Mini donkey ?

[ejtrout31]

View attachment 1622549 So here are some ideas for my mini donkey idea.
The picture above is my coop I want th mini donkey to be a guardian animal.
The black is a tall fence to keep my birds in.
The blue is the gate/door for the fence.
The red is an half of my coop with run my ducks and some of my hens are currently in I probably will put the hens out and my show birds in come spring.
The yellow is my rabbit pen.
The white is a section of my coop for the birds that are in the big fenced in part.
The green could be a shelter for my mini donkey.
And the rest in the black would be for 10-15 birds and a mini donkey.


1. What do you think about the setup I am doing renovations this summer and this wouldn’t be hard to change it to fit the mini donkey.

2. I would walk the donkey daily. So if space is low in the pen I can walk it daily. Or I could switch it weekly and it could go to the horses pen.

3. Can you keep a mini donkey by its self or does it need a companion.

4. Would there be a problem if the donkey ate chicken food?


Thx

 

[Quackers3211]

How big is the pen the donkey would have access too? Depending on the size the mini donkey would probably need to be walked more then just once, or let out into a bigger pen for a couple hours a day.
Mini donkeys do need another mini donkey for companion.
Here is a couple sites I found helpful when researching to get my own mini donkey, I always recommend researching an animal throughly before getting it, to make sure you can fit it’s needs.
https://www.bensonranch.com/articles/five-things-every-new-donkey-owner-should-know/
https://animals.mom.me/how-to-care-for-miniature-donkeys-12215126.html

 

[DoeAndGander]

What type of predators would this mini encounter? I was looking into a few minis as well... until learning they could become food to predators as well (coyotes, etc) just a fyi. And always two! Never get just one

 

[ejtrout31]

Most likely racoons have been a problem

 

[ejtrout31]

Ok how about 2 donkeys and I could let that be a main home but I could let them in the horse pen for an hour a day

 

[ejtrout31]

Ok would a guard dog be a better idea

 

[The Moonshiner]

Mini donkeys will do nothing for protection against raccoons.

 

[ShannonR]

Ok would a guard dog be a better idea

This.

 

[Bunnylady]

Mini donkeys will do nothing for protection against raccoons.

I wouldn't bet on that - my mini mule stomped a raccoon to death a couple of years ago. Of course, it was her turf she was protecting, not the chickens; she has been seen trying to stomp them on occasion. Donkeys and mules are definitely a two-edged sword when it comes to protection.

 

[ShannonR]

I wouldn't bet on that - my mini mule stomped a raccoon to death a couple of years ago. Of course, it was her turf she was protecting, not the chickens; she has been seen trying to stomp them on occasion. Donkeys and mules are definitely a two-edged sword when it comes to protection.

Hmm, interesting. While I have heard of people using donkeys and llamas and such to protect their livestock, it all sounds so counterintuitive to me. Why do people use prey animals as guardians? Real headscratcher to me...

Course, my area has mountain lions and bears that you need to worry about, so a mini donkey or llama probably wouldn't be the best idea lol