# Donkey with goats



## goatgal96 (Jan 21, 2014)

What are your thoughts on putting a donkey with goats? I've heard conflicting stories. Some say it's been a helpful and some say the donkey has been dangerous to the goats


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Depends on the donkey.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

Yup, I've also heard it go both ways and that it depends on the donkey.


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## LooneyTickAcres (Nov 18, 2015)

Someone else recently posted about this, but I can't remember which section. I have two full sized horses, two mini horses and a mini donkey, who all run with the goats at times. My donkey does very well with my goats, but I took plenty of time to introduce them through the fence and to teach him that they weren't a threat. Now he loves my youngest goats and can often be seen napping with them. As everyone has said, it depends on the animals. I have had good luck with mine, but had a friend who's donkey tried to kill her goats and sheep.


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## scubacoz22 (Nov 27, 2013)

I had a donkey that was mean to my goats, he would pick them up not the skin behind their neck and throw them, he would a Leo poop in their feeder. I got rid of him because I was afraid he would kill one of my goats. The man that took him knew that he was being mean to my goats and the next thing I knew a friend of mine told me that he killed one of their goats.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I agree I think it depends on the donkey. My neighbor had one for years and kept with his cows, killed 3 dogs but then it also got it in its mind that it didn't like the moms and babies together. Not sure if it was because the babies were small or because it liked the babies and looked at mom as a threat.
If this is something your really looking into I would get one that's used to goats already or a real young one. If you find one that is 'goat friendly' make sure that is true, that they are in the same pen not just neighbors


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## scubacoz22 (Nov 27, 2013)

Get a female or a neutered male. It might be the hormones for them to be aggressive to the goats!


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

We rescued a large standard john to be a guard donkey for my Nigerian Dwarfs, and turns out he hates just about all other animals. He's really affectionate towards people, once we worked with him (he was abused), but whatever animal he meets he's going to fight to see who gets to be boss. Needless to say, my happy-go-lucky goats didn't understand this at all... We ended up building a fence within his fence so the goats live in a 'compound' with him circling the outside as a guard. (Maybe more work than he's worth, but I know no coyote is getting through now. ) Despite his rather anti-social nature when it comes to other animals, I've found him to be very sweet and pretty clever. I think a baby jenny raised with goats would make a great livestock guardian. 


I have a Lord of the Rings theme for my farm, so I named the donkey Gandalf (he's all white). Unfortunately, he ended up killing one of my goats - ironically, the whether named Frodo. I think my shire is just a little messed up.


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## scubacoz22 (Nov 27, 2013)

Don't put him in with any of your goats, the male donkeys are mean to them, I found out that they should be neutered or get a female. I had a John donkey and he was very abusive to my goats, I got rid of him before he killed one.


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