New homestead-er

[comptonkids]

We just bought a house on 1.89 acres
We have about 33 chickens, not too sure right now the number of roos

I want to add more livestock and figured yall were the best place to come and ask questions

Can a Jenny be ridden like a horse? My kids are new to this and I'm wanting a donkey for livestock protection
I can get a bred one for $120 ...not sure if that's good? Lol


Second
Nigerian dwarf goats, I have a shed that I'd put the donkey in and my husband would want to build a goat lean to

Can I do both together? Do I have enough room?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You probably have enough room. You may need to buy hay in drought and in winter.
Donkeys are known for strong backs so yes, they can be ridden. I haven't been in the equine business for a long time but that price sounds good.
I have just under an acre with woods behind and a field next to me and I have anywhere from 25-100 chickens at any time. I also have extensive gardens, fruits and berries. Luckily my property is shaped like a wedge with the house at the front and wide in the back where I have 5 hen houses and multiple garden beds interspersed.

 

[Bunnylady]

Whether a donkey would work as a livestock guardian kinda depends on the donkey. Frequently, they are more about protecting their space than the animals that live in it. Some people have even had trouble with donkeys that attacked their animals (I've seen my mule try to stomp on my ducks). If you have little or no experience with horses and especially donkeys, you might want to pass on a bred jenny - baby animals are cute, but they are a blank slate, and without a knowledgeable person to teach them how to behave around humans, young equids can be difficult and even dangerous

Have you checked into local zoning? While animals can live quite comfortably in smaller spaces if provided with adequate food in the form of hay and grain, there may be restrictions on how many animals and what type can be housed on the land you bought.

 

[Tumbling K]

Bunnylady is right.

I've even seen livestock protecting donkeys attack when new livestock was introduced to the herd.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I would definitely be wary of starting with equines if you don't have previous experience. Not to mention, with pregnant animals there are just so many chances for things to go wrong. That $120 donkey could turn into a few thousand donkey very easily the day she gives birth.

I also wouldn't recommend buying a donkey or other equine with the intention of training it yourself for riding, especially for kids. If you want a kid safe horse or pony, go to someone that you or a horse knowledgeable person in your area trusts, and buy a well trained horse from them. Childrens' safety is not worth saving a bit of money on an untrained animal (Been there, done that when I was younger before my family really knew much about horses). Its possible to keep horses on smaller plots of land, but I agree that you should look up zoning laws for your area. Some places want two acres for your first equine, and then an additional acre for each one after that. The town I live in does not have a limit, but all the towns around mine do.

That's not to say you can never have a donkey, but I would definitely consider doing some research and speaking with people who have them first. I always think it makes for a better experience if people go into purchasing an animal after they know a bit about them!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Just wanted to add that I would probably recommend a dog over any other sort of livestock protection. A good farm dog or livestock guardian can be worth their weight in gold! However, do keep in mind that farm dogs (More often livestock protection dogs) have a tendency to bark and to bark a LOT. So if you have close neighbors, they may not like that so much.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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