# Crash course in Donkeys



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

So donkey owners, I'm on the list for a donkey and they think the round up is either going on or will soon be going on.

The donkey I am getting is coming from a feral herd. They live on a large property and rather than shooting the donkeys the property manager has been assisting for a few years in catching them and then a local vets office adopts them out. They have captured and adopted out over 500 and still have a couple hundred to go to get the herd manageable. 

I am on the list for a young female. They cannot guarantee that it won't be pregnant. Most of the males left in the herd are castrated but he said the few that are left are very prolific.

The vet who runs this operation said that the care I give my goats would be almost exactly the same care I give a donkey, except to not feed them as much as I do the goats. And that he knows folks who have halter trained the donkeys with time and patience. 

I will need to put the donkey directly into the pen with the goats. The vet I talked to saw no issues with this, but I still have concerns. Obviously.

I have tamed down a feral goat with time, treats, and patience. Will this be similar? I'd like to get the donkey to the point that doing hooves won't require sedation (currently on older donkeys captured they do sedation because its kinder for the donkey during medical/hoof care).

Its a big step. I'm obviously nervous. If its 100% needed I can pen in a very very small area away from the goats (see but not kill) if it seems like its 100% needed. I just don't know how aggressive donkeys are in a new territory to other animals that are already established there. I know adding another animal to THEIR territory is asking for trouble. But the other way around? I'm clueless obviously. I could run a section of fence from my macaw aviary to Myras pen which would fence in a 13 feet by 30 foot section for a temp pen if needed and I could throw up something for a cover. Not ideal... And getting the donkey into it could be interesting. lol I'm hoping for a back up the trailer and open up the gate and woosh the donkey in type of situation.

Do I put a halter on its face? And if I do that does it stay on? How do you fit a halter if I need one? I'm guessing they don't do collars and leashes! lol :laugh:


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

From the very little I know of donkeys, we only had ours ( a miniature) for a short time, but I do know like horses, they aren't supposed to have a lot of alfalfa if any at all really. 


Dayna said:


> I will need to put the donkey directly into the pen with the goats. The vet I talked to saw no issues with this, but I still have concerns. Obviously.


 I would be extremely worried about this and would advise against it. Putting the donkey with the goats right away that is. Donkeys can have tempers and since you are getting a full grown-full size one, they could cause a lot of damage if they want.

Until you know what your particular donkeys personality is like, I would keep them separate. A look but no touching, set up would be best, especially since she will be feral and already uncomfortable being confined...she may take it out on the goats.

The reason why we rehomed the miniature donkey we inherited, was because he would chase after the goats. He would latch onto their backs and not let go.

Donkeys are a bit different that the other guardian animals. They will viciously protect their territory ... which can also include anything new, including goat kids. Something to also keep in mind for down the road. Like I mentioned, a lot of it is going to depend on what her personality is like.

I'm not an expert on them and I hope someone more experienced can chime in. This is all stuff that I somewhat remember reading when researching what guardian animal to go with and then of course what I experienced with the miniature one.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

The vet did mention kidding time can be dangerous as well as adding new adults to the herd.

I'm not sure what a full grown donkey size is but these guys max out at 300 pounds. And a youngster should be around the same size as my largest goat Poppy.


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## Olliehaven (Jan 25, 2016)

IMO if you want a donkey I would recommend getting one that is already socialized. I did the same as you, rescued an untrained, unhandled donkey. It was a very very steep learning curve. I have had horses my whole life and while they say that donkeys and horses are the same they are not. A donkey should only be fed grass hay, NO alfalfa. They get fat on air, ask me how I know  with my donkey it took me two weeks to even get into the same pen as him. It took another month to be able to touch him. Now a year later we are working on walking on a lead line and standing for the Farrier without sedation. He is still terrified to be brushed.
I am not trying to scare you, just know that donkeys are very smart and if something does not seem safe they will not do it no matter how hard you try and no matter how safe it really is. Read all you can about donkey health and how to train them. It is far different from training a horse


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I'm pretty sure 300 lbs is considered a "miniature" donkey here on the mainland.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I've never had a horse or really been around them, so I'm not coming into this from the horse angle. More of from goat experience.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

This is all really good information.  I do not have the option of getting a socialized donkey so I am going to move forward with getting a feral one, I just have to figure out how to go about it the best, safest way.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

That's a good thing really, they are nothing like horses in the least. 

I trained a feral BLM burro when I was 14 and another when I was 17. It's just a matter of of out stubborning them. Both the ones I trained were saddle broke and the first one learned to pull a cart.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

goathiker said:


> That's a good thing really, they are nothing like horses in the least.
> 
> I trained a feral BLM burro when I was 14 and another when I was 17. It's just a matter of of out stubborning them. Both the ones I trained were saddle broke and the first one learned to pull a cart.


Since I am an at home person I'm hoping that will help. I have all the time in the world. lol

Horses remind me a lot of sheep, and I LOVE sheep but I just don't speak their language. I try really hard with them but they are skittish.

Goats on the other hand, I can train them (even feral ones) to do pretty much anything I set my mind to.

So I'm hoping I can work with this donkey and get it at least somewhat socialized. Any tips on out stubborning one? Are they treat oriented at all?


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Oh and on a side note. My husband speaks "horse". The sheep love him, the neighbors horse loves him. The horse tolerates me but like the sheep, is not very touchy feely with me. My hubby however can walk right up to the horse or the sheep and they let him do whatever but the goats run from him unless he has treats. lol

So we obviously emit different types of "energy" or whatever its called. How we carry ourselves. I'm curious to see which one of us the donkey responds to.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

They are treat orientated once you earn their respect. That's a big one, trust comes with respect with them. 

When we picked the burro up at the transfer station, we put a heavy strong halter on him and strong 20 foot rope. That halter and rope stays on the burro until you can easily walk up to them, pet them, and brush them. The rope ensures that you can always catch him without chasing or having to trick him. Once you can brush them all over, you can start lifting the feet.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Good idea! I did that with a feral goat once and totally forgot about it. Well a collar and a rope. I'll grab a halter and a long thick lead.


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## Olliehaven (Jan 25, 2016)

As for out stubborning them.... you have have to be twice as stubborn. Never ever end on a bad note. Also donkeys and horses for that matter are all about reading body language. If you walk in there a show even the tiniest amounts fear, nervous, excitement they will pick up on that. If you are the kind of person who gets excited easily, like me. Stop before entering the pen and count to 20 or 30.. I still have to do a mental check before I work with my horse or donkey. I always count to 30 before entering thier paddock. It helps me bring a calmer energy around myself. And they really pick up on that. If you neighbor has a horse I would ask your neighbor if they could work with you and thier horse that way you can see how they react to your energy and you can learn to adjust accordingly. I think goats are the same in some aspects on reading body language and energy but I think horses and donkeys are much more sensitive.


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## ShireRidgeFarm (Sep 24, 2015)

We rescued a large standard john donkey, about 4 years ago now. (He was abused.) We made a HUGE mistake putting him with my goats right away - before he'd been there a week, he'd killed one of them. Since you're getting a jenny, that sort of thing should be less likely, but I would _seriously_ consider having a place for your new donkey away from your goats or other animals, just to be safe.

Donkeys love treats - I've used clicker training to teach our boy things, like putting on a halter or to touch a ball on a stick with his nose if I tell him to (not much so far, but it's a start  ) He is very clever and mischievous - I'm amazed at the way he can remember everything I've taught him. It took some time (years) to build up a trusting relationship with him, but it's paid off in the end.

I recommend reading "The Donkey Companion" by Sue Weaver - it's basically an owners manual for donkeys.  I learned _a lot _from it, and it has nearly anything you'd need to know, from biology, to holistic medicine, to teaching a donkey to ride and drive - you name it.

For a farrier, I would recommend getting (if you can) someone experienced with donkeys. Discipline tactics that get a horse to shape up make a donkey want to fight, and can lead to perceived abuse (likely what happened to our boy - for the first year he would run from anyone holding a stick.)


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I talked to a lady who does "natural" hoof care and owns donkeys. She's a certified/licensed farrier. So hopefully she works out.

So much reading, I'll add that book to my kindle list if its available!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

They look bigger than 300 pounds to me. haha

Here is some information about the feral donkeys the lady in the article, Bird, is my neighbor and will be doing transport for me.

http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.asp?MagazineID=&Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=995&Page=2

http://www.humanesociety.org/news/n..._hawaii.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

https://keolamagazine.com/kom/land/saving-the-kona-nightingale/


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

Black Jack was 620 lbs. and about 47 inches tall.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Oh my gosh thats a cute donkey!


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

He was the one I trained when I was 14. They decided he was around 6 to 8 years when he was captured in the Grand Canyon. When we drove into the pick up station, he was laying flat on his back with all 4 legs up in the air, right in the middle of the hay pile that was supposed to feed everyone. He had quite the personality. He taught every young child in the family how to ride. He was pretty close to 20 in that picture.

He had some differences from a donkey. His head was smaller, his mane laid down and was curly, he was thicker built.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Here is 3 of them from a roundup at my friend Birds farm (scroll all the way to the bottom of the article) they all look quite different so I'm not sure what I'm going to get!

http://malama-waikoloa-nightingales.blogspot.com/


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## Olliehaven (Jan 25, 2016)

Those look like standard donkeys to me.


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