Donkeys & Predators

[Calebs Acre]

I've heard from several different sources that donkeys are excellent guardians against predators with sheep. Does this translate into protectors of chickens/geese/ducks? And, which predators?

I have a wonderful donkey, but he's been leased out all summer to a friend and she wants to buy him. If I could bring him home and put him in with the birds to help protect them, I would not sell him.

Anyone with any experience?

Nancy
who-has-suddenly-come-up-with-a-zillion-questions-on-all-different-topics!

 

[bluebirdfarm]

hi , how funny . my name is nancy and i have 4 donkeys , they don't live with the chickens but they are very good at p[rotectiing the sheep.
i would think if you had them in the same area they would protect the chickens .
ps i have 2 standarsd and 2 jerusulem minis.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I don't think that donkey would protect chickens quite as well as other "herd" animals(goat, sheep, cattle, etc).. They may still protect, if kept in the same area..

-Kim

 

[risurocket]

I know someone who has her donkeys in with her chickens and other birds (ducks, peafowl, possibly turkeys...). I do not know if she locks the birds up at night or not, but her flocks are all free range all the time from what I have seen and there is no roof or anything on their "run". Their coop is quite open as well. *shrug* Maybe it's the donkey, or maybe she has more predator problems than I saw. Or maybe it's a combo of the donkey and the peafowl (she has quite a few peacocks and peahens.) I am trying to see if she can answer the question, so I will get back to you if she does.

 

[holliewould]

I heard, and this is hear-say, but they keep the coyotes away? My boss has a few on his farm. They are obnoxious, so I can totally see them keeping preds away to an extent.

 

[backwoods]

They will kick a coyote or dog to death for sure.

 

[chickenfanatic]

yup great protectors but i dunno bout chickens like i always say try it and find out then we will all know

 

[Calebs Acre]

Well, I couldn't take my donkey away from the woman who had it, so I sold it to her. BUT, he rode and drove, so I didn't really need that for a nice guard donkey. LOL.

Guess I have to start looking for a nice donkey now. I know they are great against coyotes, but I didn't know about coons, fox, possums, etc.

 

[scooter147]

My ex mother in law lived in Indiana and she had two donkeys for predator protection.
She had goats, pot bellies and every type of domestic fowl.
Her predator problems where zero!
Every evening the donkeys were place in a corral that surrounded the barn in which all the critters spent the night. The the human door in the big barn door was left open every night execpt during the winter months and she had zero loses from fowl or goat predators.
I seen those two donkeys run at a coyote in the main field and they were braying and stomping the whole way. That coyote took one look at those two mad donkeys and literally turned with tucked tail and sprinted back to where he came. They didn't like strange dogs either, I really had to watch my dalmation because they would have just as soon stomped him to death as look at him. We only went to my mother in laws place three or four times a year so my dog was a strange dog to them.