When I evidence Ishtar , ourdonkey , that I write aboutFeyzaand livestock defender dog in my web log , she dispose her head and said , “ Humph , Equus asinus ward , too ! ” Uzzi and I front at each other . Mylitta hangs out with the horses and sometimes even furrow thesheep .
She saw our expression , then she shook her ears and add up , “ Some donkeys guard . It ’s not my business . My job is being a horse . ” Uzzi muttered under his breath , “ mammy picks eldritch animal , does n’t she ? ” That pretty much sums it up .
Because Ishtar is the only donkey we ’ve ever known , and she definitely is n’t guardian material , Uzzi and I decide we ’d hold to see if she ’s severalise the true statement . So we mouse into the planetary house last night and Googled livestockguardian Equus asinus . Here is what we see .
Donkeys have an inbred hatred for anything that face like wolf . ( Uzzi nodded . Ishtar chases our firedog , too . ) Because of that , some donkeys make great herd protector where coyotes and prowling dogs are a problem . They chamfer them away while braying , biting , and sometimes pawing or kicking the interlopers . donkey have keen hearing and estimable eyesight , so nothing sneaks past a domestic ass on safety machine .
Healthy , well - care - for Equus asinus live 25 to 30 long time , and they do n’t cost much to purchase or keep . But to become protector they have to be received ( burro ) size or enceinte because thing thatsheep , goat , andalpacascan killMiniature Donkeys , too .
cut ( alter male ) donkeys make the good guardians . Jennets ( females — some people call them Jenny ) , especially if they have a foal , are good , too . But sometimes jacks ( intact males ) wildcat fauna they dislike . Some jacks have even been known to stomp new-sprung kids , lamb , and crias . A few mistaken diddlysquat essay to engender the does , ewes or female Lama pacos they ’re hired to protect , sometimes cause serious — even fatal — injuries .
Another big thing is that Equus asinus favor the company of other donkeys ( or in Ishtar ’s guinea pig , horses ) because unlike guardiandogs , donkey have n’t been bred for generation to look after other stock . Some simply are n’t interested in bonding with animals not of their kind .
Chances are , however , a carefully chosen donkey will do the job . W.F. Andelt , author of the USDA publishing “ Livestock Guard Dogs , Llamas and Donkeys ” say that 59 percent of Texas producer who use guardian donkey give away them good or fair for deterring coyote predation and an extra 20 percent deemed them excellent or good . And 9 percent of the sheep and goat producer canvass for a 2004 National Agriculture Statistics Service livestock predation sketch keep and endorsed farm animal guardian donkeys .
And , let ’s face it , Equus asinus are precious . Mom has kept donkeys for just about a million eld and she wrote a volume all about them , calledThe Donkey Companion . If you ’re thinking of get a Equus asinus , chequer it out !
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