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Here is a picture of Wint'ry Winds Sugar and Spices, aka Queen of All the Known Universe. She certainly keeps the girls and crias in the barn in order! Click on the picture for an enlargement. |
We here at Elements Farm have a firm vision of the kind llama we are working
toward. We prefer the classic llama, tall, elegant, and correctly conformed.
Robust health, width of chest (without leading to looseness in the shoulder),
good leg set, when viewed from the front, side and rear are important to us as
these are important attributes to carry a llama physically into its mature years
and old age. Our interest is in the well being, hardiness, health and happiness
of the animals in our care, as well as our own. We do appreciate our llamas for
their wool and shear and use it, but wool is not our primary breeding criterion.
Temperament is also an extremely important breeding consideration to us. We
firmly believe that, as in other species, not all animals should be bred simply
because they have pedigrees and are the right age; MUCH more needs to be
taken into consideration.
Llamas are truly multi-use companions. With their gentle dispositions and soft
wise eyes, they can be trained to be excellent animal therapy assistants, They
visit schools, nursing homes and special needs facilities with great dignity and
aplomb, and seldom leave calling cards behind them as they prefer to relieve
themselves on their designated area at home. There seems to be a sort of psychic
bond between llamas and children and I have seen llamas who will not let
themselves be approached or handled by adults put up with the most amazing
handling by a small child. Many llamas seem to particularly gentle with special
needs children and adults and they are being increasingly used in this therapy
area.
They can be trained to carry packs for serious trekkers or on shorter gourmet
day trips. Consideration should be given to llama body type when purchasing
llamas as packers, though most llamas can be trained for and enjoy short treks.
It's good for their health and yours and there's no better animal with whom to
wander through the wilderness!
The proper llama can be an invaluable
guardian for sheep
and goats. Here, they help protect the herd from coyotes and wolves, which
have become increasingly prevalent in northern WI. On cold winter nights,
you can stand outside and hear the wolves howling to the north of us, as they
are becoming more numerous in our immediate area... and Tia, the Pyr, barking to
warn them that there is someone on duty here! Extreme care NEEDS to be taken
when placing llamas in guard llama situations as llamas themselves can and do
become prey for many large and dangerous predators that threaten their smaller
cousins. Ours work in conjunction with a Great Pyrenees Guardian Dog and they
are a thus far unbeatable combination. (I would not expect even that combination
to be effective against grizzly bears or mountain lions, though I expect that
few of us have to deal with lions or tigers as predators.) We find
domestic dogs, running loose or stray, to be the most dangerous predator of all,
as dogs kill for sport, not for food.
Llamas are valued for their soft silky fiber, which tends to be far finer in
micron count than sheep's wool, but not as fine as that of the alpaca, though
some llama fiber is virtually indistinguishable from alpaca. Presence of guard
hair varies, depending on the animal. Guard hair should be removed before
attempting to spin or to use the fiber for personal use or use the fiber in
other ways as the guard hairs may be scratchy and prickly. This is generally not
that difficult a project. I simply lay the fiber out on a flat surface and pull
out the long, coarse hairs which extend above the rest of the fiber.
Technically, llama fiber is actually hair, rather than wool, as it is a hollow
core fiber, which gives it its excellent characteristic of warmth. On cold
winter days, I stuff the toes of my boots and the fingers and thumbs of my
mittens with "excess" loose llama wool to add a much needed layer of insulation.
January days (and nights) in northern WI can be well below zero.
Thunder and Jackrabbit enjoying the winter sun. Click on picture for enlargement.
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