Home»Mini Donkeys
Well friends , our homestead and kinsfolk just grew by four sweet soul ! This hebdomad we receive home base four miniature donkeys ( ordinky donksas I ’ve grown to call them ): Winnie , Sugar , Cookie , and Bean Sprout . They are incredibly sweet , adorable , and light-headed ; we get it on them so much already ! We ’ve officially trance “ foresighted ear febricity ” .
translate along to learn sport fact about miniature donkeys , meet our herd , get word their adoption backstory , and whywe select to get them the first place . I ’ve also share the steps we rent to restore up andprepare our propertyand old barn for the donkeys . The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind getting quick for their arrival !
UPDATE : concerned in raise miniature donkey yourself ? Come see ourbeginner ’s guideoncaring for mini donkeysfor important item about cost , provender , grooming , veterinary need , space requirement , and more .
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Why Miniature Donkeys?
Our miniature donkey are primarilycompanionsfor us , but there are a few other awesome benefits of take them around too .
As presently as we move to our “ novel ” homestead ( coming up on three long time ago now ! ) I bear farm animal of some sort would be part of our future . Our property has a great fenced paddock sphere , scraggy pasture , and modest old 2 - stall sawbuck barn basically quick to go . ( The previous owners keep a span horses and a goat on that 1 - acre part of the holding . ) Yet adopt farm beast was n’t necessarily on the top of our priority list for the first few years here . I also was n’t surewhichfarm fauna would be the best fit for us .
We briefly regard goat , but their reputation as escape artists and garden uprooter did n’t precisely get me feeling all lovesome and blurred about that musical theme . Alpacas are hella cute , but also hella expensive – and a snatch moody , apparently . Plus , both Capricorn and alpacas ( or sheep ) would need protective cover from piranha .
Enter : mini donkeys ! Mini donkeys are like the in effect combination of a heel and sawhorse . They are sweet andaffectionatelike dogs , even moresmartandlower maintenancethan horses ( less expensive and less prostrate to wellness issues ) , and much easier to contain than goats – specially minis .
Even easily , they keepcoyotesand other predators away ! Full size Equus asinus can even kill coyote , and minis will bite , kick , and generally deter them . They ’ll also aid keep ourweedsdown , and we can use their manure to make stellarcompostfor the garden .
The Adoption Backstory
In recent November , I realise a couple adorable immature mini donkeys on our local Facebook . I half - heartedly joked with Aaron that we should get them , though we by all odds were n’t quick to jump into that kind of commitment on a whim . Their average lifespan is 33 years after all!BUT it did titillate my pastime , intemperately . The more I looked into mini donkeys , the more I know they ’d be a wonderful fit for our homestead .
Serendipitously , I learned that there is alocal deliverance farm(Seein ’ Spots Farm ) about 45 minute off from our house ! The owner has a huge heart and takes in mini Equus asinus from kill penitentiary or when owners can no longer like for them . The farm is also abode to undesirable or neglected chickens , goats , horses , barn cats , former protection dog , slovenly person , bunny , and a tortoise .
On December 1st we went to the farm to meet some of the available donkeys . We were tentatively concerned in adopting just two , butended up falling in making love with four(two bind pairs ): one old pair who are 15 and 16 year old , and one younger pair that are about 4 years sometime .
The next few days were a total worked up rollercoaster mingle with very little sleep . Are we really doing this ? Should we get all four ? Perhaps just two is a better set to commence ? What about the garden , the cats , the quail … ? Or go out of town?We conk out from want all four to none to make up one’s mind on just two and then back to four within about 72 hours . 🤣 But we are both SO well-chosen with our concluding decision to bring home all of them .
After all , we have ample space , needed to do a short ton of work to devise our attribute whether it was 2 or 4 , and ( most importantly ) donkeys aresocial herd animalsand should not be alone . So while itis more mouths to prey and poop to scoop , we figuredthe more the merrier!Now if something happen to one of them , or if one needs to be away for some cause ( like a trip to the ex-serviceman ) , then the others wo n’t be lonely . As sorry as it go , it ’s always honorable to prepare for the worst case scenario .
Miniature Donkey Facts
Mini Equus asinus fact proceed …
Meet Our Herd
Our herd of mini donkeys includes Sugar , Cookie , Winnie and Bean Sprout . They are so mellisonant , beautiful , quiet and calm … except when they get the zoomies ! Overall , they ’re such good Equus asinus . They are cursorily warm up up to us and all care to be preferred , scratched , brushed , and hugged . They do n’t show any interest in toys yet .
We ’d heard thatfemale donkeys(jennets ) were less raucous than male ( jacks ) , so that ’s what we were most concerned in adopting , though we were open to a good gelded male - distaff pair too . We feel so blessed to have scooped up our four ladies .
Sugar already knew her name , so we kept hers as - is while renaming the others . Sugar ( 16 ) and Cookie ( 15 ) are the older bonded pair . They ’re also a bit taller and larger than the untested two . Winnie and Bean Sprout are the smaller gray gallon , and are both about 4 years old .
Their Backstories
Winniewas surrendered by her previous possessor who could no longer give care for her . We ’re unsure of the detail , but she seems to be the most needy for affection and food . Bean Sproutwas write from a kill penitentiary auction , so she ’s the most skittish of the crew but stillverysweet and mellowed look at her past . Both arrived at the deliverance farm about 2 years ago , which give them time to bond together and also be better train there .
Sugar and Cookiehad been at the saving farm since they were little . They participated in the farm ’s various fundraising events and open farm day , so they ’re very well - train and habituate to multitude . It grow out Sugar even appeared on the Ellen Show as part of a characteristic about the farm many years ago ! arrest out the film below .
Though Sugar and Cookie were a beloved part of the farm for a very long sentence , the deliverance owner eff it was meter for them to move on to their forever home where they could know out their years with even more attention and space . It was an emotional goodbye for everyone , but she knew they were going to the perfect new place where they would be very well - loved and cared for .
Preparing Our Property for Mini Donkeys
Though we already had a small barn and fenced horse lea on our dimension , there was a LOT of body of work and modifications to be done before the donkey follow home ! Much of the existing fencing was designed for horses , not miniskirt Equus asinus , who can slip under or between things more well . Plus , we’djustlandscaped a vainglorious beautiful orchard area that we had to fence off to protect ! Not to observe all the supply we need to get together . gratefully the farm agreed to give us a few weeks to fix . So , we made a“donkey do - list”and got to work !
Barn Makeover
have an existing horse barn on our dimension was a Brobdingnagian asset . However , it was in pretty jumpy shape and involve a lot ofTLCto get ready for our donkey girl . So we receive to work lift out out sometime manure and bedding , pulled out and cleanse the stall mats , and hit rusted out water supply habitue . I dusted off the gossamer , sprayed down and shop class - vacced the walls , and got it all ready to paint .
Paintingthe interior of the b was n’t completely necessary , but it made the quad so much more bright , clean , and welcoming ! Apparently equid are more potential to go into a well - lit space too , so that ’s an added incentive . See the before and after photograph below . We also interchange the leaking close - off valves and re - routed some of the water lines for a newfangled automatic body of water trough .
Fencing
Once we decided to take up the donks , coming up with a good fencing material plan was one of my major sources of stress at first ! We want to as prioritize thedonkey ’s safety gadget and felicity , as well as protect ourgarden spaces , keep certain areas off - limits to remain lush forwildlife , and still provide easy access around the belongings for ourcatsand modest raving mad critters . Mini Equus asinus are best incorporate with great - duty ( 12 to 14 gauge ) 2×4″ no - raise wire fencing material , at least 3 to 4 foot eminent .
Here is the fencing plan we come up with :
All in all , we ended up installingover 700 feetof wire no - climb fencing before the donkey arrived ! Nearly 400 feet on fresh t - Emily Post around the grove and “ quail side ” , and another 350 + around the perimeter of the paddock .
The First Week Home
The donkeys are settling in very nicely in their unexampled habitation ! We ’re spending as much meter as potential outside getting to bang one another . I see more of their unparalleled and kinky personality come out as they become more well-fixed every Clarence Day .
In summation to all the fervor and soldering time , one of my favourite simple moments was when we were harvesting in the garden , and I looked over and could see the four of them peacefully napping in the pasture on the other side of the property . I also love consider them run jubilantly around their new big quad . The dinky donks reallymake our homestead sense complete !
Ournew everyday routineconsists of donkey breakfast and poo pickup first thing ( we just built a giving 3 - bay compost scheme to help deal their manure ) . Then we come back for mid - dawn brush and cuddles , plus an afternoon visit where I ’m acquire how to check and pick their hoof while haltered . A farrier will come every few calendar month for deep hoof trimming . Then it ’s eventide dinner meter . Overall , mini donkeys are jolly easy keepers .
