# Donkey for protection



## gwith (Aug 12, 2014)

I have 4 donkeys that I use for protection of my goats. Two of them are female and two are fixed males. They are all in different pastures that do not touch each other. I was wondering what everyone thought about a fixed male donkey for protection.


The reason I ask, is that before they were fixed, the older one would periodically chase the goats and go crazy. I figured it was when the females went in heat. I had them both fixed about 5 months ago. They have been good until yesterday. Both were chasing goats. The younger one didn't really look like he know what he was doing, but the older one looked like he was going to kill or do something else to the goats. I don't know if I can ever trust them again. The vet said once I fixed them, they wouldn't be crazy anymore. 

The females are good unless you drive by without feeding them. They get mad sometimes. 

I have lots of coyotes.


----------



## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

If they were previously used as breeders, you may have a problem. Also not all donkeys work as guards. I don't know if having the females very far away would help.


----------



## Amber21 (Feb 20, 2015)

I am unsure about this, fixing them should've calmed them but sometimes they are out for blood. We had a male and he moment we set him out there, he chased, kicked, and began picking up our goats by the back of the neck and throwing them down! It was a nightmare and he had to go. I was just lucky he went ahead and did that in front of us so we knew right away.


----------



## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Amber21 said:


> I am unsure about this, fixing them should've calmed them but sometimes they are out for blood. We had a male and he moment we set him out there, he chased, kicked, and began picking up our goats by the back of the neck and throwing them down! It was a nightmare and he had to go. I was just lucky he went ahead and did that in front of us so we knew right away.


 We had the same problem when he had had a donkey with the goats, he was a miniature though, not sure if that made a difference but he would latch onto the goats back and drag them around.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I agree with Karen...not all donkeys are made to be guard....


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

If they've been fine with the goats for the last five months, then it sounds like they're doing it out of boredom and making a game of it. The only thing I can think of to help is to create a barrier of some sort where the goats can get through, but the donkey can't. Maybe a fenced corner with the fencing a couple feet off the ground so the goats can run under to the other side if the donkeys acting like that. Kind of like how a creep feeder works for kids. If this continues though and the goats are in danger, I would separate him all together. They also might do better with a donkey buddy in their pen to play around with instead of the goats.


----------



## cmany (Apr 22, 2012)

The only time I have seen something like that with my donkey...is when my buck goes all wonky (playing)...and I swear he chases the does to give the buck something else to chase...if that doesn't work, he does get really annoyed, the girls head to the big stall...then he struts around and freaks out until I calm him...while the buck is still wonky running around.

Are they stomping at them with their front feet? Mine has done that only a couple of times when the goats get too persistent in having what he has...

Or could there have been something that had them on high alert? A couple of years ago, I noticed that if the goats don't "listen" when he wants them in a safe place, he will chase more aggressively...

We were doing work with a skidsteer in the pasture, and one of the does, had just been taken from her babies, and would not leave the baby pen, and that was where we were working...He wanted her out of there...and she wouldn't - and it got him very upset...I had to go get her and he escorted us down to the stall..

I've seen with cattle in the next field too...that were hidden behind brush and he couldn't tell what was there...and one doe just wanted to eat...so he more aggressively insisted that she go to the stall....

IDK just trying to throw so ideas out there...

I've even had 2 does gang up on him, head butting him in the sides when he wouldn't let them have hay...

But I have weird animals...now he has to watch his back with my yearling steer...who loves to mount him...


----------



## gwith (Aug 12, 2014)

I honestly think the older donkey was trying to have his way with the goats and the younger one saw that something was going on and was copying. It may have been that one of the female donkeys were in heat. I separated the older male when I made this post and he has been in a pen all by himself since. The younger one is with some of my cheaper does now and he hasn't caused any more trouble that I have seen.

I have seen them try to stomp when a new goat in introduced, but this looked like he was chasing and when he caught them it looked like he was trying to pull them apart. My son said he grabbed one by the neck and stepped on it with his foot and was pulling.


----------

