Do alpacas get along with other animals? The answer to this question is a big yes. Alpacas can live with goats. Both animals can get along with each other but you need to consider a few things before keeping them together.
They have very few simple needs. They are low-maintenance creatures. However, if you wish to keep both animals together, you need to have sufficient space outdoors as well as indoors.
While raising goats and alpacas, you also need to take care of their nutritional needs. They mostly eat hay and grass, however, both animals also need minerals and pellets to fulfil their dietary needs.
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Are Alpacas a Type of Goat?
No, alpacas are not a type of goat. Alpacas come from camelid families and have various differences from goats. This includes long necks and short legs.
That is why, if you want to raise both animals together, you need to give them special attention as they need various diets and living conditions.
Can Alpacas Guard Goats?
Yes, alpacas can guard goats and keep them away from predators. As they are not meant for guarding animals, you cannot expect that they will protect all the farm animals against bigger predators.
If you want to make sure that your alpacas and goats are safe, then you need to use a guarding fence that will be installed around your farm. It will keep all your animals safe from other predators.
It is better to keep more than one alpaca. It will provide more socialisation, safety, and warmth. One alpaca will guard others when they and other animals are sleeping.
Here is a list of things by which alpacas can protect animals –
- Giving alarm call
- Sharp eyesight
- Separate herd from predator
- Acute hearing
- Run and stomp the predator
Fencing for Alpacas and Goats
Fencing allows alpacas and goats to graze within a certain limit. Additionally, this fencing will keep the predators off the farm. Some farm fencing works best for both animals. However, there are a few fences that can hold goats but not alpacas.
You can fence off alpacas with light fencing panels. These panels are specifically designed to contain them without making it difficult to escape.
An electric fence can work as well to distinguish between two kinds of livestock. However, in case you use electric fences, you need to train the alpacas to respect them. Goats will test the fences more than alpacas. Therefore, the fences must have a lower-voltage shock.
Talking about the space requirement, goats need more space than alpacas. Goats need 10 to 12 feet of space/animal. On the other hand, alpacas need 4 to 6 feet of space/animal.
Keeping Alpacas and Goats (Pros and Cons)
Pros:
- You can keep both animals in the same sort of fencing.
- Alpacas can protect goats and other farm animals from predators like foxes. However, they are prone to big predators or multiple predators.
- Goats and alpacas graze on a bit different plans. Therefore, they are more efficient to use for pasture.
Cons:
- Goats don’t use dung piles. This exposes the alpacas to more parasite threats. Goats can climb and defecate in hays.
- Both animals share the same parasites.
- Goats can bully alpacas.
- Alpacas are very sensitive to copper and it can affect them badly.
- Goats can injure alpacas
- Big alpacas can unintentionally damage small goats.
How to Introduce Alpacas to the Goats
Given below are the steps you can follow while introducing alpacas to the goats in a safe manner.
- Step 1: Buy a leash for alpacas: The leash will help you control the alpaca during the intro session.
- Step 2: Put the leash on the alpaca’s body.
- Step 3: Take alpacas near the goats.
- Step 4: Keep doing this to make the goats comfortable with alpacas
- Step 5: Once both animals are comfortable, you can easily keep them together.
Alpacas are susceptible to many parasites, a number of which might be comparable or similar to different livestock. There are unique sorts of worms alpacas can get that vary in length and risk level. One kind is called “abomasal worms” alpaca parasites– goat parasites live.
These can be present in the alpaca’s abomasum, and alpacas normally show no signs and symptoms of malnutrition or anaemia. However, if alpaca parasites- goat parasites live and aren’t treated it could cause death. There also are different kinds outside the digestive tract that alpacas have similar to goats. One of them is lungworms.
Other alpaca parasites- goat parasites live to include lice, stomach bugs, and mites. In terms of remedy for those parasites’ lives, many farmers use “Ivermectin” on both animals.
Final words
In conclusion, I would say that it is ok to keep alpacas and goats together. They get along very well with each other. Moreover, goats and alpacas do not need much maintenance. Additionally, you can use single fencing for both animals.
Alpacas and goats even have similar kinds of behaviours. This makes it easy for you to keep both animals together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your excellent bet as a guard alpaca is possibly a castrated male. He will easily become aware of goats, chickens or sheep as his herd. This will bring out all his protective instincts. Male alpacas do not like breeding. Therefore, he focuses all his interest on his protector duties.
Goats are very social and need the company of at least a goat. However, they can also get together with horses, sheep, cows, or donkeys. They additionally get together with cats and maximum canines.
It is feasible to have a single alpaca, however, it isn’t always a pleasing life for the animal. These are herd animals and are social, as are different domestic livestock. They gain protection and contentment from having at least an extra alpaca for getting along.
Goats are curious, social, gentle, and intelligent. They become bored and lonely while alone. It is by no means an excellent concept to have one goat. You need more than one goat.
Alpacas do not need a lot of lands. 1 acre for 6 alpacas is fine.
Most alpacas respond thoroughly to desensitisation of the hind legs in the event that they receive proper handling when they are youngsters. Alpacas that bite human beings are extraordinarily uncommon and it isn’t a well-known problem. If it does arise it has a tendency to be an attention in search of behaviour by spoiled pets instead of an attack.
Unlike canines and cats, maximum alpacas do not especially like being touched, especially by a stranger, which could make training difficult. Their natural social conduct as herd animals can provide us with understanding as to how best to guide them to learn positive responsive actions.