Updating Llama Herd

As part of our llama meat and breeding program, we deal with a couple different larger breeders in both llama and alpaca. After returning from Eat!Vancouver we felt that we were going to need to increase our herd size. Wouldn't you know it but we received a call from one of the local llama breeders that we know asking what they should do with 25 llamas they wanted to cull. After some quick financial negotiations we were able to secure all 25 of the llamas.

I should point out that just because an animal is being culled does not mean that it is a "bad" animal. Ranchers and breeders cull for a variety of reasons, mainly downsizing their herd size or wanting to refresh their genetic lines. In this case they wanted to downsize their herd size (they now have less than 100 animals!) and I am thrilled because this is very strong genetic stock with a couple of them being second generation from Bolivia. I believe that I have a few in my breeding herd that are probably related to some of these - we're going to go look in the files. We will keep a few of these to join our breeding program (some of the 'purer' stock) with the majority going for meat over the next few years. Of course, there are a couple whose temperments are questionable - they will probably leave us soon than others!

They all need to be sheared but this late in the season I am not keen on shearing llamas. Llamas need at least 4 months to get a decent start on regrowth to make it easily through our cariboo winter, so we might give them a trim but I will probably wait until next spring and give them all body cuts. Between the llamas, alpacas and sheep next years shearing should be quite the exercise. I should start taking names now for volunteers!!

We also were able to purchase a couple more breeding ewes to add to our flock from another sheep producer - they each came with twins; a boy and girl each. They are still young so we are looking forward to years of production. The white one is Diane and the black one is Trixie and I am really happy with their conformation and the size of their lambs.