officially on the market

[paso_lover]

So now with my pyr gone I am looking for a mule or donk to protect my herd more so now then ever with 3 coyotes chasing a friend of mine on her way here on her horse 2 weeks ago just about a mile away from my house.

I contacted the local sanctuary for advise but didn't really get the info I was looking for. I know how dare I consult someone else other than you guys.

Here is the email I sent along with her response.
me:
I own and run a small Peruvian Paso farm outside Sudbury. I recently had to get rid of my Great Pyr due to his aggression issues towards my horses and visitors. My husband has agreed to me getting a donk/mule for protection as there is an abundance of predatory wildlife around here (2 weeks ago my friend was chased by 3 coyotes while riding her horse here). I see you do not adopt out so I was thinking of going to the auction to see if there might be something available.

Does it matter be it donk or mule?? What do you recommend?? What do I look for over all?? Are they easy keepers?? Do they have special feeds or do they eat the same as horses?? I have no issues picking up something that needs to be rehabilitated or has been neglected in any way. I have a small rescue pony that hates to be kept in the barn due to her abuse so he would be most likely kept with her while the others are in. I have huge Jack Pines all over my pasture that the horses use as shelter and I see that donks have great coats for the winter so I'm leaning towards that.


Her:
From our experience there is no certainty whatsoever that a donkey (or mule - we have never heard of a mule as a guard animal) would act as a guardian. Donkeys and mules do not have the guarding instinct that a Great Pyrenees dog has. If a donkey bonds with an animal, the donkey will usually want to protect it but there is no guarantee. Also, if you get a donkey, do not get an ungelded jack. For that matter, two donkeys seem to work better as they have each other for company. Yes, you would probably save a donkey's life if you bought it at an equine auction.

This seems to go against what you guys recomend. Any comments??

[dixie]

The farmer who runs cattle behind me added some donkeys a few years ago because of the coyotes taking down his young calves. From what I understand, they have worked well. They hang around the cattle as a general rule.

[Jewel]

I have a donkey that I bought for protection for my then-pregnant mare. He is gelded. He is a wonderful protector. It took him about a month to not try to kill the house dogs through the fence, but now he's okay with them as long as they don't mess with his mares. He chases everything else out of the pasture, including stray cats. I got him for $100, including delivery.

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

Donkeys are the best protectors ever, IMO. I have a field full of minis and coyotoes will take the Long way around my property. Some people say minis aren't good protector b/c of thier size but it's mainly the bray that scares predetors to death! Even the nieghbors guinee chickens have moved to the donkey field. Everything seeking protection comes to our field to stay around the donks.

I've never had a mule so I don't know. I know horses will run which gets the coyotes/panthers attention. The donkeys wont!

Donkeys are like chips though--you can't have just one They are just so cute!

[horsey-gal]

Tons of people around here have donkeys for protection from there cattle, horses. They make excellent guards from what I see/hear.
Also, Llama's or will make good guards too.
Good luck in your decision.

[TanyaV28]

same here a lot of people have donkeys and they swear by them. I want one also to protect my goats!!!I think they are so cute!!!!!!!

[paso_lover]

are they usually agressive towards dogs??

[ray]

From what I have seen donkeys are excellent gaurd animals and very noisy too. They will attack if they feel they have too and they are so noisy you can't miss it. I have seen them be aggresive toward dogs but I think as long as the dog stays away from them they mind their business too

[Chic]

Donkey's are aggressive toward dogs until they get used to them. My poor doggies got chased more than once before they became "part of the herd". I do know it is not good when you have only one donkey with more than one unwanted predator. My mini donk stud will chase away one dog (neighbors) but when thier three dogs arrive together then they usually chase him... and he runs. Not a cool situation. (Hot wire fence took care of that... ) I have heard that two will do a better job. My BIL has two llama with his sheep and they do a good job with the coyotes.

[paso_lover]

2 of you have mentioned a llama, pros and cons with getting a llama vs a donk in my situation, if someone could tell me please. I have high traffic in my field with people coming and going all the time and Kenya always in there too. Would either species be safe?? I know nothing about these animals.

[kbell]

We have coyotes around here so I put my donkey jack in with the cows and calves and we haven't had any troubles, but I also have Great Pyr's in with the horses. We hear the coyotes in the woods all around us. I believe having the Pyr's and the donkeys has kept us off the menu.
I have had a Llama and I am just not a Llama person.
I was told just the other day that donkeys were going low as $40 at some of the auctions. Good luck with your hunt for the right one for you.

[Mule Fool]

Well,it's probably true that you couldn't absolutely garauntee that a donk or mule would be a good protector, I think most of them are. I think donks are better than mules, but I know of one mule the owners had to get rid of because it was killing any dog that came into the field. I would lean towards two donks. they are easy keepers compared to horses and you don't want to be feeding them hot feeds.

[cascy]

Anyone who says mules and donks arn't good protectors have not meet bubbles and radar! Nothing goes into that field without thier approval. Radar is a donk, and bubbles is a mule. Radar tends to stay closer with the pack to "protect" while bubbles is more outgoing and will leave the others to "chase down the intruders".... I would get a donkey, they are generally easy keepers and worth thier wieght in gold if you have coyotes... they generally do NOT like dogs at all

[Kahlua_Twist]

My mule is a pretty darn good guard boy...so I'd say while there's no guarantee (there never is...) that a donk or mule would actually guard, I'd say it's worth a try. There have been plenty of mules for sale recently in the Bargain Hunter

[AlbertaGirl]

My donkey is a great gaurd animal, and a pet too. He's fine with my dogs usually, but will sometimes chase them a bit, but it actually seems like he's just doing it for fun . They respect him though - that's for sure - lol!

I tried to help some apparently down-on-their-luck people with their older Rotti/Mastiff, Buster, and had him here temporarily. He came out into the pasture with me, and one of my horses went over and sniffed him, then promptly chomped his cropped tail, then my donkey came over and booted him in the ribs. He yelped and got the heck outta there. (Don't feel too bad for the dog though, he later attacked my cat, who had to be put down , then attacked my dog, so he went to the pound...). Anyhow, my donkey knew Buster was not one of "his" dogs and did NOT like having him around (turns out he was right! )

[ToveroMom]

Llamas around horses that have never seen them can scare the bejeezus out of them.
If you think it is hard to acclimate a horse to a pig-try a llama.

[Mule Fool]

We used to make alot of pack trips in the mountains and I lived in dread of meeting the llama packer for the first time there on some of those narrow trails. I thought sure my horse would lose his mind. The funny thing is, when we finally did meet them, as the llama train passed my horse stood stock still and turned his head away so as not to look at them. As if "I'm not even going to dignify those things with a LOOK! Hmmph!" But yeah I think they totally freak most horses out so if you think you may sometime be riding around them you might get one just as a desensitization thing. By the way, know how to pack a llama?????????.................................... ...... quarter them up just like elk!

[Squeekers Tovero Kid]

I would second the donkey/mule protector.
We had a semi wild one once and I usually went up into the pastures later at night to do my final head count...well that donkey came charging at me. I started waiving my flashlight (thank goodness I remembered it) and told him it was me. He stopped still in his tracks, brayed, then turned his butt to me.

Needless to say I pited any coyote or stray that would think of entering with him.

We recently delivered two wild donkeys to a friend who had trouble with coyotes killing his calves and though in the beginning the cows were afraid of the donkeys, they settled right down and he has yet to lose another calf.

And now for a funny Llama/horse meeting story. We sold an OTTB to a neighbor and we delivered it to him. The horse was dead broke, anyone could and had ridden him anywhere, by cars, mailboxes, with idiots honking horns etc...well....we forgot our neighbors had three llamas....We unloaded and he was fine and then he started snorting, tail went straight up in the air and he took off at a full gallop. My dad was holding his lead and for some unknown thought he could not let go, that the horse would run out of the gate (the gate was shut). So down on the ground my dad went and it looked like he was grass surfing...cowabunga dude!

So several tense minutes later, with me trying to soothe the savage, wild TB, I looked over and saw the source of his concerns...three curious llamas. Were they phased, heck no, they just lined up on the other side of the fence chewing their cuds....

Eventually the horse and the llamas became best buds and when there was a black bear that wandered into their pasture, the TB chased him/her off.

So my moral to this story is ....get a donkey....much easier! Plus those llama things spit!!!! YUCK!

[Range]

Just say no to llamas. They spit, they can be mean, and they have to be sheared.

My donkey isn't necessarily the best protector. But, he's with the big horses and they typically take care of themselves. The day the coyote was 20 feet from me, the donkey did nothing. But, I figure he thought I was the lead mare so I would take care of it.

My donkey leaves my dogs alone for the most part. He knows they belong. However, I have seen him chase the neighbor's stray pack out of the pasture, so he does have some instinct there!

Around here, donkeys at auction are going for $20.

[AlbertaGirl]

Have you decided which animal you wanted for guarding duties? If so, how's the search going? My vote's still for a donkey!