# Donkey problems



## April (Nov 28, 2006)

I'm having a severe problem with a gelded donkey and wondered if you all could help me. We got him as an alternative to guard dogs to help keep the coyotes away. He does very well at that, but then he killed a goat - although that goat was a total butthead and probably started it. Now he's taken to chasing my milk cows. They are covered in bite marks and exhausted. 

I've segregated him, but he's in a tiny tiny corner of a pasture that won't sustain him, and being alone and cooped up is no kind of life. That's the only place I have to keep him that doesn't have other animals. I'm scared to trust him with any other critters at all now.

Although he is sweet as pie to me, I don't dare sell him or give him away for fear he'll hurt someone. Is there any behavior modification that I can do, or is "putting him down" the only option? 

Thanks for any insight you may have!

-April


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Some donkeys don't work out as pasture guardians, but are perfectly fine in other situations. 

I would sell him with full disclosure of why and his behaviors with the other animals


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I agree not all donkeys can be guard ones. Some just don't work that way.


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## longhorngal (Aug 4, 2005)

I just rehomed one that chased my goats and picked up my mini horse by his neck! Other than that he was very sweet and ridable. I rehomed him to a family that is thrilled with him and knows his history. He's spoiled to death and having a great time (they are fellow farmers market vendors and keep me updated).

I would try to rehome him if it were me.


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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

I wouldnt keep a donkey with goats...most other than Jennys work well with goats. For a alternative guard animal get a Llama...they do very well with goats and cattle. I have 1 in with my goats and another out with the cows...all is well. Yep rehome him and tell them why...


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

Interesting thing about donkeys is that changing owners can really help their dispositions. Dont know why.

I was given a donkey who could not be kept in a fence. I strung a piece of rope between posts till we could get wire up. He NEVER got out. Fantastic donkey he was.

I had a jenny for about 7ish years who suddenly started killing chickens and a cat. We had a toddler and other youngster who played everyday with the donkey or out in their pasture so we thought we had better not take a chance on that jenny with her abrupt turn to killing things. We took her to a friends who have a canyon where they put animals down. The guy that worked at this ranch took a liking to this donkey and re-homed her. She hasn't killed anything since. Weird

I would re-home to somebody who KNOWS donkeys.

Donkeys are kinda like kids who get short fused and bored if not worked.

Donkeys naturally dont like smaller animals. Its just the way they are wired.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I don't intend to sound mean but these threads frustrate me terribly because it's fairly well documented that they don't always make terrific guard animals. They guard territory not flocks and do have a tendency to try and kill anything new that comes into the flock so most people don't realize they made a bad decision until babies arrive. Rogo is our long ear expert and she claims that the only way to be sure that you'll get a good guard donk is to buy from someone specifically breeding guard animals and otherwise they may or may not adapt to guarding. 

If he's pleasant and good with people, you can probably sell or rehome him but you would have to be very clear to a new owner that he's not good with smaller animals.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Yep, what wr said! Most I know have got their guard donkeys from donkey livestock guardian breeders. When weaned, the donkeys are put with stock to grow up with them, so they're used to them. 

You take your chances with any ol' donk, altho some folks get lucky. It's just not the norm. Same with livestock guardian dogs.

Your donk may make a great riding critter or hitched to a cart, a great driving critter. I'd try to rehome him to someone who has some knowledge about the donks. Putting him down would be my last choice. Good luck with your decision.


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## April (Nov 28, 2006)

I appreciate the admonition. The folks I got him from told me he'd been guarding their goats and doing well. Guess I took that bait nicely. I hadn't seen any documentation about them not doing well as guards.
Thanks all.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

April, I'm sorry I sounded harsh in my first response but quite honestly, this seems to be an ongoing problem. 

The problem is that donks guard territory rather than flocks so you can end up buying one that was great with the animals that were in the previous territory but that doesn't mean they'll accept a new flock in a new territory. Quite often, they'll accept the flock as it is but as soon as babies show up, they view them as predators or as infringing on their territory and want to kill them. 

If your little guy has a good disposition and gets along well with humans, you should be able to find him a good home but please make sure the new owners sign an agreement that they fully understand that he does not play well with smaller animals.


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## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

I read somewhere donkeys are the most dangerous farm animal, just above dairy bulls, has anyone else heard that? I think maybe that could be skewed if it is based on incidents, as if you talk worldwide there are probably alot of donkeys on farms


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Dangerous? I brought mine in to watch TV with me.










And this one I never had him gelded till he was 6 years old after I decided to sell him. I bought him when he was 6 months old.
Dangerous?
Well ANY animal that is a breeding one IS dangerous. You just keep an eye on them. And if walking away you MAKE sure you still keep a eye on them. But they are not any more dangerous then any breeding one.









And I also would bring this one in the house. And after I sold him, the guy that bought him, also would bring him in the house at times. LOL


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## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

cute...I just read that somewhere, and wondered if that was true....


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

farmgirl6 said:


> cute...I just read that somewhere, and wondered if that was true....


Here is one saying "Hi".
Pic taken with a web cam.









This is the bottom one in the post above at 6 months old.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

arabian knight, I'm not sure that your donkey is a typical example of how they are trained throughout the world but beyond that, I would suggest that it would depend on how someone was defining dangerous. The only statistics I could quickly find indicate that in the US and UK, the most dangerous are also the most common and would be, cattle, horses, goats, sheep and then pigs. 

If you were to consider the harm to other animals, including predators, that might change by quite a bit.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

The standard donkey is used for guarding livestock. The mini donk is prey and the Mammoth donk I'm told doesn't work out well.

I've seen some great guard donkeys. Only one is used for guarding so they won't bond to each other. But on large acreages I've seen 2 used. One donk stayed with the herd of goats and the other donk worked the perimeter. A coyote showed up. The donk with the goats pushed the herd to a safe area. The donk working the perimeter took care of the coyote. 

I got a Mammoth donkey (largest of the donkeys) as a baby to grow up and be the sire of the mules I was going to raise. He grew up to be 14.3 hands. I started riding him when he was 3 years old and also started breeding him at that age to the broodmare band I had built up. He also bred outside mares. (I did hand breeding.) Many times when a mare was picked up the owner wanted to go riding. They'd saddle their mare, I'd saddle the Mammoth and off we'd go.

I rode him with friends, I rode him with groups, went camping with different saddle clubs for several days, and I rode him in tons of parades. Even was asked to lead a group of 10 mules in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The Mammoth was 4 years old and it was his 36th parade. He did nothing wrong. Could ride next to a mare or stud with no problems.

I've also had standard and mini donkeys, for riding/driving, not guarding. Dogs do that here!


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## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

wr said:


> arabian knight, I'm not sure that your donkey is a typical example of how they are trained throughout the world but beyond that, I would suggest that it would depend on how someone was defining dangerous. The only statistics I could quickly find indicate that in the US and UK, the most dangerous are also the most common and would be, cattle, horses, goats, sheep and then pigs.
> 
> If you were to consider the harm to other animals, including predators, that might change by quite a bit.


yeah, I couldn't find it again either about donkeys, ran across that when I was looking at info about Jersey Bulls, but thinking it might be anold wives tale! they are cute....


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## beaniweeni (Oct 11, 2010)

I have a wonderful guy named Diego, but he stomped my baby doeling to death and tried to kill another adult doe. Of course, they got in his pen with him. I was very sad but realize they cannot be together.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== the most dangerous are also the most common and would be, cattle, horses, goats, sheep and then pigs. ===


Quite a bit depends who's handling them. I rode and drove my steer for years. I ride/drive my horses/mules/donkeys. I've seen goats and sheep hitched to carts and driving.

I drove my Hampshire hog. I raise pigs and he's the only one NOT to go into the freezer; too talented! )

A fella in Colorado finds doctoring his cattle much easier when he rides his bull in than when he rides his horse in. The calves don't scatter. He doesn't have to throw his rope; he just places it over the calves head. The bull holds the calves like a good quarter horse would. 

At one of the parades I did, there was a group of about 25 folks all riding saddled Longhorn steers.

Like I said, just depends.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Rogo, the statistics were based on ER visits and nothing more but I've always found that if you work with livestock and remain aware that they are livestock, a guy can usually avoid injury.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

=== a guy can usually avoid injury. ===


Yep, so can us gals!! LOL


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