# Getting 2 Jennets



## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Well i am excited and nervous at the same time. I have never had a donkey before but an elderly family friend called wanting to find a good home for 2 one year old Jennets. They are supposed to be spoiled rotten pets that love to follow the owners around like puppies so I am glad about that. I have been reading all last night and this morning on the net trying to find out how to care for them. I am trying to decide wether to put them in with the goats now or in thier own pasture. They have been living with calves and chickens and the family dog so the owner thinks they would be fine with the goats. I have also been thinking maybe put them in their own pasture then during the day while supervised let them in with the goats. Any body out their have any advise. Eventually when we move to our new land I felt I would need some kind of protection and I am hoping the donkeys will serve as some protection. And of course I will take some pictures when I get them in a few days.


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## getchagoat (Julie) (Oct 5, 2007)

I can't wait to see the pictures. Are they minis or full grown? I'm assuming full grown. A friend uses a mini and he herds his pet goats into the barn at night. Even nudges them. 

I've heard other people putting a run type pasture around their goat pasture and let the donkeys stay in there so there's no kicking. But I would think once they accept the goats, there wouldn't be any of that; plus the donkeys are young. My main concern would be pregnant does. I like your plan of introducing them. Seeing new critters through the fence is always settling to animals. congrats!


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## GSFarm (Oct 6, 2007)

I can't wait to see pictures!!


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

good for you!! 
i have two two yr old mini donk geldings. they are new to me, as of july, but grew up with three ngs and a mini horse. i got my goats at the same time. i was advised to keep them separate for awhile, to be sure the donks would not consider them intruders. so, that is what i did.
i am totally amazed at the behavior of the donks toward the goats. i, too, wanted protection, but wasn't sure what that would be, only that donkeys instinctively hate canines (you'll want to be careful with any dogs you have, perhaps someone here can tell you how to introduce them; i still do not let my dogs in with the donks now that they are as i am about to describe with the goats, as i think the donks would pulverize the dogs).

i just had my 'real' fencing installed which gives me a very large paddock, and a 1 1/2 acre pasture. while the goats and donks were in the smaller paddock for three months, they all seemed to get along fine; the goats did their thing, the donks theirs; sometimes the donks would seem to chase the goats and the goats would then run into their stalls. 
then came the pasture, and i learned why the chasing episodes. the donks were out in the pasture; i let the goats out of their stall; one of the donks came all the way back and herded the goats out to the other donk. then, for the rest of the day, the goats were kept in a group, a donk on either side, as if the donks were trained herding DOGS!! when the donks decided to come in, they moved the goats in, one donk in front, one behind.
well, this seemed so neat to me. then a few days later, with all of them up in the pasture, i looked out and noticed both donks had alerted to something, their humongous ears erect and both of them looking at something i could not see. after just a little bit, one of the donks rounded up the goats quickly and moved them back half way to the barn, while the other donk stood where he was, watching. in a few minutes, the far away donk joined the group, but kept facing the trouble, and the other donk stood with his back to this donkey while he kept watching the goats.
when whatever the trouble was seemed to be gone, i swear the two donks high-fived one another with a big neck swat!!! i was just amazed!!! 
it was truly like watching the trained dogs one sees on animal shows, as if i were here giving whistle commands or something.
evidently the chasing in the paddock had been the same thing, but with a smaller area it was harder to really see what the donks were doing. every day, the donks will come back from the pasture and herd the goats out. any strange noise or concern, and the goats are rounded up. the goats have learned to watch the donkeys signals (ears back, a quick run) and seem to understand. if one goat should stray a little too far from the group, a donk will pursue him and chase him back.
sooooooooo, these guys ARE guardians!! anytime my dogs are outside the fence, at least one of the donkeys moves to position himself between the dogs and the goats. this had been apparent in the paddock, as well. one day i was going to bring a new person in to see the goats; the donks suddenly were blocking the gate and wouldn't move! they had NEVER done this with just me.
the donkeys can bite and kick and stomp. we have coyotes and i am now much more relaxed about the goats' safety. 
i HAVE HEARD that some donkeys have killed goats by grabbing them by the neck and shaking them. i don't know the circumstances at all for this; perhaps the donks were playing--they grab one anothers withers all the time; perhaps the goat was new to the herd and the donk considered it a threat. who knows. that is why i do suggest a period of time where they can all see one another, but are not in the same pen at the same time. then begin with supervised visitations. if all goes well, i think you will be extremely pleased with your new LGDs!! :lol: 
i was also told that jennets are more reliable with goats than jacks. maybe mine being geldings makes a difference, and there are no competitions for jennets or anything.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU and welcome aboard the donkey circus!! i think you will find yourself laughing many times at their antics.
re: care. very similar to horses....need very little actual grain, like fresh water, mostly hay and grazing for food, hoofs trimmed (no shoes needed) about every six weeks, worm them as your vet advises. if youi have minis, they can and will overeat very easily with grain, fruit. i have found if i give each of mine an apple, they get diarrhea. if i split it between them, they are ok. they love carrots!! oh, more than just a handful of BOSS gives them diarrhea, too.
enough for now. feel free to check back in . we had a full sized donkey for many years, and he was great and a very easy keeper.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Julie thanks, I am picking them up on Friday and I will know then if they are mini or standard. All I know now is that he says they are small. This man is around 80 so I couldnt understand wether they are mini or not. I am getting them free and they are supposed to be very friendly. 

Sarah I will post pictures of them Friday afternoon.

Cute Kids, thanks for all the info. I hope my experience is as good as yours.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

ooo how exciting!! I hope they work out for you in the guarding capacity.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Well here they are. They are pretty scared but are checking things out and should settle in soon, they have never been away from their dams till now. They love to be scratched and petted. They are standard donkeys not minis but their dams are not real big so I guess you could say they are small standards. One is bigger than the other but only 1 month older.


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## PACE (Oct 8, 2007)

They are BEATIFUL! :drool: 

Hope they settle in quickly. Do they have names?


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## Julie (Oct 6, 2007)

Awww - they're really cute  Look like my "Taz" that I had. He was a mini donkey stud muffin :wink: 

I wouldn't trust putting them directly in with the goats right away. I say this from experience. I had a VERY close call with my mini donkey and one of my goats (the goat got out of her pen and in the donkey's pen), and let's just say that she was lucky. And he was raised with SHEEP previously to comming to our farm. I also have a friend with a mini donkey jennet. Her jennet would pick up the goats and one day actually "THREW" one of the goats over the fence ! 
I would suggest that you take it slow just to be sure that the jennets AND the goats are gonna be ok with each other. I would introduce them and watch the reactions. After a couple of introductions while on lead ropes - if they're doing ok with that, then next try it WITHOUT having them contained. But supervise. Allow them a little longer together each time until you trust that everything will be fine. 

Donkeys can easily become obese. So don't be graining them. It's better just to have them on hay alone. If you want to grain them - don't give them much ! Donkeys are easy keepers - they seriously don't take much. Also ask the previous owners what and how much how often they were feeding them. 

Of course Donkeys need dewormed just like any other equine. So keep that in mind - which I'm sure you already knew and thought about.

And I'm sure you also realize that donkeys need their hooves trimmed just like any other equine. However, I noticed with my mini donkey that his hooves didn't grow very fast, so it shouldn't be quite as frequent as other equine, but just keep an eye on them and get them trimmed when they start getting a little long.

Do you have dogs ? Watch and make sure that the jennets are ok with your dogs before totally trusting them together. Most donkeys don't like dogs to well. It's why they're good guardians.

Good luck with the jennets ! They're adorable !


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Actually they do not have names yet so I have to come up with some. 

It will be a long time before I trust them with the goats and it may be when we move to our new property and they have 40 acres to roam on. Then again I may never let them be with the goats. I just do not know. Thankfully they are used to a halter so I will go tomorrow and get them each one so I can start working with them on leading. He had started them leading some but they will need more work. Eventually I hope to break them to ride but a 1 year old I will need to wait till they are older. I am sure I have my work cut out for me. LOL


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## Muddy Creek Farm (Oct 5, 2007)

It's wonderful that you have given them a home! They will be SPOILED! Good luck with them


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

my two geldings are half brothers and also a month apart in age and also have always been together. they are best friends and i have to work with them to try to get them to be able to separate a bit. right now they go bananas if taken away from one another. 
if you groom them daily they really get to trust you quickly. and yes, they are VERY easy keepers and mine just get a token handful of grain when i feed the goats.
AND, a really big plus, if they are stalled at all, they tend to 'go' in just one neat spot. so easy to muck!!!! :lol: gotta take the good news and love it.
good luck with them. funny, mine are minis so the legs on yours look so long!!! i guess with them just being yearlings, too. they are smart and will NOT miss an open gate or a source of food.......


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## getchagoat (Julie) (Oct 5, 2007)

They are so neat looking! I hope they settle in soon and realize what a good home they have. High five!


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## goatnutty (Oct 9, 2007)

They are the cutest things!


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

They are just cute as ever. Congratulation. So what are you going to do with them? Or are they just lawn (pasture) Ornaments?


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

sweetgoats said:


> They are just cute as ever. Congratulation. So what are you going to do with them? Or are they just lawn (pasture) Ornaments?


LOL just pets and to help eat up all the pasture at our new land.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Well, they could not of had a better new home. They are so cute.
I only say that about that pasture ornament because I have one of those as a horse. We do ride him a little but he is so old.

I KNOW, I KNOW. You need to get a harness and a cart and they can pull you around all your new property. YEP, that is what they need to do and we want pictures.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Now that would be something. Right now I will feel good if I just get to touch them again. After the previous owner left they went as far from the barn as they could and I havent been able to touch them. This morning it rained hard and they ran as far from the barn as they could get and looked so pitiful. They did however come into the barn last night sometime cause I put out some horse wormer pellets last night in a pan just inside the barn and half of it was eat this morning and no one but them has access to that area. I worry about them and I guess I shouldnt.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

what happend to the "spoiled rotten pets who follow their owner around" part?


Do you have a small pen you can put them in? the smaller the area the more chance you have for them to be closer to you and then they can realized you aren't out to hurt them.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Well Stacey when I was at his house they were just so sweet and we petted and loved on them then they were really tramatized getting them loaded in the trailer and the man brought them over here and we got them out and they let us love and pet and feed them but the moment the man left they ran out of the barn and each day they are getting closer and closer to me. They are just weaned and 1 yo and never seen anyone human but their owner. They have never even seen a women. I really do not think putting a big Donkey in a small space is fair to them, just so I can force myself on them. I have only had them for 4 days tonight so I do think they are making progress. The man said if it didnt work out he would come get them as he didnt want just anyone getting them. I have talked to other donkey owners and they said they have to settle in first so I am gonna go slow.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

I wasn't saying small like a stall but anyway...


I didn't realize donkeys could be like that, hopefully they settle in for you so you can keep them


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Treat them just like you would a shy goat. They will come around really soon I am sure. I raised horses all my childhood.
We will all remember this because you will be telling us really soon that they are DRIVING you crazy, because they are following you everywhere and you can not get anything done. It will be great to hear.


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

my two boys behaved similarly for awhile when new here. they LOVE treats....carrots is an easy one. start leaving the carrots where they can see you doing it. gradually be closer to them each time. it won't take long. as you say,t hey are young and this is all new to them. mine did a weird crouching down whenever i touched their backs early on. i give a token hand full of grain to them in a bucket. that is sure to get mine to come to me. ihave a lot of work to do with them. have spent more direct 'quality' time with the goats. time to branch out.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

Sweetgoats I sure hope I am saying that soon.

Cute kids you give me hope. Thanks


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

the fact that they have only known kind human interaction so far will be a bit help to you. remember, they are very smart, and as my experience with them guarding the goats illustrates, they have a lot of instinctual survival behaviors.
just be consistent and patient, and they will soon learn that you are to be trusted.
i really had a time when mine first arrived; they had never gone anywhere except to the home i got them from before they came to me. when they arrived via transport from maine, i immediately gave them probios and then attempted to give them ivermectin ( since they were new here and i was hoping to keep any parasite introduction to a minimum). oh boy, one pulled so hard on his halter and lead that he BENT the hook in the wall! they really freaked. so, i had to overcome their trauma of being 'attacked' by me as well as their transport and new home adventures. treats, treats, treats, and go at their pace. they are very observant of all that goes on; they will see that you are kind to the goats and to them, provide good food, water, etc., and realize that you are ok. good luck!!! their tummies are so incredibly soft you will see it was worth the effort when you can feel that.....  
you might try working around their area with your back to them, not watching them. you may soon find them standing close to sniff you and check you out. and you won't hear them coming, they are incredibly quiet.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

That is funny. I did notice when I turn my back they walk toward me. I have started introducing the goats and funny thing is they seem to be calmer when the goats are in the pasture. They are used to a large herd of cows and calves so they may like the pasture with more animals in it. They are curious of the goats but so far they wont get too close to them and the goats are leary of them. Thanks for the tips.


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## trob1 (Oct 5, 2007)

*update*

Well yesterday I called the previous owner of my two Jennets to update him on how they were doing and when I told him they would not come very close to me and I hadnt been able to touch them after he left he was so surpised and ask if he could come see them.

He got here and went into the pasture and when they saw him they came running straight to him and was all over him. Their eyes seemed to light up. I had tears in my eyes thinking of what they must be feeling like to have been born on his place and only have had interaction with him and now he is gone and they are at a new place with someone they havent ever seen before.

Well he fed them bread and loved on them then gave me the bread and he stepped back. The girls came right up to me and ate the bread and let me scratch and love on them. It was so nice and I told them that this was really all I wanted to do was love and pet on them. LOL

I will go out this morning and see how it goes but it does give me hope that they will be ok and settle in soon and let me love them.


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## cute kids (Oct 5, 2007)

tears in my eyes, too. 

they are very smart and perceptive animals. ie i have a daughter with special needs; the donks go to her chair and very gently sniff her, put their noses right up to bethy's!! they don't do this with me. i think you have two great jennets. just be consistent and gentle and patient. they are learning about you. they will observe you with the goats, too.

good luck


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