When Jacob's grandpa, Jim Mumford, first bought llamas in 1980 there was relatively little known about the animal in terms of raising them in the United States. Most owners and breeders at that time learned by trial and error. Some owners and breeders like Jacob's dad and Grandpa both had the benefit of owning and raising other livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses, ponies, poultry, and rare/exotic birds) before llamas which gave them an excellent starting point.
Jacob learned about llama care by growing up on a llama farm. Jacob and Meggan have also spent considerable time asking questions and learning from other owners and breeders as well as attending trainings at OSU Vet school and llama and sheep industry workshops. We don't claim to know all the answers, in fact we embrace the fact that in all these years we are still learning! We are proud life-long learners. There are a few llama websites and individuals that claim to have all the answers, not only is it impossible to have all the answers but that is just not our style. Instead, we invite you to learn how we have raised llamas for all these years "what works for us", etc. Take the information you find helpful and leave the rest.
Veterinarians: Llamas are a generally hearty animal that can be easy to handle, however when you need a vet, you need a vet! Smart owners (and owners to be) find a vet prior to purchasing their animals and start building a relationship with that vet prior to any possible veterinary emergencies). Additionally llamas are very stoic and often to not show easily detectable signs of injury, illness, or disease, often if you notice your animal is not doing right, time is of the essence.
Below are some veterinarians we are familiar with that we can recommend for our area.
Valley Veterinary (currently our farm veterinarian)
26072 US-30,
Rainier, OR 97048
503-556-3084
Mt View Veterinary (our previous vet, at this time we are unsure if they are continuing to see large animals but the owner has always been a great resource to our family)
13914 NE 16th Avenue,
Vancouver, WA
(360) 342-9324
Northwest Mobile Vet
Serving NW Oregon and SW Washington
(503) 765-6702
Amazia Veterinary Service
12303 NE 154th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606
(360) 892-7524
Paros Veterinary Services
9222 Lundeen Rd. SW
Centralia, WA 98531
360-219-1023
Caring for llamas: Keeping and caring for llamas is very regionally dependent which is why finding a nearby veterinarian is an important first step. A nearby mentor can also be very valuable if you can find a knowledgeable owner or breeder willing to take the time to help you. Jacob is always available for people who have bought their llamas from us, as well as others to answer questions or give advice. Sometimes that advice will be to call a vet, while other times it is hard to give accurate advice without seeing the animal in question in person. Regardless we want to be a resource to new owners and breeders so do not hesitate to reach out!
Shelter: a shelter is important to give your animal a place to get out of the elements. Llamas enjoy being out in the field and given the choice they like having an open sided shelter with the feel of being "out". In extreme weather more enclosed spaces are nice to keep the llamas warm and dry and keeping their feed out of the elements.
Feed: Llamas are browsers and love to eat vegetation that is growing in their pasture, obviously the weather and space considerations can effect the nutrition available to our animals on the field. Due to having a somewhat large herd on a small property we feed hay year round. Many llama farms do this. Llamas can do well with medium quality feed, but it is a case by case basis and requires you to monitor your animals closely. What you are using your llamas for, their age, and condition are all factors. A fat llama just "out to pasture" can often maintain with very marginal quality feed, however if you are working your llamas in the backcountry, are breeding llamas, or if your llama is young/growing it will need higher quality feed. For years the majority of the feed that we feed our animals is 2nd or 3rd orchard grass/Alfalfa mix, along with some eastern Washington Timothy and the occasional "local" (hay grown west of the Cascades) hay mixed in or for the adult males.
We feed pelleted feed and grain to our growing youngsters from the time they will start nibbling on it (normally 1-2 months of age) until 2 years old. We feed a local Corn/Oats/Barley/Mineral grain mix from a local mill (https://rietdyksmillingco.com/feed-store mixed with "Haystack Special Blend" (https://haystackfeeds.com/horse-products/special-blend-pellets/). We feed our grain in pans on the ground and have never had any issues with choke, although talking with other owners and when on facebook groups it seems like others have had this issues with pelleted feeds and grain, so it is something to watch for and be aware of.
Shelter: a shelter is important to give your animal a place to get out of the elements. Llamas enjoy being out in the field and given the choice they like having an open sided shelter with the feel of being "out". In extreme weather more enclosed spaces are nice to keep the llamas warm and dry and keeping their feed out of the elements.
Feed: Llamas are browsers and love to eat vegetation that is growing in their pasture, obviously the weather and space considerations can effect the nutrition available to our animals on the field. Due to having a somewhat large herd on a small property we feed hay year round. Many llama farms do this. Llamas can do well with medium quality feed, but it is a case by case basis and requires you to monitor your animals closely. What you are using your llamas for, their age, and condition are all factors. A fat llama just "out to pasture" can often maintain with very marginal quality feed, however if you are working your llamas in the backcountry, are breeding llamas, or if your llama is young/growing it will need higher quality feed. For years the majority of the feed that we feed our animals is 2nd or 3rd orchard grass/Alfalfa mix, along with some eastern Washington Timothy and the occasional "local" (hay grown west of the Cascades) hay mixed in or for the adult males.
We feed pelleted feed and grain to our growing youngsters from the time they will start nibbling on it (normally 1-2 months of age) until 2 years old. We feed a local Corn/Oats/Barley/Mineral grain mix from a local mill (https://rietdyksmillingco.com/feed-store mixed with "Haystack Special Blend" (https://haystackfeeds.com/horse-products/special-blend-pellets/). We feed our grain in pans on the ground and have never had any issues with choke, although talking with other owners and when on facebook groups it seems like others have had this issues with pelleted feeds and grain, so it is something to watch for and be aware of.
