Packing with llamas

[cjl2010]

I know it’s recommended to buy in pairs, is it a possibility at all to have just one llama and be good to go?

 

[Explorer]

You really want to get two. Llamas are known to develop stress related health problems such as ulcers if they do not have a companion. They can be kept with other animals such as goats, miniature donkeys, etc as long as they all get along with each other. Plan for two, if you use them, you will probably want to get more.
Getting one at a time isn't bad, you can spend more time with it in the beginning. But plan to get another one in a month of so after. It is typically recommended to quarenteen new animals until you can better assess their health anyway.
1/2 way through packing out the first bull with two llamas my hunting partner and I were smiling and talking about getting two more and all the new options we would have if we had more llamas.

 

[Blueticker1]

Teeth day, shearing day, and a little walk

 

[gordonka12]

Congratulations on the new llamas. Those are good looking girls. I also pack with females and I have trained several girls around the 5 year range that have never packed before. It can take a while to get them conditioned enough to pack longer miles but its a fun process.

 

[gordonka12]

In regards to the best pack saddles. I have a bunch of Flaming Star saddles and like them, but I also have some saddles that are like the Wilderness Ridge Trail Llama saddles. They were built by Al Ellis when he was still in the business of making them and custom fit to two of my llamas. I prefer those saddles a little bit more and if you watch one of Beau's videos he explains how to build them.

 

[Blueticker1]

I ended up building some saddles for them, they are adjustable all the way around sawbuck style saddles, I have been packing with the saddles and llamas for about a month now and I have got them to 50 pounds each for 5 miles honestly I think they could go more pretty easy I just dont want to burn them out. I will keep increasing weight and distance as the summer progresses all I got is time. I'll post pics of my saddles once i get the kinks worked out.

 

[Blueticker1]

These are the frames that I built before the added tree bars

 

[Blueticker1]

Here's one of their first day's just with sleeping bags hooked to them

 

[BCSojourner]

You really want to get two. Llamas are known to develop stress related health problems such as ulcers if they do not have a companion. They can be kept with other animals such as goats, miniature donkeys, etc as long as they all get along with each other. Plan for two, if you use them, you will probably want to get more.
Getting one at a time isn't bad, you can spend more time with it in the beginning. But plan to get another one in a month of so after. It is typically recommended to quarenteen new animals until you can better assess their health anyway.
1/2 way through packing out the first bull with two llamas my hunting partner and I were smiling and talking about getting two more and all the new options we would have if we had more llamas.

Three works well and four is even better when packing camp in and out and hauling out a bull. If you are near a Costco they sell cooler bags for about $8/ea and they add plenty of structure to a pannier for hauling boned-out meat, plus they are washable and can be used when hauling in camp and storing stuff.

 

[Blueticker1]

Its kind of funny how different their personalities are, the black one is more like a mule, she has to think everything through before she does it. The brown one acts more like a young horse as to where she will do damn near anything I ask but is scared to death the whole time she is doing it. They're just plain goofy all the time.

 

[Blueticker1]

Testing out the new panniers

 

[weatherbow21]

Nice, looking good

 

[weatherbow21]

I'm slowly working my way into saddling my boys, I still need to pick up another saddle I'm one short. They're getting there, all halter and lead really great and put up with a heavy jacket draped over them, I've only saddled the youngest and he does fine with it. They get sheared in two weeks and thats going to help me with saddling them up, being such a novice at it.

What is everyone using to haul their llamas? I bought a 2 horse trailer and before I knew it I found two more llamas I could pick up, and now have too small of a trailer. I know a 3 horse slant will work but anyone ever try a 2 horse slant?

 

[Blueticker1]

Great looking critters and country, I need to pick up a few more of them. I have a 2 horse trailer, a 14' stock trailer and a 40 foot stock trailer, I have never used any of the slant trailers, but I don't see why it wouldn't work, I took the center divider out of my 2 horse and could probably fit 3 in it.

 

[weatherbow21]

I think I could fit 3 of them in my 2 horse straight load, the slant loads have quite a bit more room so I think I could fit the 4 of them in one, but a 3 horse would be ideal.

 

[Blueticker1]

Well I have got them packing pretty good, standing pretty good, and haltering and leading pretty good. So today I decided to start them on a high line.

 

[Paul M]

You should start training them on a low line
I think you will find more areas that a low line will be the only option
and they need to learn how to get untangled
Here are 2 that i just picked up they were already halter trained and i started on day 1 with a blanket than walking with saddles on day 2 and panniers on day 3

 

[Blueticker1]

I have put them on a low line once, that is good information to know, thank you.

 

[Paul M]

Had four 3.5 year olds girls out for a weekend trip with the family on a 6.5 mile hike each way up and over three mountains on a very hard trail of granite boulders , llamas where great going up and down the polished granite and jumping boulder to boulder like a goat

 

[Blueticker1]

That is great, sadly I'm basically down to one llama I think. She had fallen pasterns when I bought her but I just figured heck the rest of them look goofy so the feet may as well. But after research on them it looks like it's no good. I have been trying to find more of them but it hasn't been good. If I cant find some I may just go back to mules.