Bad Donkey Behavior

[kato]

We've never had this problem with the donkeys and calves. We had a jack a few years ago that would chase newborn calves a bit, but when we got a couple of jennies he totally lost interest and never bothered them again. I guess he had better things to do! Since then, the donkeys stay in the pens with the calving cows, even the jack, and there has never been a problem.

I would keep her away from the newborns. Did she do it when the lamb was still wet? Maybe it smelled "off", and that triggered her reaction. Can you keep her in a pen next to the lambing sheep so she can see them through the fence? Maybe in time she'll figure it out that these 'little wet things' are sheep too.

As for teaching her not to do it, I don't think that's possible. Just try and set things up so there is no opportunity for incidents like this. As she gets older and more experienced, hopefully she'll see the light.

[cakadu]

Sadly Topper sheep of any size are fair game for coyotes. There is that old slogan "Eat lamb 10,000 coyotes can't be wrong."

Some of the ewes are very protective and will put the run on our dogs, so much so that the dogs almost look like bull riders who are continually on the lookout for that mad bull. Unfortunately, the donkey is a standard, so even if the ewes were to take a run at her, they would more or less go underneath of her, unless they got her in the legs or something like that.

kato, the one lamb wasn't too old at all and it's navel was still wet, so that is maybe something as well. I hope that as she matures she is better, but we'll just have to make sure that for now she isn't in the situation anymore. She hasn't done it since I first posted, so maybe she is being kept occupied by going out and grazing with the flock.

Thanks for your help.