Meet Barack O'Lama.
We just picked him up from a guy who got a divorce from a lady who hoarded animals. It is a shame we did not know about this in time and got there a little late. They gave away many, many chickens, goats, sheep, pigs and a few other animals as well.
If I could have gotten there last weekend I would have been the new towns animal hoarder.
Cool! And I love the name ...was that already his name or was that your idea?
ReplyDeleteI do see the resemblance too, is it the long neck? No, maybe the big ears? No, wait ...it's the NOSE in the AIR in that last photo! LOL
You can shear him and sell the wool. I don't know much about the market, but I know there is one for llama wool.
That was his name when we got him. The girls want to rename him to Bucky because of his buck teeth. I really don't care what they call him. He does resemble Obama, a lot.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what our plans for him will be yet. I have raised Llamas before without much luck and really don't plan to do it again. We might get some more goats on one of my Dad's places and put him there for a guard animal. Not sure yet but the price was right.
Thanks for the comment.
There sure is a market for his fur! You can either sell it as is off of him or clean it and get a better price for it. You could even send it out to be processed. There are yarn factories out west that do that. Then you could set up a CSA for the yarn like Jenna from Cold Antler Farm does. See her blog here: coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Denise I will check it out. I do not know anything about that stuff. I never really thought about it. Would having only one be worth the trouble? How do they decide how much to pay? Who pays? How many times a year can it be done? How long does the hair have to be?
ReplyDeleteLike I said, I don't have a clue. If it is worth it then I might find more. Y'all have got my interest up on it now.
When I lived in Naples, Fl., I had a part time gig working at an alpaca farm. Those guys are the smaller cousins to Llamas. Your new friend there will be a great addition to your farm.
ReplyDeleteAmong one of his many uses is his ability to kick the Living HECK out of any wild dogs, coyotes, etc, that make the mistake of getting in his yard and getting to close. I think he'll help protect your smaller herd animals nicely.
Just make sure that he knows that you are his buddy. I've been knocked flat on my can several times by a 180 lb. alpaca. I can't even begin to imagine what a Llama that weighs twice that could do.
You mentioned spitting. Don't get into a spitting contest with one. You'll lose every time.
ReplyDeleteGet him treated for worms. I've seen that kill several Alpacas. Seriously.
Thanks for the tips Matt. Like I said, I have raised them before but never really had much interactions with them. I brought them home to the farm and let them out in the pasture. That's about it.
ReplyDeleteNow this one we have now will have to be dealt with a little more. We no longer have the big pastures where we can turn him out and just forget it. He will have to live among us.
I have him separated from the herd right now because I have a guard dog in with the goats and I am afraid one or the other might get hurt. I don't know how I will introduce them to each other yet.
When I opened your blog and seen the picture I thought for sure the heat finally got to MDR and he lost his mind :-)
ReplyDeleteThen I scrolled down and seen his name and about had to change my shorts,,,, Barack O’Lama. You know, it does kind of looks like him!
So what do you feed Barack and how much does he eat?
Thanks for the laugh Mike. I guess just regular goat feed, horse and mule and hay. The ones I had before always ate the trees, grass and whatever I threw to the horses. Being we don't have that kind of room anymore for him to roam and eat anything he wants, I will get back to you on how much. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteWell it seems the adventure has begun. I look forward to reading more about old Barack.
ReplyDeleteYes HH, it has. I will keep you posted.
ReplyDelete