# goats and alpacas



## Northern (Jan 27, 2013)

Just wondering if anyone else is raising goats with alpacas. I know the alpaca world say don't do it. But Just wondering what the goat world has to say. Thanks for any input you might give me.
Suz


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

I know of several who raise the 2 together. The alpacas are used to guard the goats against predators and seems to work well.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Alpacas and llamas can't have the amount of copper that goats need so you will need to be sure that the alpacas don't get goat feed or minerals. Alpacas don't make good guards but you can have them together as long as the animals get along.


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## crocee (Jul 25, 2008)

Thanks for jogging my memory Karen. It wasn't an alpaca but a llama that was in with the goats. The llama guarded the goats pretty well but I don't know if this is the norm.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If a llama is a true guard llama, they do a great job. I had 2 guard llamas for my alpacas and they were wonderful.

If you get alpacas, be sure to shear them once a year. They can get heat stressed very easily.


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## neubunny (Nov 7, 2012)

Mine run together, along with sheep. Copper is the tricky thing. Just lost the last of the original free alpacas we were given (not quite a year ago) -- they had run previously with goats and just fed goat feed -- we knew they had some symptoms of copper poisoning but had hoped we could turn them around. Those free animals also brought barberpole worm into our flock - which turned deadly before we figured it out. More a problem with taking in unhealthy animals without proper quarantine than them being alpacas per se. Lesson learned re getting what you pay for. The three younger/healthier alpacas we purchased later are all doing fine.

We had the sheep prior to adding alpacas, so our goats were already on a copper-free sheep feed and getting their copper from supplements fed individually and separately. That was such a pain. We had a lot of illness problems with the goats last year -- vet said they didn't show any signs of copper deficiency, but I wonder if a mild deficiency was compromising their immune systems.

So glad I discovered copper bolus here and we have started bolusing the goats. It's very subtle, but I do see a difference in their coats - a bit shinier and richer color. 

We've also started giving the alpacas an occassional dose of red cell and watching closely for signs of anemia. The sheep feed is a bit lower in iron than alpaca/llama feed.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Alpaca folks are so "stuck up" sometimes. I heard a lady call goats "those little worm factories", lol.

I have 3 alpacas, in with the goats. I am very watchful, of everybody. So far, everything is fine. Everyone get along and the female alpaca is even guarding the kids. She's so cute. I am going to start doing my own fecal testing, so it will be less expensive to check for worms.

I agree, copper boluses, are the way to go with a mixed herd. I feed the alpaca seperately, because I like to feed the goats sunflower seeds. I read on the alpacanation forum that sunflower seed hulls killed an alpaca. So, if you feed BOSS, don't let the alpaca get any.


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## nmgirl (Jan 31, 2013)

The Alpaca Farm that i work on keeps them seperate. The Doe they have are with the Alpacas though specially when she was pregnant, she just had 3 kids and the alpacas guard them from the dogs. its so cute. They have Antolian Shepherds to guard all of them though just because the farm is in the middle of no where lol


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