Donkey as a companion or a goat ??

Armas

Armas

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My OH is trying to talk me in to getting a baby donkey as a companion for Armas as his current companion has returned home ;-(
However my concern is the parasites that donkeys carry, even if wormed can be harmful to horses.
My trainers sister lost 3 horses to I lung worm transmitted by a donkey :(

My other companion option is a baby goat :) Any one had goats as companions?
 
Not tried either as a companion personally but i have noticed that facebook/preloved and the like are flooded with 'free to good home' ponies and shetlands.
Is there any reason you can't have a small pony?
 
forestfantasy said:
Not tried either as a companion personally but i have noticed that facebook/preloved and the like are flooded with 'free to good home' ponies and shetlands.
Is there any reason you can't have a small pony?
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I live in France ! A goat suits me low maintenance and less poo picking etc !
 
I have kept donkey's with horses for over 40 years, I have never yet had a horse with lung worm, or a donkey for that matter, although I appreciate they can be carriers. If you have a safe and effective worming programme it just isn't an issue IMO.

In any case, the lung worm eggs can be brought into your paddocks by snails and birds, you don't have to have a donkey within miles of your property!

My friend got a goat as a companion for her horse, within 2 days it had completely eaten the horse's tail and a good proportion of its mane!:eek:
 
grumpyoldmare said:
I have kept donkey's with horses for over 40 years, I have never yet had a horse with lung worm, or a donkey for that matter, although I appreciate they can be carriers. If you have a safe and effective worming programme it just isn't an issue IMO.

In any case, the lung worm eggs can be brought into your paddocks by snails and birds, you don't have to have a donkey within miles of your property!

My friend got a goat as a companion for her horse, within 2 days it had completely eaten the horse's tail and a good proportion of its mane!:eek:
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My friend had the same experience with goats as companions! They eat everything!!
 
Hey, I didnt know that about donkeys, just shows you learn something new everyday!!

I was actually thinking more along the lines of.. donkeys never shut up and goats can be we pests to get the slighest crum of food out of your pockets lol
My boyfriends da has 2 donkeys, 6goats and 2 minis that have a we foal. When rosa the mare was seperated from valentino the stallion she actually seemed to pefer the nanny goats, but they all have their own personalities and it might be a case of trial and error to see who your horsey gets on best with.. plus if you get a goat dont let them near your car... do not ask me how but one day the 2 billy goats somehow managed to get the car door open, one was siting behind the steering wheel the other was sleeping on the roof lol it was the funniest thing iv ever seen but my BFs car had we foots prints all over it and there was goat **** on his seat haha
This probably wont help with your decision lol
 
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If you get a goat make sure it is de-horned and castrated, obviously not a consideration if you get a doe;)

They can gore a horse, even in play, and bucks STINK and at your place you do not need eau de randy goat wafting around the place I should think. You also need stock fencing and electric wire, and consider what size goat you would want...a teeny tiny oh so cute kid like this:

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can grow into something 30" high - and the rest, like this, Goat is 34" now:eek:

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Horses kill goats with alarming frequency, either intentionally, or accidentally. Always give a free-range goat escape routes, either fenced off sections, or a goat sized shelter to get into. I have had goats as companions for years, mostly, it worked very well.

Donkeys, I know very little about, but with modern wormers, even if lungworm was a problem, surely that could be sorted/prevented?
 
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I used to have a mother and kid a while back till a retard of a farmer stole them :mad:
The female used to walk and jog with me she had no pen and always stayed near the house ;-) In the winter she would try to come in and sit by the log fire with the dogs. Only trouble I never managed to house train her :eek:

Enfys this was baby Milly can you identify who she is pushing as you are American ?

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We've had Shire horses and donkeys for years... never had a problem with lungworm or other nasties because we are very aware of the need to stay on top of egg counts/worming, and we poo pick daily.

About 3 or 4 years ago, my farrier and I decided the donks had access to too much grass and were getting a bit pudgy. So, we fenced off a section of the field and separated them from the horses. Since the horses had each other, as do the donkeys, there were no emotional scenes or anxieties. I lost one of my donks almost 3 weeks ago, which has left little Poppy quite lonely. There's just too much grass to allow her in with the horses. So, tomorrow her new friend will be arriving from France. I've purchased a 5 year old Anesse du Poitou, which will be followed in about 4 weeks, by a 7 months old Anesse du Poitou foal.

Donkeys and horses can work very well together. However, the difference in size between them can be a problem in terms of the donkeys' diet. Most donks in the UK are basic, garden-variety desert species. They are browsers and really shouldn't have access to lush, green grass. If that aspect of their needs can be addressed, you can end up with a lovely equine partnership.
 
I'm a firm believer that most animals prefer to be with animals of the same species, wherever possible. They speak the same lingo as it were, and have the same needs - horses do like mutual grooming, standing close when something spooks them, standing nose to tail swatting flies etc.

Places like the Donkey Sanctuary will only ever rehome in pairs because they feel donkeys are much happier with other donkeys. A friend had a little donkey that seemed quite happy with the ponies, until he saw a reflection of himself and he went absolutely mad with delight - another donkey, hooray! Plus a donkey poos about the same amount and size as a pony, surely, and donkeys also aren't rain proof so need a rug (although I guess less of a problem in France, of course!).

But if I can't persuade you to get a pony, and your horse has already shown a liking for a goat, go for that - at least goats don't bray :) Plus you won't get asked to take the little blighter to the church for the Christingle service every year, as all my friends with donkeys get asked every year.

Or perhaps the French don't go for all that soppiness...
 
If you get goats please get more than one :(
They are herd animals and although having more than one horse isn't an option for you, more than one goat shouldn't be a problem and they'd be much happier.
 
Neither. You should get a pony. It's cruel to keep horses on their own. Other species are no substitute, though better than nothing I suppose.
 
Bee has a donkey chum, who she adores but isn't clingy with. He's non-confrontational (enough for mega-wimp Reg to be turned out with as well!) and lives off thin air. He's cheeky and funny and makes us all laugh, perfect companion. He's happy enough to be left to his own devices when his chums are ridden... Lovely chap, perfect companion.

Donkey says hello!
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My old lad would not have thanked you for a donkey companion. As far as he was concerned they were the spawn of the devil! The first time he dumped me was down to encountering a donkey and donkey foal (alright the foal's ears were so long they crossed at the top but that was no excuse!), he flipped and I stood (or sat) no chance. Llamas on the other hand were apparently perfectly acceptable beasts!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that your horse may not appreciate his new friend so maybe reconsider a pony?
 
Lolo said:
Bee has a donkey chum, who she adores but isn't clingy with. He's non-confrontational (enough for mega-wimp Reg to be turned out with as well!) and lives off thin air. He's cheeky and funny and makes us all laugh, perfect companion. He's happy enough to be left to his own devices when his chums are ridden... Lovely chap, perfect companion.

Donkey says hello!
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Now THAT would have my old Silver running for the hills bucking like stink!
 
Armas said:
I used to have a mother and kid a while back till a retard of a farmer stole them :mad:
The female used to walk and jog with me she had no pen and always stayed near the house ;-) In the winter she would try to come in and sit by the log fire with the dogs. Oh they like that, pygmys are particularly fond of their creature comforts, I have one who would come in if she could, she parades up and down the deck glaring at us! Only trouble I never managed to house train her :eek: No, but at least their deposits aren't as bad as duck poop!

Enfys this was baby Milly can you identify who she is pushing as you are American ? Ummm, no, I am useless with faces :( :o I feel as if I should know. Oh, whispers, btw Milly is/was a boy ;)

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QUOTE].... What a very prettily marked goat though, I am a real sucker for goats, I wish I could keep at least two or three from every batch I get in here.
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Silvermiyazawa said:
Now THAT would have my old Silver running for the hills bucking like stink!
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Reg doesn't like other donkeys. There are some he has to hack past in the summer, and he hated them, and used to be a massive tit about them. He manned up very quickly, especially as he'd just been bullied by his pony companions!
 
Lolo said:
Reg doesn't like other donkeys. There are some he has to hack past in the summer, and he hated them, and used to be a massive tit about them. He manned up very quickly, especially as he'd just been bullied by his pony companions!
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Yes, Silver would probably have been a brave boy if he had had some around all the time. Now sheep he LOVED.......
 
Enfys said:
Armas said:
Ummm, no, I am useless with faces :( :o I feel as if I should know. Oh, whispers, btw Milly is/was a boy ;) [/COLOR]

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QUOTE].... What a very prettily marked goat though, I am a real sucker for goats, I wish I could keep at least two or three from every batch I get in here.
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Yes Milly was a boy, but as he was born in the garden I called him Milly.
The woman in the pic is Debbie Travis American / Canadian tv celeb
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Ditto the neither comment.

Donkeys are very good doers and can't really be kept with normal horses as they need treated like fat shetlands. They are also not waterproof and MUST have decent shelter. They also generally only make friends with a horse if they have no other choice and will alwways prefer another donkey. Lungworm however should not be a problem as it's easily killed by bog standard wormers.

Goats are amazing escape artists and won't be kept in by normal horse fencing. They also don't eat the same things as horses: they are browsers, not grazers and eat very little grass. And even more than donkeys, they much prefer their own species over horses and will be very lonely on their owne.

Just get another pony/horse as a companion..
 
Dogs make good human companions, but if you could only have either a dog or a human for ever, what would you choose? I know, at times a dog would be preferable, but imagine nevr ever having human company and instead just having another animal. What about a chimp, they're similar to us?
 
So if you have a dog you've got to have two...so on for cats etc?? My horse seems very happy living on his own. Some horses need equine company as they get stressed if they haven't and I agree that in those circumstances it would be better for them to have equine company. Others, however are happy to live with other animals as company. x
 
cardi_girl said:
My horse seems very happy living on his own.
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I doubt it. Your horse tolerates being on his own as he has no choice. How exactly do you know if he's 'happy' or not? They rarely run about screaming for more than an hour or so. It's has however been proved that most/all horses kept on their own have higher levels of stress hormone in their blood, even if they show no outward signs. My horse is 'happy' living on his own: he doesn't run about screaming. But he's MUCH happier with his friends.
 
I had a large breed goat for nine years. They are diva's and need looking after but she shared a stable and haynet with our old pony. She ate all the good bits and he lived on the rubbish she left. She would also box my horse and head butt him when she was young, like any animal they know who they like and if they do not like your horse they will not get a long.
I would go for a small shetland my friend has one and it lived loose on their yard keeping the racehorses company.
 
Kallibear said:
I doubt it. Your horse tolerates being on his own as he has no choice. How exactly do you know if he's 'happy' or not? They rarely run about screaming for more than an hour or so. It's has however been proved that most/all horses kept on their own have higher levels of stress hormone in their blood, even if they show no outward signs. My horse is 'happy' living on his own: he doesn't run about screaming. But he's MUCH happier with his friends.
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My horse was fine on his own ie he didnt get stressed or call or escape! As long as he had food. BUT yes he appeared happy when he had equine friend, I got him a little pony to keep him company. When the little pony was gone he was back on his own again and appeared fine.The last year of his life I moved him to a more suitable field (in preparation for lorry access when PTS). He was very arthritic and over the fence had a neighbours horses who he would wait patiently for at the same spot until they were back out. Then he would go off and eat. He really perked up with his neighbours being around and it gave him a new lease of life so although I knew he was ok on his own he was much happier in company and I was glad he had the other horses. I did know it wasnt ideal on his own and they should be kept with others, with another would normally groom each other and stand tail to head to stop flies etc so all of this behaviour was missing on his own(plus keeping guard if one or other was asleep for all those lions)!. But it was very obvious as above. Sis horse was kept with 50 year old donkey(they live forever) and they had no interest in each other at all it was as if either wasnt in existence. But good luck not sure apart from another pony?
 
cardi_girl said:
So if you have a dog you've got to have two...so on for cats etc?? My horse seems very happy living on his own. Some horses need equine company as they get stressed if they haven't and I agree that in those circumstances it would be better for them to have equine company. Others, however are happy to live with other animals as company. x
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Dogs are unusual in that they actually PREFER human company to their own if they have been socialised with humans from a pup. However, if a dog is going to be left on it's own for more than a couple of hours in a day then I believe they should have company of their own kind, yes. We have two outdoor dogs and two indoor dogs. If ever we have lost an outdoor dog we immediately replace it, temporarily bringing the lone dog into the house until a companion can be found. I have no idea about cats as have never owned one, except as a kid, though I think they tend to be loners mainly. I stand to be corrected.
 
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