Donkeys are livestock guardians

This is wrong! Very few donkeys make great livestock guardians. Please get a livestock guarding dog to protect your livestock. Donkeys will guard the animals they are bonded to if they are big enough. A miniature donkey is too small to guard anything. Domesticated dogs can kill a miniature donkey. Donkeys bond for life to their own species. If a donkey is placed with a flock of sheep that it does not know, the donkey may grab the neck of a sheep and kill it. This is not a bad donkey; it is simply donkey behavior. Donkeys do best when they get to live with another donkey. Donkeys will kill newborn baby cows, sheep, and goats, pigs, etc., so it’s best to keep the babies away from donkeys. Donkeys grab the neck of another donkey in play and in battle, play tug with a ball, sleep, drink, and eat together, basically bookends. Dogs: Most donkeys do not like dogs; they resemble wolves and coyotes. We have hot wire fences to keep our donkeys in and the dogs out. Sadly, farmers end up burying the donkey, reselling, or giving away a donkey that has not performed the job as livestock guarding to their satisfaction.

Donkey Diet & Care

Donkeys evolved in the desert. Donkeys need a serious diet and cannot eat all day and night on pasture or brush. Most livestock is fed an extremely rich diet full of grains and lush pasture. Donkeys fed rich food or overfed grass or brush will develop insulin resistance, white line disease, body fat deposits, a fat neck that can break over, hoof abscesses, and laminitis. Hoof abscesses are common with a rich diet, the liver fails, and soon the donkey dies a painfully slow death. Donkeys are stoic and will never show pain until it is too late.

Hay and all forage must be tested to come in at 10% or lower in sugar and protein, along with portion control, as donkeys gain weight quickly. Donkeys need shelter, clean water, warmth in freezing climates, and salt. Donkeys do not do well standing in the rain without shelter because of their thick fur. Some donkeys need a blanket because they can’t tolerate the freezing temperatures; this blanket needs to be checked and changed. Donkeys need their hooves trimmed, vet care, teeth cleaned, shots, and a fecal sample before worming in spring and summer.

Donkeys need strong fences and locks, as they can watch you do something and repeat the task.

Donkeys Are Intelligent, Not Stubborn

Donkeys are not flight animals like horses; most donkeys do not react to physical force to do a task. Donkeys push into pressure. Donkeys can freeze when scared or fight back. Please take the time to learn donkey behavior and personality. Extroverts bray and have more go than whoa; introverts do not bray and have more whoa than go. I teach about this in the Donkey 102 video-on-demand. Donkeys need to see a reason for everything they do. Since donkeys evolved in the desert, they learned how to survive with their mind, as they do not have the speed of a horse to outrun a predator. Donkeys are deep thinkers and game players. I call this ON DONKEY TIME ®. The donkey will never do anything that can hurt the donkey. Self-preservation is number one for a donkey. Donkey’s ears back can mean anger, thinking, or happiness at seeing you. Learn to read the eyes of your donkey, not the ears. The horse will jump off the grand canyon when scared, the donkey will not, do you see the difference? A donkey’s gift is not speed; it is a brain that can problem-solve to stay alive.

Donkeys are incredibly strong.

Donkeys have a reputation for being strong pack animals, and while this is true, they are not stronger than any other animal of the same size. Donkeys can only hold up to 20% of their weight. Donkeys must be full-grown and well-conditioned for heavy work.

When Is A Donkey Full-Grown?

Miniature Donkeys age three

Standard or Burro age four

Mammoth Donkeys six to seven

If you would like to learn how to train your donkey, go to the Donkey Whisperer Farm ® education center. Melody Johnson trains the owner or caretaker worldwide via Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand. Use your smartphone to take Melody to the farm with you.