# When to wean a mini donkey colt?



## CadesLilFarm

We have a mini donkey colt that was born June 23 and we don't know when to wean him. When do we wean him? We don't really know where to put him once he is being weaned. Can we put him in with our goats and LGD? The big question is WHEN to wean? That's all I need to know! 

Thanks! Cade,


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## G. Seddon

Best to leave him with his mother another few months (I used to wean our foals at 6-7 months); your little guy isn't even 4 months old yet. You could put him with the goats and LGD *if he is used to them*. You're planning to have him gelded?


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## CadesLilFarm

Yes we are planning on having him gelded if someone doesn't want to buy him intact. What do you mean by used to the goats? He is their next gate neighbor. Haha. He sees them every day and should be used to them.


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## Maura

The absolute minimum age is 4 months old, but I think that is too young. The mother will start to wean him soon, but he still needs her care and guidance. He also needs to be with the herd because mothers tend to spoil their babies. I have one donkey that was sold to me at four months, was only with her mother. I have another that was with the herd and was sold to me at seven months. The second one is by far easier to handle and train.


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## Minelson

I didn't wean mine. I left her with the mother and she weaned her herself. It took about 8 months or so.


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## G. Seddon

What I did was this: jennets and foals were kept together in a group; when I weaned foals, I took the mothers out of that pasture so that the foals' environment didn't change, but I left a an older jennet or two with the foals so they had some "adult supervision." This was far less stressful on the foals.

"Used to the goats" means the foal should know them and be accustomed to their presence. Foals should not have to compete for hay, etc. Also, depending on the goats, be aware that a donkey jack can and will, when old enough, kill a goat.

Not sure where you are, but the donkey market is not terribly strong; a gelding is more assured of a good home than a jack. Unless this is a top of the line potential breeding jack, registered, etc., and you have someone who wants him, I would geld.


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## goodhors

You should check on gelding him SOON. Get it over before he is weaned, still getting some nutrition from his dam. And done BEFORE cold weather sets in. Our old Vet refuses to geld once it gets below freezing at night. Says it is too hard on them, more likely to have problems, get sick with gelding and cold temps added to stress of the procedure. If done now, you won't have any problems as he gets older towards Spring, or if you put them back together.

Make the weaning a long, gradual procedure. Get him used to being alone for SHORT times as you lead him while mom is stalled or tied up. Groom him, load him in and out of the trailer so he is easy doing it. Then teach him to stay quiet in the stall, while mom is worked on. She can be right there to be brushed, just not let him be able to run to her. Make his containment location SAFE and SOLID, so he can't jump over or thru anything if he has a tantrum. Foals will do amazing things when angry.

You keep working at longer times apart, not being excited or screaming for each other as he gets older. Add that extra minute or two each session, keeping him quiet and willing to behave. You finally work up to bringing one or the other in from the pasture, while the other can see, spend time apart without anxiety. Then add in a couple minutes of not-seeing as you walk in and back out of the stall. Then extend time apart, out of view, still not letting them be anxious. 

We do that with our colts, moving up to being fed in stalls beside each other, until one night we just never put them back together. We do have other horses colt is used to being with and around, so mom being gone isn't an issue much by that time. He can still see her, talk to her, nose her thru the stall window, no panic happens because he has been worked with so much.

However, we find that being apart means at least a YEAR to get them to quit trying to nurse!! Quiet, gentle moms will not usually refuse to let their foal nurse, even MONTHS later. The mare WILL come back into milk with the nursing stimulation, have to be dried up again.

So getting the foal sold before your goats hate him, or he turns into a demon chasing them around, should be considered. Perhaps some other local donkey folks would keep 
him for a while, let you keep one of theirs as a trade.

If colt is bigger than goats, he will probably turn into a terror for the goats. He is young, needs to run and play, needs bigger equines to do that with. With teeth and hooves, the goats probably won't be able to protect themselves.

We had a pony and filly once, who would NOT quit nursing her dam. Even after being gone 6 months, filly ran right to dam, started nursing though she towered over the mare by then! Sounds terrible, but I had to put nails in the halter noseband, to poke the mare who THEN refused to let filly nurse, kicked at her. Nails were ground down blunt, but still had a poke with about an inch of length thru the noseband. Halter nose was double layered, held the big flat heads in place, they couldn't fall out. Calves have those blab shields you can hang in their noses for weaning, but not horses. I hated doing it, but filly was DETERMINED to nurse even at her age and no other place to put her except in with dam.

I would agree, 6-7 months old to wean is a good age. Really not getting much nutrition from dam, but being well socialized is also VERY important. So I think the extra time is worth it to good mental health. With that early gelding, if possible, you won't worry about getting him trying to breed her later. We have gelded very young, as soon as his testes drop, no ill effects. Never got into "stallion play" or that attitude with the young gelding age. But do it fast if you can, cold is coming.


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## CadesLilFarm

G. Seddon said:


> What I did was this: jennets and foals were kept together in a group; when I weaned foals, I took the mothers out of that pasture so that the foals' environment didn't change, but I left a an older jennet or two with the foals so they had some "adult supervision." This was far less stressful on the foals.
> 
> "Used to the goats" means the foal should know them and be accustomed to their presence. Foals should not have to compete for hay, etc. Also, depending on the goats, be aware that a donkey jack can and will, when old enough, kill a goat.
> 
> Not sure where you are, but the donkey market is not terribly strong; a gelding is more assured of a good home than a jack. Unless this is a top of the line potential breeding jack, registered, etc., and you have someone who wants him, I would geld.




We only have 2 adult donkeys. Momma, her buddy and baby. So we can't put him in with older jennies. I don't know what to do.


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