Selecting a Guard Donkey

Reader Contribution by Jan Dohner
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In previous posts, we have looked at how guard donkeys work and we’ve examined the pros and cons of using a donkey as a livestock guardian. If you are contemplating using a donkey, let’s look now at how to select a good candidate and how to integrate him or her into your stock.

Donkey Traits and Behavior

You need to keep in mind the traits and behaviors that make a good guard donkey. Donkeys are alert animals and they are very territorial. They are generally willing to interact with other grazing animals. Most importantly, most donkeys have an instinctive dislike of canines. As a guardian, donkeys are not deliberately protecting livestock. They are primarily protecting their grazing area and themselves, although a jennie with a foal is a strong maternal protector. Neither do they patrol pastures looking for threats. If your donkey is somewhat bonded to your stock and chooses to stay with them as they graze, he or she will also provide the deterrence of a large animal among the smaller goats or sheep. Your stock, on the other hand, may come to see their donkey as a protector and gather near if they feel threatened.

It is important to assess if a potential guard donkey has a strong instinctual dislike of canines. Some donkeys will flee a predator if threatened and others will only confront the canine if they feel threatened themselves. However, if they do attack, donkeys can be fearsome and deadly towards a dog or a coyote. Despite this aggressive reaction, a single donkey cannot be expected to deal with multiple dogs and coyotes or wolves, bears, or mountain lions.

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