Tinkerbelle with her nose in the air!

 

Juliette is very proud of her new haircut.

  Marcus at just an hour old; is he smiling?

Millstream Llama Farm is part of what was once a much larger farm first established in the early 1900's. The present farm sits in a hidden valley formed by limestone erosion. A small farmhouse was built in the mid 1960's and the property used as a hobby farm, raising a few sheep, cattle, pigs etc.

Millstream was initially named Rowe Stream after an officer on the British Royal Navy ship that first charted Esquimalt Harbour in the mid-1840's. In 1846, the Hudson's Bay Company established the first company sawmill on Vancouver Island at Rowe Stream, and built the trail that eventually became the Island Highway. The mill, with a grist mill for grinding flour added in 1847, supplied materials for the company's Fort Victoria. The stream lacked sufficient water to drive the mills during the summer months and the mills closed down around 1860.  

Millstream enters the Llama Farm through a rock tunnel, and creates a secluded and picturesque pool surrounded by tall trees. The stream forms the entire south boundary of the farm, and includes a 20-ft. waterfall. Children like to fish for small trout in the numerous side pools. In 2003 the local Goldstream Hatchery helped build a new fish ladder at the "Llama Falls". In a few years the salmon should be leaping the fish ladder.

 The present owners bought the property in 1994 and radically enlarged and renovated the old house. All the fencing, barns and animal shelters were also replaced. Llamas are bred there for resale, and a small flock of chicken provides fresh eggs for the gourmet breakfasts!

 Llamas greet you with a soft sniffing and blowing in your face. The best way to greet a llama is quietly with your hands behind your back and offering your face for inspection. Stand still and let the llama approach you.

 Llamas are a herd animal, curious, intelligent, sensitive, aloof and independent. Many enjoy being scratched or rubbed and spending time with their owners. They can become companions, packers, pull a cart, be golf caddies, enter shows and parades, entertain at nursing homes and schools, and be used as 4H projects. Some doctors have recommended them to high stress patients who need to relax. It's nearly impossible to sit quietly with a llama and not find yourself engaged in their special magic. Others are using llamas in therapy while working with handicapped adults and children.

 Llamas are easy to maintain. They need a three-sided structure providing shelter from wind, rain, snow and hot sun. Other needs include fresh water, safe fencing and pasture, adequate room to exercise and hay. Llamas need regular worming, a yearly vaccination and most need their toenails trimmed occasionally. All llamas should be trained to:  

·        Accept a halter and lead calmly.

·        Load into a trailer, truck or van.

·        Accept brushing and shearing.

·        Allow their feet to be handled for trimmings.  

Llamas create communal dung piles making  pasture management relatively easy. Llama manure is odour free making it an excellent soil conditioner and a balanced 1:1:1 fertilizer.  

Llama gestation ranges from 335 to 360 days. We use 350 days as a rule of thumb. Baby llamas are called crias. Crias can be weaned at six months. 

Do llamas spit? Usually llamas spit to tell another llama to get out of their space or food. A bred female will spit at males who are trying to approach her, and some llamas will spit at others getting too close to their crias. Rarely will llamas spit at their owners. If they do, it is usually in fear or pain and often means the handler is at fault. Spitting at humans is the exception not the rule.

Compared to many other livestock, llamas are very quiet animals. Humming is their primary means of vocal expression. A llama's hum sounds similar to a person's hum. Depending upon the situation, llamas may also cluck, orgle or make an alarm call. All sounds are very distinctive and easily recognizable. It will be clear what llamas are trying to express if you look at their situation and listen.