Tamarack Farms Cloves’ llamas
LYNNPORT -
may ‘llaugh’, but Arthur
Kressly is serious about
raising llamas And
yesterday after 4 years of
raising the animals, he took
the opportunity to join other
llama raisers in Oregon for
their first llama conference
What made Art and his
wife Carried decide to raise
llamas on their Tamarack
Farms’ He explains they
were living on a 28 acre
homestead near Kutztown
and trying to think of
livestock they could raise
profitably as a farm venture
on their limited acreage
They particularly wanted
to raise some animals that
they could be outstanding
Depending on the angle, llamas have a graceful
symmetry.
Llamas like Mancho are bascially quiet animals
which when they make any noise make a humming
noise, Art says.
Kressly maintains small llama sheds to qualify for his USDA license
;he animals rarely use them.
Arthur Kressly raises i alternative livestock 9
Others
with, so they picked llamas
Kressly said there only
about 3000 llamas in the
United States, mostly in
Oregon, and only half of the
llamas in the States are
privately owned Art insists
that even if someone offered
him a bundle for the whole
herd of 24, there are at least
4 animal which would not go
He said that what llama
husbandry he has acquired,
has been “by the seat of my
pants” and it’s the challenge
of raising the animals that
he thrives on
Kressly said the animals
average about 350 pounds
with an average birth weight
of 30 pounds He said that his
veterinary bills are minimal
and that in fact his vet
donates his services for the
novelty of treating the
unusual animals The
Kresslys practice routine
worming procedures twice a
year although fecal samples
have yet to show any in
cidence of parasite in
festation.
The animals must be in
spected for lice He said the
llamas need at least four
foot fences The family dogs
have learned to stay outside
the fences because large
females have a habit of
rolling the dogs with their
front feet, he said. Kressly
said he has only been kicked
once in 4 years
The llamas are sheared at
the age of 2 years and once a
year thereafter The wool is
prized by spinners and
brings $25 a pound Average
yield per llama is 4 pounds
per shearing
He said animals are fed a
standard horse feed with
alfalfa mixed hay once a
day They are a three
stomached animal
Kressly has found it
sometimes difficult to
acquire the breeding stock
he needs He explained that
initially his attempts to
purchase excess stock from
zoos met resistance Then he
acquired for a nominal
yearly fee his USDA license
and now he says the biggest
hurdle is his phone bill which
is generally large The
llamas have an average life
span of 15-20 years and an 11
month gestation period
They come in to heat at 30
day intervals Kressly said
they generally drop their
young twice in 3 years at
Tamarack Farms
Situated in Lehigh County, the Kressly farm belies the unusual nature of the
livestock raised here.
Art gets indignant when people ask him if llamas spit. He said horses kick and
he’s only been spit at six times in four years, all by the same llama. Llamas are
more likely to spit at each other, especially pregnant ones.
With a price tag of $5OO for
males and $3OOO for pairs,
Kressly said female off
spring are immediately
worth $2500 to him
Kressly said he expects
barroom jokes about his
choice of livestock, but to his
family this is a serious
farming enterprise
For more information
about llamas, write
American Llama Club, R 1
Box 129, Culver, Oregon
97734
le says
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 19,1980—A37
Llamas are herd animals and adapt to most any
■" weather condition according to Art.
The family loyalty to their project is emphasized
by their license plate and bumper stickers which
read “take a Llama to lunch".
Art is shown with Susie, a 9 month old llama he
raised on goat's milk.