# Thinking about getting a mini donkey



## zoey829 (Mar 2, 2008)

I have miniature horses. Would a mindonkey be ok with them. WOuld I have to worry about the donkeys kicking the miniature horses? Do they even kick? Would my stallion try to breed with a Jenny? I was hoping to get a Jenny in foal (or maybe 2 so they can be buddies).

What are the resistries? Or is thier just one?

What is the most popular color? Are they easy to train? Would they eat my 10% horse pellets?

Thanks so much for all your help. I would love to add a donkey to my farm.

Lea


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## Emily's mom (Mar 2, 2008)

I have a Jenny and a gelded Jack that live with a full size horse, but I'm sure that they get along fine with mini horses.

They do like at least one of their own kind....you can't have just one they are addictive





They seem to come in any color, I wanted one to have the "cross" and the other one it didn't matter, so they are grey and brown.

Mine are not registered.

Mine don't seem to kick much, only when one is keeping the other from HER food.

I do not have mini horses but I think he would try to breed a Jenny....

As for training....I haven't tried anything yet....

There are alot of experienced donkey lovers here, I am still new...once you get a donkey you will wonder what you ever did without one








Good Luck!!


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Mar 2, 2008)

I have my jenny's and gelded hinnies in with my miniature mares, and have never had any problems. In fact..I prefer to have them in the same [pasture, as mine are very good at keeping guard over the mini mares. They will always let me know when anything is out of the ordinary in THERE pasture. They have also kept a bear at bay, while he walked the fence line for days..they all acted 10 times there size and as soon as he came out of the woods and walked into our field the donkeys went running right up to the fence line and brayed up a storm. My jenny's have also been known to alert me of a pending birth..before my equipage ever went off. They have been right every time..mine are worth there weight in gold. BUT..dont ever buy a donkey with the sold purpose of having it as a guard animal only, some will and some wont. Also the small (under 34") would not stand a chance at protecting. My jenny's stand about 36", my jacks about 32"s, and all my hinnys about 30-32"s. None of mine kick, and you do need a farrier who has done donkey hooves, as a donks hooves are trimmed at a different angle then a horse. For registries there is the ADMS, IMDR, NMDA, all donkeys can be registered.. A stallion will breed a jenny, for a hinny foal, but it is hard to achieve this breeding, most will not accept a jenny...mules are much more common the hinny foals. Color is a personal choice..I have a blue eyed ivory 32" jack, and a gray jack 31", my jenny's are grays, with one being a rose. Color genetics can pretty much go flying when breeding for donkeys..meaning just because you breed two spotted together, does not mean you will get a spot. My Jenny's who are breed to my BEI will be ivory carriers, and those foals can go on to produce a ivory foal. Last, donkeys are very easy keepers and do just fine on a good quality hay, (unless nursing or other problems) they do not need grain. Too much grain, even a handful a day can result in a cresty neck. A few kernels is fine for a treat, or you can use crackers for treats as well. Donkeys are not trained the same as a horse..you need PATIENCE and more PATIENCE with a donkey, but a donkey is not a flight animal either, so when they get scared or something they will just stand there not knowing what to do..and a donkey will not do anything until he is 150% sure of doing it. A donkey has a remarkable memory and will not forget. Hope this has answered a lot of your questions..Once you have a donkey you will not know how you lived without one! Completely different then a horse. A lone donkey is just that..lonely, they might seem like they are doing fine with a horse companion, but you add another donkey and you will really see a differance in your donkey..Donkeys love companionship of there own kind. Corinne


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## zoey829 (Mar 2, 2008)

I was thinking about getting 2 jennys in foal. But my dilemma is after they foal, my stallion will try to breed them? Yikes that is not good. Or if I got a Jack would he fight with my stallion?

Ok here is the wierd ? How is thier poo? Is it like goats or horses. I hate goat poo.

What reg is the best? Is it like the mini horses with hardshipping?

So I dont have to worry about randon kicking?

So 10% pellet would work? But just alittle bit? Do they founder?Thanks


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## Reijel's Mom (Mar 2, 2008)

Yes, stallions may well breed a female donkey, that is how you get a mule



!


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## Shari (Mar 2, 2008)

More often than not.... you can't keep an Jack and stallion together.

My Jenny Ella...lives with my horses and is the only donkey but she was also raised with miniature horses from birth. Think it does make a difference.

Registry papers do not mean it is a good Donkey. I bought Ella with a known pedigree but unregistered.

It just depends on what you want.

Now have her registered in two Registries which wasn't hard to do.

I do not recommend getting or using an A or B sized Donkey to guard. They can and will get hurt like any of your other creatures. Look at what happened to Ella with a Bobcat.

Donkey manure is like horse manure....great for the garden.

Kicking..depends on the donkey and horse...each is different.

Yes, they can founder just like other equines. They do not need rich feed. Just good quality grass hay and vitamins.

They are different to train than most horses. Donkeys tend to have to think about things more and do not like to be rushed.


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## zoey829 (Mar 3, 2008)

Thanks for all the great advice. I would like to get 2 jenny's in foal. I would have to keep her from my stallion afterwards, unless I find a stud to just use.


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Mar 3, 2008)

Shari, How is Ella doing? That was a close call you had. I dont believe it does make a differance if a donkey is raised with horse as far as they own type of companionship is concerned. I have seen it so MANY times where there is a lone donkey with a horse or a few horses..and the owner has told me the donkey is so happy and content, because they have always been together. However, when another donkey finally comes into the picture..they see a complete change in the donkey, and then they come back and tell me how they THOUGHT there donkey was always so happy. Donkeys are herd animals, and prefer to be with there own kind. I had only one donkey for the first year also, she hung out with the horses all the time..until a second came to live in her pasture..those two became inseperable! Now, my donkeys are in with 24 mini horses, the horses hang out together and the donkeys hang out together. Where one is the rest are close by. My hinnies seem to be content hanging out with the donkeys or my old arabian, who is 35 yrs old and my babysitter to the minis.

Most donkeys will bray at the sight of something not right in there pastures, or if strangers come into the pastures..even if a donkey just brays ..that alone will help alot of times to keep predators out. But common sense should be used also, and you also need good fencing. I have 48" tall ranch fencing (4x4squares) and my main pasture is cattle panels (that has small squares at the bottom, and graduates to about a 3x4" sq) I also have a 1" wide electrical tape both inside and on the outside of the fence about 20"s up from the ground, plus I have florescent pink about 8" ties throughout the whole fence area. In the middle and on top. This was suggested to use from the DNR thenselves. Another thing..I dont let the horses out in the back half of there pasture at night, ours would run along a wooded area, which I have seen bears, and coyotes in ..they all are brought up to the barn area, there I have a night vision camera with split screens and a farm light, I also keep a radio going in summer in the barn itself, but it can be heard for a long distance outside. I live in a area with alot of predators, and we all do what we can to protect our animals, but even with everything we try to do..no one can ever be 100% safe from predators. Look at what happened to Tony (Little America) What kind of fencing set up do you have? I woudl not be without my donkeys for guarding, but like I siad above not all donkeys do guard, especially the small ones, which I do think your Ella is correct? The night that happened did you hear any kind of braying out of her or anything out of the ordinary?? Was she is a wooded area? and last...registrations do not mean it is a good donkey...but they can help. Lets say for example, my foals this year ,will be ivory carriers on there reg. it will show the foals sire as a BEI..even tho that foal could be a solid gray, without the registration and just seeing a gray foal you would not have any way of knowing that the foal is a ivory carrier. But, I do agree..it dont make the donkey any better of a donkey, and it is a open registry.


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## zoey829 (Mar 3, 2008)

Thanks for all the help.

OK Fencing- I have wood in the front and 5 strends of electric and welded wire around the entire back acreage of the property. Is that not enough?


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Mar 3, 2008)

Your fencing sounds fine. Do you mean you have 5 strands of electric along with the wire...or just 5 strands of electric wire? Electric wire will not keep predators out..but nothing is 100% predator safe. All we can do is try our best. Do you live in a area with predators being a problem to? If you do the only thing I could suggest is where your wood is..I would try to enclose it with some of your welded wire fencing, to keep dogs, strays, and some predators out. Predators seem to be a main concern for all animal owners. The only other things the DNR has been suggesting and also putting up where there have been attacks in our area...is florescent strips of ribbons tied all over the fence. I bought mine in rolls, at TS was very inexpensive, (mine is called #17003 Pink Glo flag 1 3/16" x 150') I think I paid around $2-3.00 a roll. From my understanding..when this flops around ..it scares off strays. Another good idea is lights and a radio (but I do believe they eventually do get use to the radio sound...lol) Cant wait to see a pic of the donkey your thinking about. You'll see for yourself how lovable gentle they really are.


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## Shari (Mar 3, 2008)

Ella is doing OK. Should be able to take the stitches out soon, Thank goodness.

For Ella being the only donkey... the Neighbors up the road have a Jenny..little taller than Ella. We have brought that Donkey over for a day. Ella did not want anything to do with her. Could of been just that Donkey, I do not know. She hid and stayed behind Dyfra the whole day.

They were willing to leave their donkey here if it worked out. Ella can hear ther other one Bray but she never answers back.

She loves Dyfra though....very much has bonded with her and I.

Really just depends on the Donkey.

Ella doesn't bray when there is a strange animals in the pasture. Wish she did but she doesn't,never has.

She will bray at people sometimes... always talks to me, though. She wants me to brush her or feed her treats.

She is not a brave donkey... rather a scaredie cat. Remember when the Elk came.... and she stood there and had the runs? <LOL>

I have been looking off and on for a well trained, lots of real riding miles, smooth gaited, stout, been there done, that small riding Jenny but yet to find one local.

Even when I finally find one... I do not put much hope on Ella bonding with her.

As for predators around here... lots of folks have donkeys,, all sizes and they get killed just like any other livvestock. Braying doesn't seem to do much.

I just got very lucky... because my spooky doesn't miss a thing Icelandic busted down the gate and brought Ella to my back door.

Now..at the old farm...did not have this kind of wild predator problems...just packs of dogs.


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Mar 3, 2008)

Shari, what kind of fencing do you have? Also, just wanted to add..it will take more then a day for Ella to get use to another donkey, mine took a few weeks..but now they are inseperable. Ella has no one else to bond to of her own kind, so she has accepted you and Dyfra,.really, if you did get another you would see a differance in her. When I brought my last rescue donkey home, Clementine..she was terified of humas ..she had been beaten, and abused very VERY bad..she was starved, had hooves that wrapped around, and on top of all of that...she was BRED, by a jack who the owners shot right in front of her, because he tried to grab some hay!!! (you really dont know what I would of liked to do to the owner...really you dont!!!..but you can use your imagination to its fullest.) I kept her in drylot area by herself with her foal, and 5 yearlings.. for almost 1 year, just letting her get use to humans and some loving kindness, along with good feed. .then I let her in with the others, she was the happiest donkey out, and it made me cry just to see it! I hope you do find your riding mule. I have a good site, that has alot of riding mules, and donkeys for sale on it, all over the US. its rural heritage..


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## zoey829 (Mar 3, 2008)

I have 5 wires plu the welded behind it. Know on wood we are good with preditors. I am so scared though after reading these threads.


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## Shari (Mar 3, 2008)

Mostly it is Woven Field fence with hot wire...only is about 5 1/2' tall. One part is just 5 strans of hot wire between 4 1/2' and 5 1/2' tall. Bobcats can clear that in a heart beat..so can Cougar.

The New and improved fence will be 7' tall on the horse/donkey side...with the downhill on the outside/predator side they would have to clear 9' fence. That should keep those out. Have a predator rated Charger that is working fine. Will also hot wire the new fence.

I have been looking for a riding Donkey But at this point it has to be within an 1 1/2 hours from me and that is pushing my body a bit much. Good gentle, steady, super smooth gaited, high mileage, well trained, Stout/wide bodied, around 13.3 hand tall Jenny's in this area is super rare.

I know someone that has the perfect one....but she isn't selling!

See them for sale all the time in the Mid west and areas of the East coast but not here. Having seen a lot of horses when I was shoping in the past and all the no so honest things sellers said.. I do not trust to buy one site unseen. Can't take a chance with my body like that.

The two Donkey Classified sites, Lucky 3 Ranch, Dreamhorse and so on....watching them all.





Sorry to hijack your thread Zoey.


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## h2t99 (Mar 3, 2008)

I just wanted to add that not all stallions will breed a donkey!! Mine has nothing to do with them, and they can be in flaming heat right in front of him. My jack will breed anything!! So it just depends on the stallion!!


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