy creek areas.


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## mikayladawn (Apr 14, 2013)

As for donkeys, just make sure they are full-size. No mini's. A mini doesn't seem to have the protective herding thing going on at all. We got one, and she chases our Nigerian dwarfs and bites at the wool on our sheep. Sadly, we have to give her away. She is a total sweetie with people, but not so much with the animals.


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