@Love Donkeys
Come say hello to @Love Donkeys who comes to us from the U.S. and has been a member since October 2023.
Come say hello to @Love Donkeys who comes to us from the U.S. and has been a member since October 2023.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
1962, I was hanging out at a school yard with friends, wasting time and playing Hopscotch. My Hubby-to-be showed up with his friends. That's how we met, I was 16 he was 15. We married when he returned from Vietnam in 1967. We have 3 daughters and a son.
We raised and showed horses. Bought, raised and sold all types of livestock, mostly cattle. Once we went to an auction to buy cattle and saw a crippled, over weight Donkey in the "kill-pen". That day we didn't buy cattle but we did come home with the Donkey, we had Beth for almost 22 years. I'm a retired nurse, I drove tractor-trailer with Hubby. We transported show horses and a few race horses.
2018, I severely fractured my right shoulder in a farm accident. At that time we had 250+ Meat Goat does and 6 breeding bucks. We had to sell them because I couldn't help Hubby care for them. We kept the 2 Guardian Donkeys. Right now we have 31 cross bred Jackstock Donkeys. I just love Donkeys! They are gentle, intelligent and caring. If you are having a bad day they will sense it and will try to comfort you.
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
Our children were in the 4-H and they raised and showed Rabbits and Chickens. We always had Chickens around the farm to keep down the insect population. When I fractured my shoulder I had to have 4 surgeries (over a year) to repair the damage. Mentally I was in a dark place, I asked Hubby to bring home a couple of chicks from TSC. He brought home 26!
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
Watching and talking to the chickens. Sometimes they are just so silly.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Years ago we had a little yellow Bantam hen named Sadie. She just loved to sit on eggs and become a momma. Once she raised a Turkey, she would sit on the bottom rail of the fence and the full-grown Turkey would sit on the ground beside her and put his head under her wing.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
When the yellow Bantam, Sadie, hatched out Muscovy ducklings she was proudly parading through the front field near the pond. The ducklings decided to do what ducklings like to do, they went in for a swim. She threw a fit, running back and forth along the bank! After she got over the initial shock she would wait on the bank for her ducklings to take their daily swim.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
We have the Donkeys and a bunch of Barn Cats. The Barn Cats numbers go up and down, some stay some decided to move on. All cats are welcome, if the males stay around long enough they get fixed. We don't have dogs any more because they are too hard to say goodbye to.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
We moved our farm from Rhode Island to Massachusetts. Moved it twice in Massachusetts, then moved it to Upstate NY. Every move the farm grew in acreage. We decided to semi-retire and downsize when we moved our farm to Alabama. No regrets.
The first photo is of some of my Speckled Sussex. The rooster is Mr Boss Man, he's a sweetheart never any problems with him. Since I have all Speckled Sussex and they all look the same, the hens never get named. Only the roosters get named. My other 2 roosters are Mr Larry and Mr Skippy.
The second photo is a 4 day old Donkey foal. Since her birth she had been in the woods with her Momma. This was the first time out to see the rest of the farm. When Ellie saw chickens coming towards her she became transfixed at the sight of them, she just couldn't stop trembling.
The third photo is of Hubby behind a gate giving out munchies to a few of the Donkeys. He is behind the gate because Donkeys tend to get pushy when treats are being handed out. He's 6 foot tall, you can tell how big our Donkeys are in comparison to him. Some of the Donkeys weigh almost 800 pounds.
@Love Donkeys
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For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
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