Livestock Guardians: the Donkey

If you acquire a well-suited donkey and introduce it to your system at a young age, you can expect a prolonged and effective guardianship throughout its life, even into its old age. It’s important to note that donkeys can remain valuable for an extended period. However, when considering integrating a donkey with sheep or goats, some specific considerations are essential. For instance, it’s advisable to avoid intact male donkeys, as they may attempt to breed your goats or sheep. Moreover, the scent of blood during the birthing process can agitate donkeys, occasionally leading to accidents where they might harm the newborn or the mother. This concern is not as significant with female donkeys.

Pros and Cons of Donkeys

Pros:

Longevity: Donkeys are known for their remarkable longevity, often living over 20 years and, in some cases, up to 30 years. A well-chosen and well-trained donkey can provide extended service as a guardian.
Low Maintenance: Donkeys are easy to maintain in terms of their diet. They typically eat the same forage available in your farm, making them cost-effective, especially when paired with goats or sheep that graze on pasture.
Minimal Veterinary Care: Donkeys generally do not require routine vaccinations. A Coggins test may be necessary if you intend to sell the donkey. This translates to fewer veterinarian visits and reduced healthcare costs.
Adaptability: Donkeys are highly adaptable animals. They can be easily moved from one pasture to another, as they tend to follow instructions well and adapt to new environments with minimal effort.

Cons:

Stubborn Nature: Donkeys are known for their stubbornness and strong-willed character. Once they form a particular behavior or habit, it can be challenging to correct.

In conclusion, donkeys offer several advantages, including their longevity, low maintenance, minimal veterinary requirements, and adaptability. However, it’s crucial to consider their temperament and potential issues when integrating them with other animals, particularly during the birthing process. Proper training and care can help mitigate any challenges associated with these animals’ strong-willed nature.

Sequence from	Sequence to	Description
00:00	01:17	Donkeys are both good and bad first off donkeys are very long-lived you know you can have a good quality donkey that lives over 20 years and up to 30 years old. If you find a good donkey that works well for your system especially if you got it young and trained it to your system you're going to have a long life expectancy and a still useful guardianship from a donkey once it's a full-grown mature donkey even into its old age it's still going be a pretty effective donkey and Guardian.
01:18	02:21	If you are trying to group a donkey with sheep or goats the main issue is you don't want an intact male donkey because there's the chance that he will try and breed your goats or sheep but mainly for some reason the smell of blood when the sheep or goats give birth gets them super upset and in some cases they will stomp the newborn and or the mother to death. A Jenny on the other hand or female donkeys don't have those issues they kind of understand what's going on and so they are more forgiving so they understand they're pretty good with it.
02:22	03:40	Depending on your farming system they eat the exact same thing that you're having on guard in your farm. So if they're pairing them up with goats or sheep which eat all pasture it is easier and cheaper because the donkeys eat 100% pasture.
03:41	05:01	There are two ways you can go about the hooves either trimming them regularly or not trimming at all one of the things you have to look at is how much protein is in your pastures if it's a very protein-rich pasture with a lot of clover they might need some hoof attention because high protein makes hair and nails grow faster and denser. If it is low protein pasture and if the bulk of their intake is coming from the pasture well then there would be less need for trimming also if you have a lot of rocks and stuff in the terrain well they might be trimming it up their own self or maybe they have to travel across the road to get pasture might be kind of self-medicating.
05:02	06:32	Donkeys do not need any shots, you only have to do a Coggins test in case you want to sell the donkey which means there are fewer vet visits. They are easily adaptable, when you want to move them from pasture to pasture just open up the gates and they almost know what to do without even having to push them hard, just let them go at their own pace.
06:33	07:56	Donkeys can have a bit of an attitude and it's harder to correct them the donkeys are very hard-headed so once they get something stuck in their brain they're pretty much done for. Also, they're very resilient animals, durable, and of different sizes you can get a mammoth Jack or you can get a Mediterranean, or almost anything in between as you would prefer.

Sequence from

Sequence to

Description

00:00

01:17

Donkeys are both good and bad first off donkeys are very long-lived you know you can have a good quality donkey that lives over 20 years and up to 30 years old. If you find a good donkey that works well for your system especially if you got it young and trained it to your system you're going to have a long life expectancy and a still useful guardianship from a donkey once it's a full-grown mature donkey even into its old age it's still going be a pretty effective donkey and Guardian.

01:18

02:21

If you are trying to group a donkey with sheep or goats the main issue is you don't want an intact male donkey because there's the chance that he will try and breed your goats or sheep but mainly for some reason the smell of blood when the sheep or goats give birth gets them super upset and in some cases they will stomp the newborn and or the mother to death. A Jenny on the other hand or female donkeys don't have those issues they kind of understand what's going on and so they are more forgiving so they understand they're pretty good with it.

02:22

03:40

Depending on your farming system they eat the exact same thing that you're having on guard in your farm. So if they're pairing them up with goats or sheep which eat all pasture it is easier and cheaper because the donkeys eat 100% pasture.

03:41

05:01

There are two ways you can go about the hooves either trimming them regularly or not trimming at all one of the things you have to look at is how much protein is in your pastures if it's a very protein-rich pasture with a lot of clover they might need some hoof attention because high protein makes hair and nails grow faster and denser. If it is low protein pasture and if the bulk of their intake is coming from the pasture well then there would be less need for trimming also if you have a lot of rocks and stuff in the terrain well they might be trimming it up their own self or maybe they have to travel across the road to get pasture might be kind of self-medicating.

05:02

06:32

Donkeys do not need any shots, you only have to do a Coggins test in case you want to sell the donkey which means there are fewer vet visits. They are easily adaptable, when you want to move them from pasture to pasture just open up the gates and they almost know what to do without even having to push them hard, just let them go at their own pace.

06:33

07:56

Donkeys can have a bit of an attitude and it's harder to correct them the donkeys are very hard-headed so once they get something stuck in their brain they're pretty much done for. Also, they're very resilient animals, durable, and of different sizes you can get a mammoth Jack or you can get a Mediterranean, or almost anything in between as you would prefer.

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Livestock Guardians: the Donkey

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