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Because other animals share our land, and
they aren’t
%20copy1.jpg) necessarily friendly to alpacas and cats, we
purchased Princess, an adult Great Pyrenees, and Biff, an Akbash
Dog, to be our Livestock Guardian Dogs. LGDs, as they are
known, are breeds of dogs that historically have guarded sheep
and goats. They have low predatory instincts and the ability to
bond with the livestock they guard. For more information on
these types of dogs, go to
www.lgd.org
Lana
had had a dream since childhood to have,
%20copy.jpg) someday, a tricolor
collie. Too much of Abert Payson Terhune books, ‘Lad a Dog’ and
Lassie on TV when she was little! So Storybook Rory was added
to the family and bonded to Princess, who acts like his mother.
Collies are traditionally herding dogs, so Rory has fun 'directing' the
ducks. But he never herds the alpacas. Conventional wisdom in the alpaca
industry says not to put herding dogs in with alpacas. I'm sure Border
Collies, with their typical predatory stare, were the ones they meant.
Rory, however, acts like a livestock guard when he is around the alpacas.
He keeps his head down and eyes averted. So he now lives in our lower
barn and pasture with our male alpaca herd. When he sees another animal,
car or person outside the pasture, he barks. At night, when Biff barks in
warning, Rory barks too. We would have never imagined our collie being a
livestock guardian, but that's what he is! He is also instrumental in
keeping a beautiful, but pesky, dog fox, who lives in our woods, from
going after the ducks.
Many
alpaca farms find that some type of fowl living in with
the alpacas, helps with bug control. 
We didn't want any noisy Guinea fowl, or loud and
sometimes mean Geese, so resisted getting birds for
awhile. But after seeing how the black flies and other
bugs bothered our alpacas, we found the perfect breed of
Ducks! We adopted three Muscovy Ducks, named Peter,
Paul and Mary, and they live in with our boy alpacas.
They love to take baths in their stock tank and forage
for bugs and things in the field in early evening. They
are not the prettiest breed of Ducks, but we think they
are cute! And best of all, they are virtually silent.
The boys make a soft hiss and Mary makes tiny quacks.
They came from an alpaca farm and are totally
comfortable with the boys. Muscovys were known as 'Mosq'
Ducks because they love to eat mosquitoes! Now if they
just like black flies as much...
Before falling in love with alpacas, the goal had been to
investigate goats. %20copy.jpg)
That interest didn’t end, so Foss
Mountain
Farm added a couple of goats to
help reclaim the pasture by
browsing on all the shrubbery growing there. Jake, an
Alpine/Nubian cross wether, who is dark brown, black and cream,
and Elwood,
%20copy.jpg) a Nigerian Dwarf wether who is golden beige and
white, joined the family. They are true characters. Elwood was
cold when he first got here in March, so is pictured wearing a
cria coat! Next winter he’ll have his own ‘goat coat’ as the
cria coat barely fit around him. Jake must have been cold too,
because he slept too close to the heat lamp and got a crescent
shaped ‘haircut’ on his haunch!
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