Alpacas as Security Guard to Chickens

You learn something new every day - and today, I learn this: Peruvian alpacas make great security guards for chickens:

The animals, named William and Harry, keep predators away from speciality egg producer Clarence Court's hens near Camborne, reports Sky News.
The Huacaya alpaca are said to be fiercely defensive of their feathered brood.
Clarence Court director Lisa Rowe said: "Alpacas are extensively used in Australia and New Zealand to safeguard sheep because they will protect them with their lives.

Link - via Scribal Terror

Newest 3

Newest 3 Comments

I live in New Zealand and have never, ever heard of people using alpacas to guard sheep. We don't HAVE any large carnivores for them to be protected against! Heck before the first people arrived the only mammal on these islands was a tiny bat.

Interesting instincts the alpacas have there though, to guard other animals.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Yeah, my friend in northern MN has llamas to guard her goat and ducks from roaming neighbor's dogs. Works too, when I was out at the ranch ysterday, the llamas in the front field started to move toward the dogs, which alerted us to the dogs presence.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

I knew some people in Texas who used llamas for sheep/goat protection from coyotes. Seemed to work, and llamas are cool animals.

Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)

Login to comment.

Click here to view up to the first 100 of this post's 3 comments