# donkey, mini donkey, or LGD dog.



## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

I have read so much on livestock guardians, and am torn on which to get. We have lots of coyotes where we live, and have not, as of yet, had a problem with them getting our goats, or poultry. But I would rather be safe than sorry, so I have been wanting to possibly purchase something. I excluded a llama first because for starters, I know nothing about taking care of a llama, and I read too that a pack of coyotes could take down a llama if attacking from the back. Which leads me to the donkey.

I figured this was the way to go. My con here is, I am not familiar with the responsibility of donkey, but I am willing to learn. I have read and heard from friends and neighbors, horror stories about donkeys. From stubborn to aggressive. Then I have read about how sweet mini donkeys are.

I decided this is what I would like to have, a mini donkey. The more I read on mini's the more I thought this was the way to go for me. The con here, from what I read, was mini's can not defend against coyotes, like a regular size donkey can, and are susceptible to a coyote attacks as much as a goat.
So I pondered an LGD dog. 

I am not crazy about getting a dog, because for starters, I have to feed him separately. Unlike a donkey who will eat grass, (and we have plenty of that).
Also, from what I read they can be a bit protective when strangers come into the pasture. I don't want that, as my children and often their friends may come into the area. Our pasture is like our other home. Everyone in the family is out there often throughout the day. And it is not often, but we do occasionally invite "strangers" in to the pasture area. Also, I was told recently, by someone who owned 3 different Pyrenees, the reason he had to sale each one was because they climbed the fence and got into the neighbor's yard. That CAN NOT happen here. 

Thanks for reading this lengthy post, any advise would be greatly appreciated.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I don't know about the donkey, but, I have mini horses in my back pastures, nearest the woods. They are very dog aggressive, so they earn their keep. I also have a couple of alpacas out there. Also, dog aggressive. I would consider the llama, they eat the same as a goat and are larger then my Alps. You can't keep a male in with female goats though. Coyotes do not usually hunt in packs. Wolves do. No guardian will survive a wolf attack, but, any of these animals will make a single coyote move on to easier prey. Horses/donkeys will stand and fight, llamas/alps will move the herd to safer place. Depending on the dog...they may kill anything that enters the pasture.

I would not have an LGD, unless it was a trained guardian. You, most likely, will not have the advanced dog handling skills to train your own. I've heard horror stories about the yr old pup snacking on newborn alpaca. And, they bark constantly, and they wander, and they dig. So, unless you are way out in the "bush" I'd stick with the others.

I have a female alpaca in with my does and kids, she has decided she's "in charge" of security for the kids. If you go into the pasture and mess with her kids, she will come over to see what you are doing, and why are you "bothering" her babies. It's cute, and non-aggressive. She's "just checking"...


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

I've never owned one but I'd personally go with a cut male llama. You do not want more than one, as you want them to bond to the goats and not each other. From what I have read cut males are the way to go, you don't want an uncut male out there. 

Llamas from what I understand are not all that hard to take care of, and really don't require much. I would abviously research it before getting one. You would need to shear him. If you get a fiber llama you might be able to sell his fleece to someone in your area who spins. 

Alpacas are awesome for fleece, but are smaller than a llama.


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

PS: Donkeys can be LOUD. Our neighbors have one. Cute as all get out, but really annoying.


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## IrishRoots (Jan 7, 2013)

I have a fantastic Miniature donkey ans he is WONDERFUL. The only time donkeys are loud is when they are unhappy in my experience.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

we have mini donkeys...awesome animals..yes they can be loud but only when upset or excited..I would recommend a Jenny or cut male...never a jack....we have three jennies running around with our girls..they are very careful around the new babies...Plus they eat the brush and brier and hay and need no feed ..dogs need dog food ...an extra expense.. : )


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

IrishRoots, 
A mini donkey is the way I wanted to go. How are they at keeping coyotes at bay? I plum forgot about the shearing of a llama. I am not real keen on that. I don't even like shaving the goats each summer. I do it cause I love them and want them to feel cooler when temps get pass 100's. They idea of having a llama is kind of cool though. No body around here has llamas or alpaca's.


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

Happybleats, 
That is one of the reasons I thought donkeys would be better. I am leaning very strongly towards mini donkeys, but I need to know if they will keep coyotes away. I know that they supposedly don't travel in packs. But if you were at my house at night and heard them, it seems that is all they do is travel in packs. Maybe it is a mama teaching her 20 little ones, but they are loud and a bit frightening when they start all there yelping and hollering. I am not against getting a couple of mini's though if that would help.


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## IrishRoots (Jan 7, 2013)

My donkey will decimate any coyotes lol


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Di said:


> You can't keep a male in with female goats though. Coyotes do not usually hunt in packs. Horses/donkeys will stand and fight, llamas/alps will move the herd to safer place. Depending on the dog...they may kill anything that enters the pasture.


I feel like some of this is a blanket statement. To say you can't keep a male llama with female goats...not necessarily true. Each livestock guardian is different. I have three llamas...an intact male and two females. The group including the intact male is with my doe herd 24/7 with zero issues...absolutely none at all. If someone wants llamas for guarding, I would recommend a female and her cria. The momma llamas are usually extra protective.  You just have to make sure they're totally fine with the goats. Mine I trust 100% and have never had issues. But like I said, each livestock guardian is different...you have to treat each animal as an individual. One may work excellent...another may not. Take your time shopping for that right guard.

As for horses and donkeys standing and fighting the predator. Some will and some will not. They all have their own personality and aren't all going to act the same way.


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## goatygirl (Feb 16, 2013)

I would Segest a donkey There noise scares off Bears and other animals


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

llamas are interesting but I know nothing about them, why do you prefer them over the other livestock guardians?


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## ksevern (Dec 12, 2012)

I have three standard donkeys, all girls. They are very protective of the goats. A couple of weeks ago, two pygmies had two kids each and were housed in a big round pen in the pasture. The donks were all three laying down, curled around the pens and staring at the kids. They stood guard the first day.

Donkeys are not small horses. They eat the same things goats eat, if you are talking brush and grass. The thing to be careful of is rumensin, which can kill equines. My donks get maybe three cups of feed per week... and are in great condition. Don't overfeed a donkey! One good thing about them is that none of the neighbor dogs come on our property or harass the goats. We have looked for but have not found any dog or coyote tracks since the donkeys moved in.


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## serenityfarmnm (Jan 6, 2013)

Just curious where you live? 100+ heat will effect differant animals differently...


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

Karen, 
That is exactly the results I am looking for. But I would rather the mini donkeys than the standard size. I am all for the fact of not feeding the donkeys grain. I am not all that crazy about giving it to my goats. And when not in milk I give it more as a treat than feed. 

Serenity, 
I live in the most northwest corner of Mississippi. Memphis, TN is about 10 min. from our house. And Elvis's place is about 25 min. (Seems more people understand where I live when I mention Elvis.) We have plenty of shade trees for the goats. July and August is the months it can reach past 100, and it is a miserable heat when the humidity levels get way up. I am sure the goats love me for shaving them.


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## IrishRoots (Jan 7, 2013)

I live n southern middle TN and my mini donkey does fine


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

You know what those hot, humid, miserable summer days are like then. I would NOT trade them for snow any time.


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## tookaleapfarm (Jul 19, 2012)

We have a donkey as a livestock guardian. I adore Aggie, and she's been very effective, particularly since we have lots of coyotes in the area.

That said...

I would probably make a different decision if I had it to do over again.

First and most importantly: regardless of the type of guardian you choose, get an animal that has been trained as a livestock guardian, or start with a young animal that can be trained. I haven't heard of great success with animals of any type that get "converted" later in life. Aggie does not live directly with the goats, but rather in a paddock that abuts the goats' outdoor space. She can be a little aggressive with the goats when we're around -- she thinks that she's protecting us FROM THE GOATS. If we're not there, though, everything is happy and harmonious...I'm sure that we could have (or could still have) her directly with the goats, but the model we have works well without taking any chances.

Like you, we did not have previous experience with a donkey -- or any large animal -- prior to her arrival here. Dealing with a 600 pound critter that has very clear ideas of her own is a challenge and, if you don't know what you're doing, a potentially dangerous one. Even if you've worked with horses, donkeys are different in their attitudes and behaviors.

Donkeys also make a lot of noise...which I happen to like, but our neighbors aren't overly thrilled about (that's what you get when you live in the country, though). In addition to a vocal alarm (she was hollerin' at a fox after grouse the other day), she makes noise to greet us, when it's time to be fed, when the sun comes up, etc.

If the expensive or effort of a dog puts you off, I can assure you that a donkey will likely have similar or greater costs and care needs.

We have big coyotes around here. While I wouldn't worry about a mini-donkey being attacked and injured by a coyote, I don't know that I'd trust a mini to protect my herd. A standard, yes, and a dog...but not a mini. (And not all minis are sweet, believe me!)

Your mileage may vary, but I would probably choose an LGD if I redid the decision...of course, getting a dog now, with Aggie in residence, would be a challenge, and Aggie's here to stay!


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## banda (Sep 12, 2012)

Tookaleap, 
You have voiced all of my concerns here. Thank you. I will wait until the goats kid before making a final decision. And I think I will try to visit a few donkeys and see what they are like and maybe get some more information in regards to their upkeep and maintenance. Your thoughts here are certainly helpful as to what kind of Livestock guardian we need.


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## goat luver 101 (Jul 19, 2011)

I'd go with a mini Donkey. We have one and he is wonderful. He is very sweet and gentile with us, and is very protective of the goats. A coyote would not stand a chance against Mr. Socks
He can be very loud, but only when he knows he is going to be fed, or there is danger.
Taking care of a donkey is really easy. But they get really fat very easily. We only give him a cup of grain a day and free choice hay.
Good luck


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