The Guardian Donkey

[cakadu]

Up until the lambs started arriving, we weren't too sure how the donkey was doing from a guarding perspective. She is just coming on 2 and I'm not sure how much lambing she was around last year.

What we've noticed is that she is taking a great interest in the newborns, so much so that she is even keeping mom away, which is definitely NOT a good thing. For added entertainment we even watched her get into a scrap with the actual guardian dog over the newborns. Never a dull moment around here.

Its great that she is so protective of the babies, but we do have to keep an eye on her to make sure that mom is getting the bonding in that she needs. We don't need bottle babies.

Still, it's nice to see that she takes her work so seriously.

[furrowtickler]

I have come to the conclusion that once you are a donkey owner there is never a dull moment. I put my two in a small pen in the barn the other day while I was moving cows around, and a few minutes later I came out to see the two of them with the cats dish in their mouths walking around in a circle, in complete sync. !!! Of course the digital camera was in the house !!!

My donkeys guard me....if anyone enters a pen where they are and I am with them, they both stand between me and the INTRUDER..facing whomever is the stranger....

They do make life interesting.

[cakadu]

She has gotten into trouble for eating the guardian dogs food - in fact we think she was becoming quite hooked on it and she was most upset when we took it away from her.

She hasn't quite forgotten the indignity of my giving her rump a bit of a smack for not getting away from the babies. She has forgiven it to the point where my carrots are good enough for her. That and she was most happy to stand there while I scratched her back.

It is amazing what they do know and there is absolute truth to the amount of stubborness they can carry around. For the most part though she is a lot of fun and I believe that she likes us pretty much too.

Speaking of carrots, I have to go to town today to replenish the supply - ours and hers.

[intr3est]

Hi guys, a question for you? Have either of you ever had any trouble with your donkeys in the past be over protective and dangerous to yourselves?

Just recalling a story about a lady that was attacked here in Ontario and was lucky to get away alive.

[kato]

That would be rare indeed. We've found them to be sociable with people, it's just the four legged critters that they are impatient with.

I bet there's more to the story about that attack. Could have been a jack with attitude, or perhaps a donkey that wasn't socialized at all. A jack donkey is after all, a stallion and should be handled as one. They need the same respect and thought put into their care as we use with our bulls.

Just like bulls, even when you know they are quiet and friendly, you keep in the back of your mind the fact that they are capable of violence under the right circumstances.

[cakadu]

I've not had any bad experiences with our donkey - just a little attitude - as per my previous posts. Some of the attitude that we see is likely because we haven't taught her what she needs to know - like leaving the babies alone. The friends we got the donkey from have never indicated that they've had any problems with donkeys and people and they have been raising them ever since we've known them - 12 years.

Our donkey will get after the dogs if she thinks she needs to, but has never done anything more than trot away if we've upset her.

[cakadu]

Actually, I don't think donkey's are stubborn, once they think that what you want them to do is their idea, they are very co-operative. If mine don't want to go through a gate I just go through, shut it in their face and ignore them, pretty soon they are braying to get through the gate !!!
I have never known of a donkey to attack people, but of course jacks can be nasty dispositioned. I have mini donkeys and they real pets and pests.

[cakadu]

Hmmm, sounds suspiciously like a certain gender emrald. Sorry I couldn't resist that one.

We were actually surprised at what she would do - particularly if her prize of the day the dog food was involved or she thought she could sneak a little grain. We had laid a piece of plywood down over the texas gate in order to smooth the pathway for the trike and the little trailer we use to haul grain. The snow build-up had caused quite a steep hill so the plywood helped to even it out.

We left the gate open to bring the grain through and who should walk over the plywood but the donkey and she was actually leading some of the sheep. She looked at it for a bit but didn't appear to be scared of it or anything.

We actually have no idea of the amount of dog food that she did it before we discovered her little habit. Never even considered that she would develop a taste for it. Didn't appear to do her any real harm or anything.

The one thing she has never really gotten into is braying. She will the odd time but it is very sporadic and sounds really bad because she hasn't "practiced" it enough. My husband is happy that she doesn't bray, me, I kind of wish she did.

[cakadu]

one of my donkeys has only brayed a couple of times in the two years he's been here, and both of those times were when he was penned up alone. The older donkey brays whenever he is trying to get my attention, which is quite often. He has such a mournful sound, which I enjoy, although it has scared several visitors out of ten years growth !!