Do alpacas really guard livestock, or is that a myth?

What do guard alpacas actually do?

Alpacas are social grazers that respect fences, bond with livestock and tend to react strongly to canines. When a fox shows up, they may chase it, or run it down and stamp on it with their forelegs.¹ They are also relatively undemanding to manage and have low hoof pressure.¹

Exactly how they protect a flock is not settled. One trial participant thought alpacas do not so much protect sheep as simply hate canines. The MLA report says the way guard alpacas work is still unclear.¹

Which alpaca claims are myths?

Myth: alpacas are proven to stop foxes. The evidence is encouraging but thin. In a 2024 survey of Australian users, 72% said lamb survival rose after alpacas arrived, 83% would recommend them, and the average effectiveness score was 7.5 out of 10.² Those are owners' opinions, not measured results. Two earlier flock studies cited by MLA point the same way: one found survival of 83% with guards against 69% without. The other found weaning up 13% in flocks of 1,500 ewes but only 5% in flocks of 300.¹ The MLA-funded trial itself, on four properties, could add little because of its small sample and many confounding factors.¹

Myth: an alpaca will see off wild dogs. The MLA report says plainly that farmers should think of alpacas as fox guards, not defenders against canines in general. One group on a Mid North property, with two alpacas, lost 21 lambs in one night, and stray dogs were suspected.¹ A Hume ranger told The Land that alpacas are too light and that wild dogs end up attacking them too.³ Some breeders disagree and suggest groups of five to ten against dogs,⁴ but we found no trial that tests this.

Myth: more alpacas means more protection. The results point both ways. In the MLA trial, the four groups with the highest lambing percentages each had one alpaca, yet the best death rate on one property came from a pair.¹ Anecdotally, three or more in a paddock may form their own mob and ignore the sheep.¹

Myth: buy one and forget about foxes. Trial farmers kept baiting, and the report stresses that other fox control has to continue.¹ Dead lambs also mislead. On one trial property about half the lambs examined had predator damage, but predators were the main cause of death in only about a quarter.¹ Some producers even find more dead lambs after alpacas arrive, probably because foxes can no longer carry off those that died naturally.¹

How do you set up a guard alpaca?

Start with the right animal. Entire males should not be used, because they may try to mate ewes, with potentially fatal results.¹ In the 2024 survey, 58% of owners ran castrated males aged 2 to 5 years.²

Timing is the next thing. MLA trial farmers put alpacas in at least four weeks before lambing.¹ In the survey, 54% introduced them 10 weeks before lambing, and 82% said bonding took place straight away or within 1 to 4 weeks.²

A few habits make a difference:

• Keep alpaca-guarded mobs well apart, perhaps two hectares, or the alpacas will spend their time socialising across the fence.¹
• Smaller paddocks may help. Some surveyed producers thought guards would work better in them.¹
• Keep fleece clipped clear of the eyes, because a wool-blind alpaca cannot spot a distant fox.¹
• One breeder suggests running them with sheep only for lambing, and taking them out a couple of days after the last lamb and at least 8 weeks before shearing, which helps keep alpaca fibre out of the wool clip.⁴
• Treat them as livestock. They need shearing each year and the same vaccinations and drenches as the flock, and they are susceptible to liver fluke.⁴ Snake bite is also a known cause of death.¹

What does a guard alpaca cost?

Prices below are dated, so ring around before you budget. In the MLA survey, castrated males cost A$200 to A$750 and averaged A$472, and the report's introduction gives A$500 to A$750.¹ A breeder's undated guide quotes about A$450 for a 15-month wether.⁴

Set that against the upside. The MLA report notes that at A$65 a head, about 10 extra lambs would cover one alpaca, with a working life of perhaps 15 years.¹ One earlier study valued the gain at A$845 per 100 lambing ewes a year.¹ That sum only works if predators are really your problem, which is why the first job is checking your dead lambs.