JNK Llama Farm Bellingham, WA 98226
  • JNK Llama Farm - Bellingham Washington 98226 HOME
  • Aluminum Llama Panels FOR SALE
  • Used Flaming Star Llama Packs & Equipment
    • Flaming Star Llama Pack Accessories
    • Flaming Star Llama Pack Sketches
  • Llama Fiber, Llama Yarn & Llama Roving for Sale
  • Llama Fiber Products for Sale
  • JNK Llama Philosophies
    • Llama Training Sheet
  • Llama Information For Potential Owners
  • JNK Llamas For Sale
    • JNK Llama Wait List
  • JNK Future Llama Winners Born / Babies
    • 2022 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2021 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2020 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2019 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2018 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2017 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2016 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2015 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2014 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2013 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2012 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2011 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2010 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2009 JNK Llama Babies
    • 2008 JNK Llama Babies
  • Llama Family/Herd
    • About Our Classic Pack Llama Breeding Program
    • JNK Woolly Llama Herdsires >
      • About Isle Eagle: The Top Llama of All Time! >
        • Isle Eagle's Show Results
        • Facts about Isle Eagle
        • Isle Eagle Llama Offspring
        • Isle Eagle Llama Offspring Show Results
      • Marisco Full Peruvian Breeding Male Llama >
        • Marisco Full Peruvian Male Llama Offspring
      • Serenity Park's Ramazon Peruvian & North American Breeding Male Llama
      • JNK Marisco's Ascari Peruvian, North American & English Male Llama
      • JNK Marisco's Fappani Peruvian, Chilean & North American Male LlamaLlama
      • Huaycool Full Peruvian Outcross Male Llama >
        • Huaycool Llama Offspring
    • JNK Classic Pack Llama Males >
      • JNK Cayetano Classic Pack Male Llama >
        • JNK Cayetano Classic Male Offspring
      • JNK Sulu's Huxley MT Junior Classic Male
      • JNK Sulu's Finlayson Classic Pack Male Llama
      • MPL Anders Tobias Classic Breeding Male Llama >
        • MPL Anders Tobias Classic Male Llama Offspring
      • JNK Tobias's Trask Classic Pack Male Llama
      • CTL Sulu Classic Pack Male Llama >
        • CTL Sulu Classic Male Llama Offspring
    • JNK Woolly Breeding Female Llamas >
      • CMF Eagle's Kestrel North American & Chilean Woolly Female Llama
      • JNK Huaycool's Rosabella Peruvian, North American & English Woolly Female Llama
      • JNK Normandie's Gevalia Peruvian, North American & English Woolly Female Llama
      • JNK Huaycool's Ferrara Peruvian, North American & English Woolly Female Llama
      • Bros Normandie English, Peruvian & North American Woolly Female Llama
      • JNK Eagle's Chantika North American Woolly Female Llama
      • BAL Katmandu Peruvian, Chilean & North American Woolly Female Llama
    • JNK Classic Pack Female Llamas >
      • JNK Tobias's Kalosi Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • JNK Tobias's Caldera Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • JNK Tobias's Toviah Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • Boogie's Razz Ma Tazz Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • Cady SC01 Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • Redwood's Gert
      • Rocky Mountain Sunshine Classic Pack Style Female Llama
      • Rocky Mountain Inca's Legacy Lady Classic Pack Style Female Llama
    • Non-Breeder Llamas / Performance Llamas / Therapy Llamas >
      • NH Flight of the Eagle Therapy, Show & Driving Llama Star!
      • ALSA Non-Breeder Eilte Llama Dazador
  • Packing Llama Information
  • Llama Driving / Llama Carting Information
    • JNK Driving Llama Pictures
    • JNK Driving & Cart Llamas Information Page 2
    • JNK Driving & Cart Llama Pictures Page 3
  • Llama Driving Videos
  • Llama Driving Videos 2
  • Therapy Llamas w/ Pet Partners
  • Facts About Therapy Llamas
  • Monte The Therapy Horse
  • PF Only the Shadow Knows Miniature Horse
  • Therapy Dogs w/ Pet Partners
  • Llama/Alpaca Info Day
    • Llama & Alpaca Resource Page
    • Lanette Smith Llama Rescue
    • Darrington Fling July 15-17, 2022
  • Llama Bags, Hats & Shirts for Sale
  • Llama 4-H Information
  • Llama Conformation
  • Bad Auction Experience
  • New Llama Owner Information
    • What Do You Do With Llamas? - Llama Information
    • Reality of Llama Breeding
    • Are You Supporting a Llama "Cria Mill?"
    • I Only Want a Pet Llama, NOT a Show Llama
    • Is There Money In Breeding Llamas?
  • Llama History & Preservation
  • Llama Articles by JNK Llama Farm
    • Guard Llama Information
    • Are You a Breeder or Producer?
    • What is a 4H Llama?
    • Llama Driving or Llama Carting Information
    • Llama Driving Information & Myths
    • All About Llama Fiber or Llama Fleece
    • Before You Breed Your Male or Female Llama
    • Llama Hauling
    • Grooming Classic Style Llamas
    • Pre-Show Llama Preparation
    • Miscellaneous JNK Llama Information >
      • JNK Llamas Yearly Show Stats
      • JNK Farm Ads
      • Llamas Sold, Brokered or Placed
      • JNK Llamas Photo Album
      • Various Fun Pictures (Non-Llama)
  • Llama Genetics/Pictures Information Search
  • Rainbow Bridge - Family Lost
  • Contact Us
  • July Llama Pack Rescue

Are You a Breeder or a Producer?
by Niki Kuklenski


Given the current climate of the camelid rescue population, it seemed appropriate to discuss breeding responsibility.  Breeders and rescue groups have struggled for forever to find a balance of placing animals in responsible homes that don’t hurt the breeder’s potential sales. 

Right now, many farms are struggling with wanting to breed their animals but feeling guilty given the recent rescue of 600 mostly llamas (and a few alpacas) from the defunct Montana Large Animal Sanctuary in Montana.  Coupled with the dispersal of the former Meadow Wood Farm herd, it has left many breeders and responsible owners scared to breed.  Truly there is a glut of unwanted llamas and alpacas all over the country.  Mostly depending on where you live and who you have producing locally.  There is a HUGE difference between a “producer” and a “breeder.”

In order to carry on bloodlines, styles, etc. you have to have breeding.  Our registries and species would perish if we did not.  It is important however to contribute to the improvement of the species and have an end goal in mind for the animal you are producing.  In camelids, we do not have an official “cull market” to get rid of mistakes and experiments like they do in cattle, sheep etc.  Thus, it makes it even more important that we breed carefully and with an end use/product in mind. 

My definition of a producer is someone that has a goal of simply making more of something, in this case camelids.  A breeder is someone who is pursuing breeding to improve on the species with an end product in mind.  This end product has a market and specific traits, not just fiber or a cute face.  The product is built on over a number of years and a breeder has the ability to carefully select for the traits they want and slowly create it.  They also get a consistent product.  When you look at their herd, you can see that consistency in their animals.  This product is also in demand because of the quality it possesses. 

Producers have throughout our history ruined companion animals (horses, dogs, llamas etc.) because of our need to select aesthetically pleasing traits that are not functional.  We always seem to find a way to mess with “Mother Nature” and try to create something we think is better because we know better.  Look at the recent designer dog craze.  It has created a bunch of dogs that have severe health issues and they have been marketed and sold by backyard breeders for families. 

In the camelid world, I have seen a lot of rescues throughout my 25+ years of owning them.  The vast majority of these animals come from people that were either taken advantage of in a pyramid type scenario, sold animals they should have never had or bought into breeding thinking they were going to make lots of money.  Once they end up with a bunch of babies they couldn’t sell and hadn’t trained, they dumped them and so begins the cycle of rescue.  You rarely see exceptional packers, 4-H animals, trained drivers and more in rescue.  It should also be noted, that depending on where you live, the market for selling these types of animals can vary greatly.  Everyone breeds for the showring and fiber, who truly breeds for packers, 4-H animals, driving animals etc.?

I encourage each owner and breeder to consider breeding only what there is a market for, to produce far less animals per year and lastly focus on the training of these animals.  If we all had a “breeder” mentality, I think that our rescue issues would decrease significantly.   Breeding is not a dirty word, but it should be done responsibly. 

 All information & pictures contained within this website are the sole property of JNK They may not be used without written permission Copyright 2023.