OT-any of you have expierence with donkey's or goats?

[45-70-]

I just bought a Sicilian donkey, she is about 9 months old. The guy threw 2 goats in on the deal so the little donkey wouldnt be lonely. I am starting from scratch here and trying to read all I can. Please bare with my beginner questions.
Do donkey's lay down to sleep? When I check on her at night she is always standing up. What is good food for her? I have some feed corn, alfalfa hay and bermuda hay. What is the best way to start to train her for a halter? She will come and sniff my hand but thats it, she wont let me touch her. Right now I have them in a 32x48 pen until I finish the electric fence, then they will have acres. Do her hoofs need trimmed like a horse? Feel free to share anything you think I need to know. The farm supply store has mini saddle bags with a small leather scabbard. I can already tell you I want to get her broke and trained so she will carry saddle bags and my little Rossi 357 SRC

[deerwhacker444]

Only thing I know about Goats is they're good grilled...

Sorry, no donkey experience.

[ScottT]

I just bought a Sicilian donkey, she is about 9 months old. The guy threw 2 goats in on the deal so the little donkey wouldnt be lonely. I am starting from scratch here and trying to read all I can. Please bare with my beginner questions.
Do donkey's lay down to sleep?

Some do, some don't most do though.
When I check on her at night she is always standing up. What is good food for her?

She will probably eat anything the goats will eat. No need to stock alfalfa hay for her though, she will be fine with bermuda.

I have some feed corn, alfalfa hay and bermuda hay. What is the best way to start to train her for a halter?

Start feeding her a little grain out of your hand and give it a little time. Mine were very fond of carrots and would follow me around like a dog. She will get used to you and you can handle her more as time goes on.
She will come and sniff my hand but thats it, she wont let me touch her. Right now I have them in a 32x48 pen until I finish the electric fence, then they will have acres. Do her hoofs need trimmed like a horse?

Yeah, she will probably need her hooves trimmed, otherwise they get long and split on rocks. Not as much maintenance as a horse though.
Feel free to share anything you think I need to know. The farm supply store has mini saddle bags with a small leather scabbard. I can already tell you I want to get her broke and trained so she will carry saddle bags and my little Rossi 357 SRC

I had mine carrying pack saddles pretty early on. Be careful not to put too much of a load on her early though.

I miss my donkeys.

[45-70-]

Scott, thanks a lot for the info. I dont really plan to use her as a work animal, after all she is a mini. I just thought it would be neat to have her carry my SRC in a scabbard. She really is just a pet but I want to do whats right for her. I will try the hand feeding. As for the goats, they seem pretty easy to take care of. Have already had to go get them once from the neighbors farm. Darn goats can get out of anything.

[2ndovc]

Cool!


We were going to get one as a "pasture pal" for our StandardBred but ended up with another horse.

Always wanted one.

I sure miss my little farm!

[crs]

My Okie cousin has two of the minature donkeys and they sure are cute!

If the goats drive you crazy, grill them and get another minature donkey!

[HEAD0001]

We raise 5 goats every semester for ***. Easiest money we have ever made. They drop them off(free of charge). They give us a small electric fence to put them in(new every semester). Then the students come out a couple of times every semester. At the end of the semester they are ours. Registered Nubians!!! Can you believe that.

I never can understand how they would rather eat multi flora rose over anything else. They jump right in. We do not even worry about fencing them. The only thing is they will climb anything. They are a lot of fun to watch. Tom.

[Griff]

Loud, obnoxious animals. And in an area like mine, they tend to keep the coy-dogs away. Until the neighbors (about ½mile away) bought one, I could count on some hunting off the back porch. Now, I can hear them on the other side of the creek and woods, I have to go out in the cold to call 'em in closer!

As far as care, what ScottT said. For sleeping, the older they get, the less they'll lay down. They will lay down, usually in the middle of the day, but not necessarily every day, for a nap, then they'll be on their feet, and do sleep standing.

I'd keep the corn & alfalfa away, while they don't founder as easily as a horse, they also don't need rich foods.

Trimmin' intervals will depend on the type of soil you have, and how much she moves around.

[45-70-]

Griff, would you explain founder? I was told not to feed her too much so I take one square bale, cut it open, then take one cake and break it into thirds for the 3 animals. So one flake or cake from the sqaure bale gets me by 2 days. As for the whole corn feed, I use one small coffee can a day for all 3 animals. They dont eat it all so I try not to over feed them. Do you think thats too rich or too much?

[MikeS.]

You're asking a bunch of Masons what to do with goats? Boy that is brave.

Hey wait a minute I don't know what Masons do with goats either, don't get that secret until the 3rd degree. It was probably just old Herbie pulling my leg.

[45-70-]

Mike, I am not a mason so i dont know what masons do with gots either
Too much information Mike, too much information. I need to go find my happy place.

[Rexster]

If the donkey is anything like a horse, the first place to try touching is the side of the neck; not the face or head. From there, move toward the shoulder, not the head. Don't be in a hurry, especially if the animal is older.

[ScottT]

I tended to put a round bale out for them. They ate what they wanted and came to me for treats. Not much, but enough to keep them interested.

Big deal, don't get in a hurry. Be patient and your patience will be rewarded.

[gundownunder]

Donkeys are not like horses. A horse you catch and train, simple as that. A donkey you need to make freinds with, treat it like a dog, if it loves you it will do anything to please you, (dont know if they will go as far as the masons goat ). Feeding a donkey is a bit like feeding a camel, their desert animals, so lots of roughage and not too much rich feed. They will actually get sick if you feed them too well. Do a google on "donkey care", you should find plenty to get you started.
If you have a reasonable amount of time to spend with the donkey you would do well to put the goats on a spit or in a hungie, after all if the donkey has goats for company whats it need you for.

[Griff]

"Founder", or more properly Laminitis, is a condition that attacks the laminae of the hoof. Although different theories exist as to its root cause, it is most notable after severe changes in diet.

Laminitis is a disease of the digital laminae of the foot in a horse and the foot in cattle. The digital laminae is responsible for suspension of the axial skeleton of the animal within the hoof and dissipates concussive forces during locomotion. The laminae is comprised of two interdigitating layers, the epidermal laminae attached to the hoof wall and the dermal laminae attached to the bone. Laminitis results from a compromise of this interaction, the mechanism of which remains unclear and is currently the subject of much research. Laminitis literally means inflammation of the laminae, and while it remains controversial whether this is the primary mechanism of disease, evidence of inflammation occurs very early in some instances of the disease. Loftus JP, Black SJ, Pettigrew A, Abrahamsen EJ, Belknap JK (2007). "Early laminar events involving endothelial activation in horses with black walnut- induced laminitis". Am. J. Vet. Res. 68 (11): 1205–11. doi:10.2460/ajvr.68.11.1205. PMID 17975975.

Mules and donkeys are not as susceptible to laminitis as horses are. But, current thinking provides that carbohydrate rich diets or rapid ingestion of high carbohydrate foods is a most likely suspect.


I sent you a PM with additional details. Nothing in care of horse, donkeys or mules is easy. The more I learned the more I wondered how they ever survived in the wild. I then came to the conclusion that the less I interferred with their natural actions and inclinations, the better they do.

I just took mine to the vet yesterday for their annual coggins tests, shots and general checkup. I've used the same vet since I bought my first horses 17 years ago. The old mare in my pasture was 9 then. I wanted her to get a thorough checkup. The vet looked her over and said, "wish I saw more 15 year old horses in the shape she's in." I retired her from competition and most posse work 6 years ago when she was 20. She coliced once the 1st spring I had her. I turned her loose in a new pasture that hadn't be grazed all winter and had a new crop of coastal hay well started. The change in feed from baled hay to green grass overloaded her system. A few anxious hours while she processed that feed.

Goats are even easier. Just keep them from eating your watering hoses!

[Bob A]

I see you've had several good responses but I will restate that you do not want to give the donkey a rich diet. Grass hay is fine. Alfalfa is too hot. Limit grain to training rewards but none as regular diet. These critters are very hardy and easy keepers, which is why laminitis is a risk when people feed them too many carbs.

We have a wild donkey from the BLM. She is a terror on dogs and coyotes. We use her primarily to be a baby sitter for the weanling horses and ponies. She barely tolerates the babies but absolutely keeps the pasture free of coyotes. We gave up trying to halter break her. You can scratch her, worm her, trim her feet - just about anything you want as long as you don't bring a rope or halter with you. This has been going on for a few years now and it works for us.
Her baby was raised by us and is like a big puppy dog. The baby is three now and is everyone's favorite. You can turn her loose on the ranch and she will just follow you around.

Oh, I forgot to say that donkeys don't climb on cars but goats do.

Enjoy

Bob A

[45-70-]

Thanks for all the info guys.
Griff, got your message, thanks.

[AJMD429]

Only goat thing is they really CAN'T just eat 'everything' - they are very sensitive to too much protein, and they oddly enough don't have upper incisors - just like whitetails. There should be lots of internet info on goats. I know little about them except I'm the fence-maker, but if you have problems post or e-mail me and I'll ask my wife who knows ALL about the strange beats.

The donkey will likely attack dogs or coyotes which try to harm the goats, which is good. So will Llama's - they LOVE to stomp wild dogs or coyotes to death if they get in and try to kill goat babies.

[Pepe Ray]

45-70-
No experience w/donkeys.
'Bout 10 years w/a goat. She was my wife's but I fell in line after a while.
1. Billys are bad news. The only things there good for is
A. Shis-ka-bab , when they're young, very young. VERY young. OR
B. Sperm, ----why you say??
Because goats milk is the best. IF there's NO billys around. Billys are filthy and there stink will contaminate a doe so her milk is foul. In order to have a steady supply of milk the doe must bear young to bring on the milk. This is when you get your Shis-ka-bab supplies. One doe will give enough milk for a couple. Some more than others. Ours was a Nubie-Alpine cross. She was cute, gentle(but stubborn) and produced enough milk that we had to give some away or learn to make cheese.
Domestic goats need to have their hooves paired also. Unless you let them run wild, in which case they'll get into trouble. Just like children, they can be destructive if not monitored. Also, there nearly as intelligent as pigs, so be warie.
I envy you. I miss my animals. Good luck
Pepe Ray

[SmokeEater2]

We have 3 and they are interesting animals to have around. Ours do fine on Bermuda hay and a little grain now and then. They do need to have their hooves trimmed and they prefer to have some company in the form of another donkey,horse or dog. Here's our newest one, His spots carbon copy match his daddy.

[TomF]

One thing not mentioned about goats (unless I missed it) is that if they have horns (you did not mention the breed) they will inevitably get their heads caught in the fence. When they do, they are an easy target for stray dogs or 'yotes. I fed mine bread, broccoli stalks, corn, hay, cucumbers (garden stuff). Once you've gained the donkey's confidence a brush will make it happy. All animals like to be brushed or scratched. Good Luck and keep us posted.

TomF