Problem with a love sick Donkey

   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #1  

Unclebuck257

Platinum Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
528
Location
Decatur, Texas
Tractor
2005 Montana 5740C
Although this may seem funny when you're reading this post, and I guess it really is kinda funny in some ways, it's causing me a major problem and I need some serious answers.

We've had our female mule Maggie now for 10 years. She's a retired, trained, cow mule who has never given us a bit of trouble or problem. She and our horses roam freely on our place all the time. About 6 months ago we found a donkey jack on the county road by our gate and brought him onto our place for safety until we found the owner. We located the owner and found that the donkey was 16 years old after being on our place for 3 weeks, he didn't want to go back to his owners. We didn't care and said he could stay here. Everything went pretty good up until about 4 months ago when this donkey jack got the biggest love crush on our female mule I've seen in a long time. He continually chases our mule and literally will not leave her alone, to the point that she started jumping fences into our neighbors place to get away from him. The last time she jumped the fence, she got tangled up in some old barbed wire and cut her leg, right above her hoof, up pretty bad. We've had her in the coral doctoring her up now for about 4 weeks. She's almost healed up completely, but when I walk her for exercise, I literally have to beat that donkey off of her with the end of her lead.

Will my buying a jenny take that pressure off and then he'll leave our mule alone, or will I have to get rid of the jack. I've heard that a jenny will not help if he's fixated on our mule. I need to know from folks who really know about donkeys to determine what I need to do. Oh, and Bird, I've already checked and there are no "blow up" jennies available!! LOL!
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #2  
Once they really get fixated on a particular animal like that, from what I understand nothing will really change it. We had our jack gelded, but he had already "learned" breeding behaviour(our jenny had 2 colts in 2 years) and gelding did not change his behavior a bit, it just stopped the population growth:). I would venture to say that you will have to get rid of him and unless the nieghbor that originally owned him has a very, very good fence that he will need to be a long ways from you(miles) to keep him from coming back.
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #3  
I'd say it's time for old Jack to go to the sale barn or give him away if the neigbors are willing. A $50 Jack isn't worth the trouble!

Jay
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #4  
We have had that problem on occasion with a couple of our old geldings. We now keep our mares and geldings in separate pastures.

It's strange how they can just get along together for a long time and then all of a sudden the gelding gets a desire and tries to fulfill it.
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #5  
In my opinion, and from sad experience, get rid of that jack!:D We had good friends and neighbors who had a jack and 4 jennies in the pasture with his cattle for several years with no problem. He even sold the little donkeys that were produced. However, he decided they cost more to feed (mostly just the grazing they did) than they were worth, so he sold them. Then he lost so many calves to coyotes that he decided he'd made a mistake so he bought another pair; jack and jenney. That jack would chase calves and even grown cows, biting, kicking, etc. I couldn't help but laugh one day when I called him to tell him the jack had chased a calf through the fence between our property, then the jack went around to come into our property, too, and our neighbor arrived in the pasture driving his Kawasaki Mule, chasing the donkey, and shooting the donkey in the rear with a 20 gauge shotgun.

Not long after that, the donkey attacked a cow, chased her into jumping a cattle guard and he did, too, so he was chasing a bloody cow in their yard and chased her into the garage where a bit of damage (dents) got done to his wife's Lincoln.:D That's when the donkeys went to the auction.:D

Of course, I bought a young gelding while the neighbor still had the earlier mentioned 5 donkeys. My little gelding was in a pen by the barn with my goats and he could see and hear those other donkeys on the next hill over. He paced back and forth along the fence until he went berserk and attacked an old female goat, grabbed her by the neck and slung her back and forth and broke her neck. While I was chasing him, he grabbed a kid by one hind leg and carried it awhile, running from me, but it wasn't injured when he dropped it. If I'd had a gun with me, I'd have certainly shot him, but since I didn't, my wife got the goats inside the barn while I chased the donkey, and then they all went to the auction the next day.:D
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I appreciate all the replies and after reading them, it sure looks like I'll have to get rid of this jack. Thanks again!
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #7  
i've had donkeys for a really long time: Jacks are bad news: plus a lot of money is spent trying to mend the problems they cause: believe me i have been there. i would really recommend you get rid of him. that said, i have never had a problem with a jenny, other than carrying off my tools, if i was working in an area she could get to.
heehaw
 
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   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #8  
It's strange how they can just get along together for a long time and then all of a sudden the gelding gets a desire and tries to fulfill it.

For a minute there I thought you might be the neighbor and heard me and the wife, then it hit me my name isn't jack....LOL

I feel for you and agree, from an outsiders view, it is a little comical, but the bottom line to me is the ole guy has gotten to dangerous.
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Well, 2 days ago I got the donkey jack into the corral and then let our mule Maggie out to roam freely on our place again in order to exercise her now healed leg and foot. With him locked in the corral and not free to bother her, she appears just fine and hasn't tried to jump any fences. I've got my answer so, either today or tomorrow, I'll be taking the donkey to my sister's place where he'll be able to run free again with her two large horses.

Thanks again for all the replies and helpful info from everyone.
 
   / Problem with a love sick Donkey #10  
hope the horses aren't geldings: a jack i had cost me several hundred bucks to have the vet repair the neighbors gelding..an the jack was half the size of the horse.
heehaw
 

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