Noisy Donkey

[spottytom]

Any advice please. I bought a lovely little donkey in early December as a companion for my horse - and after a little pushing and shoving they now adore each other. However my land owner/Yard owner, who lives on-site is complaining that donkey is too noisy! To be honest I have hardly ever heard him bray but she says it is non-stop all weekend and she has had enough. My horse cannot be turned out with other horses therefore it would be very difficult to move. Just wondered if anyone had any advice please?

 

[TrasaM]

Some eaR plugs for the land owner
Sorry..couldn't resist. Can you try to find out what's triggering off his singing?

 

[Pigeon]

Maybe he needs another donkey?

There's herds of them in the new forest and they don't make any noise! But there's one on a farm near us who's kept alone and he shouts a fair bit.. Especially if people feed him over the fence, that could be a trigger too?

 

[spottytom]

I have a friend who has two and they are even more vocal than my donkey, so I dont want to get another one and risk double volume! He brays when he sees me arrive at the field but apart from that I dont hear a sound from him. My horse neighs when he sees me too - normal behaviour by both. Nobody feeds him but me. I think he is just friendly and shouts to the land owner when she is out feeding her chickens etc, but she is not happy about it and I am concerned she will ask us to move. He cant be hungry as we have plenty of grazing and he seems to enjoy my horse's company. I check them both twice a day and they get a small amount of hay each time. I dont want them to have any more have as both are approaching Spring carrying more than enough weight.

 

[AdorableAlice]

I wish all I had to worry about was a friendly donkey. Maybe she should get a hobby.

 

[spottytom]

I wish all I had to worry about was a friendly donkey. Maybe she should get a hobby.

Ha ha - yes I am soooo tempted to tell her to *** off and get a life! But I dont want to cut my nose to spite my face - it is a lovely field and suits my requirements - if only little donkey would keep quiet. I am keeping my eyes and ears open for a new field, but dont hold out much hope in this area. I just wondered whether anyone had any suggestions.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Where do you need to be in Worcestershire.

 

[spottytom]

Where do you need to be in Worcestershire.

It is complicated because I rent a stable at a yard up the road, but they only have shared grazing and my horse cannot share with other horses, therefore I rent land from this other lady about half a mile away. This means I can bring my horse up to the yard most weekends and keep him in and ride out with friends and use the sand school etc. Then during the week he goes back down to his field and enjoys good unspoilt grazing. So - I would need to find alternative grazing within walking distance from the main yard and stabling!

This is further complicated in that I have an autistic daughter and she keeps and rides her horse at my "weekend" yard therefore I wouldnt want to leave that yard.

 

[AmyMay]

So the donkey is on its own during the weekend?

Donkeys should always be kept in pairs, and become very strongly bonded. I wonder if this is actually the problem.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

I wish all I had to worry about was a friendly donkey. Maybe she should get a hobby.

My thoughts exactly! There's nowt queerer than folk.
Donkey's bray, horses neigh & dogs bark. She's being unreasonable. I would keep a lookout for alternative grazing - easier said than done I know.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

So the donkey is on its own during the weekend?

Donkeys should always be kept in pairs, and become very strongly bonded. I wonder if this is actually the problem.

Good point - I missed that. Donkeys should always have company, ideally another donkey and they will bray if lonely. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to escape when you take your horse back to the yard. Donks grow very attached to their field mates.

 

[only_me]

Donkeys should always be in pairs. We have 2 and they only bray when hungry - they see me walk up the orchard and demand hay

They go out with my horse - its a love hate relationship - billy chases them around the field (never actually going for them, just playing) regularly throughout day but since it keeps the weight off the donks we dont mind
But they will all lie together and sunbath/sunday lie ins and graze together!

I think you may have to get another donkey, there are plenty free to good home

 

[Fun Times]

Nothing useful to add except my horse seems to think donkeys are closely related to the devil. If one "goes off" near him he acts like you are suggesting he walk through a warzone.

 

[Irishdan]

My jack donkey is incredibly noisy. People often comment on how far away they can hear him. I always apologise but they all think its lovely. Dont think its your donk thats the problem here!!

 

[Highlands]

It is complicated because I rent a stable at a yard up the road, but they only have shared grazing and my horse cannot share with other horses, therefore I rent land from this other lady about half a mile away. This means I can bring my horse up to the yard most weekends and keep him in and ride out with friends and use the sand school etc. Then during the week he goes back down to his field and enjoys good unspoilt grazing. So - I would need to find alternative grazing within walking distance from the main yard and stabling!


This is further complicated in that I have an autistic daughter and she keeps and rides her horse at my "weekend" yard therefore I wouldnt want to leave that yard.

Waving hello... Yes I spyed donkey the other day. Let him bray as much as he wants.... Madam can get over it.... You could bring him down to The Mill, there is a nice garden there he would enjoy..... Next to our lovely neighbours... Can't wait to tell mum she will roar with laughter!

Helen and the highlands!

 

[Arzada]

Any advice please. I bought a lovely little donkey in early December as a companion for my horse - and after a little pushing and shoving they now adore each other. However my land owner/Yard owner, who lives on-site is complaining that donkey is too noisy! To be honest I have hardly ever heard him bray but she says it is non-stop all weekend and she has had enough. My horse cannot be turned out with other horses therefore it would be very difficult to move. Just wondered if anyone had any advice please?

The thing is that you are at the other yard all weekend with your horse so you wouldn't hear your donkey braying, If he's braying all weekend when he's alone and not during the week when your horse is back with him then this routine is clearly distressing him. I lived next to a yard where there was a lone donkey and while he didn't bray all the time (probably because he was there totally alone) he did bray whenever he heard a diesel vehicle coming up the hill - I guess because he thought it was his owner making the once a day visit. It's all very well someone saying let the donkey bray as much as it likes but the donkey probably doesn't want to be braying all the time - if it did it would bray all week as well. I felt like complaining about my neighbour's donkey - not because of the noise but because it is very upsetting hearing a distressed animal that you can't do anything about.

 

[Arizahn]

Why can't the donkey come to the yard at weekends too?

 

[spottytom]

Why can't the donkey come to the yard at weekends too?

Sorry for delay in getting back. Donkey does come to the yard with me at weekends - sorry if unclear. He is rarely, if ever, left on his own. It is just that for the last two weekends I have not taken my horse up to the yard, for varous reasons (mum not well and needing my care also). I think Donkey annoys her during the week as well, but at weekends she spends more time pottering around her chickens etc outside. I think his trouble is that he likes people and will call to them when he sees them and she is quite visible all weekend.

As I said, I have a friend who has two and they are extremely vocal to each other all the time. Imagine if I bought another one and doubled the volume! And to the person who said they are easy to come by.... it took me eight months to find mine - and he wasnt cheap! Plus Donkey adoption is harder than adopting a child !!

 

[spottytom]

Waving hello... Yes I spyed donkey the other day. Let him bray as much as he wants.... Madam can get over it.... You could bring him down to The Mill, there is a nice garden there he would enjoy..... Next to our lovely neighbours... Can't wait to tell mum she will roar with laughter!

Helen and the highlands!

Hi Helen - how lovely to hear from you. Please help yourself to Donkey when next passing - but.... you have to take Echo too!!

 

[canteron]

What people don't realise is that Donkeys are very clever and work us out very quickly.

Donkeys do pair bond very carefully, but you are where you are, so here are some thoughts.

Firstly is your donkey gelded? If not then you will never stop him braying, he is trying to find a local girlfriend!

Secondly is it a food thing? I have found that a good way to keep my donkeys quieter is to give them a free supply of Barley Straw (as recommended by The Donkey Sanctuary). The way that I manage it is to have a little bit of the field separated off (to keep the horses out) and have a hay hutch in their fully of straw. In their natural habitat they would endlessly nibble of very low quality scrub, barley straw is the nearest commercially available food and it definitely keeps them quieter.

Finally, when you take your horse out, maybe just lob a little bit of hay (or better still a bit of apple branch/similar) in for the donkey, then that would make the horse going away a less stressful thing for the donkey.

Lastly, look on The Donkey Sanctuary website for their management sheets and also give them a ring - they have given me great advice over the years.

Good luck.

 

[spottytom]

Thank you for the advice Canteron. I realised quite early on how bright my little Donkey is! He is rarely left on his own in the field - but if I go for a quick hack I throw a wad of hay in the field for him. There is only him and my horse in the field as he my horse's companion, therefore it would be defeating the issue to seperate them so that I can give him more hay/straw. My horse would go nuts if I took Donkey away from him now. Going over and over the situation in my head I think it is a combination of wanting more food and being sociable to humans - he is extremely affectionate and loves human contact.

Yes Donkey is gelded.

Could I put straw in the field for Donkey to nibble, with my horse in with him? - would it harm my horse to eat some too, as I think he would if he saw Donkey eating it?

 

[canteron]

Thank you for the advice Canteron. I realised quite early on how bright my little Donkey is! He is rarely left on his own in the field - but if I go for a quick hack I throw a wad of hay in the field for him. There is only him and my horse in the field as he my horse's companion, therefore it would be defeating the issue to seperate them so that I can give him more hay/straw. My horse would go nuts if I took Donkey away from him now. Going over and over the situation in my head I think it is a combination of wanting more food and being sociable to humans - he is extremely affectionate and loves human contact.

Yes Donkey is gelded.

Could I put straw in the field for Donkey to nibble, with my horse in with him? - would it harm my horse to eat some too, as I think he would if he saw Donkey eating it?

I just section off a bit of the field with 'unelectrified' electric tape which the Donkey can 'limbo' under, and which the horses can't, so the Donkeys have their own little bit of the paddock which isn't accessible to the horses and can access it at will (but clearly the horses and donkeys can see each other). The other parts of the field have electrified tape, but the donkeys are quick to work out which bit are and aren't electrified - the horses just assume it all is!! I genuinely think your horse would very quickly get used to the fact that the clever donk could limbo under a bit of fence to eat straw at will, and then return to main field with the horse.

Lots of people do feed their horses Barley Straw, personally I am a bit wary about it, it is a personal judgement.

On training, donkey love the attention and clicker training can work really really well. I have taught one of my donkeys to laugh at my jokes!! Somehow the donkey being able to do a random trick or two makes other people more affectionate and forgiving towards them (maybe you could teach the donkey to laugh at the landowners jokes!!!). My resources have been Alexander Kurland, Ben Hart & most accessible Hannah Dawson ….. but if you wanted me to I could write down a quick synopsis of how I got taught this trick!!!


Here is a quick video of some donkeys/horses Hannah has clicker trained!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwhfYnLYj0

 

[canteron]

….. also look at Hannah's blog on training some rescue Zonkeys (a X between a donkey and zebra), they are nearer a donkey mentality than horse!

http://www.hannahdawsonequine.co.uk/blog/

 

[spottytom]

I just section off a bit of the field with 'unelectrified' electric tape which the Donkey can 'limbo' under, and which the horses can't, so the Donkeys have their own little bit of the paddock which isn't accessible to the horses and can access it at will (but clearly the horses and donkeys can see each other). The other parts of the field have electrified tape, but the donkeys are quick to work out which bit are and aren't electrified - the horses just assume it all is!! I genuinely think your horse would very quickly get used to the fact that the clever donk could limbo under a bit of fence to eat straw at will, and then return to main field with the horse.

Lots of people do feed their horses Barley Straw, personally I am a bit wary about it, it is a personal judgement.

On training, donkey love the attention and clicker training can work really really well. I have taught one of my donkeys to laugh at my jokes!! Somehow the donkey being able to do a random trick or two makes other people more affectionate and forgiving towards them (maybe you could teach the donkey to laugh at the landowners jokes!!!). My resources have been Alexander Kurland, Ben Hart & most accessible Hannah Dawson ….. but if you wanted me to I could write down a quick synopsis of how I got taught this trick!!!


Here is a quick video of some donkeys/horses Hannah has clicker trained!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwhfYnLYj0

Huge thanks Canteron. I am going to fix up a small area for Donkey at the weekend with tape that is not connected to the energiser. I know he will catch on to the fact that it is not electric in no time at all - and that my horse wouldnt dare go near it under any circumstances. That way I can pop some extra rations out for Donkey and not risk my horse eating it all. Also, love the idea of clicker training - however dont think land owner would appreciate being laughed at !!

 

[jinglejoys]

My donkeys rarely bray,usually its when they see me and its about feeding time.Maybe they see your complainant and think they are going to get some attention.
When I first had My stallion I went to the breed show at Stoneliegh hoping meet other donkey people and make friends (got looked down on because he was a miniature and nobody knew anything about them in those day) but someone said the Worcs Rep was around and introduced me.She immediately said "Oh its YOUR donkey is it.We could hear him occasionally and every donkey in the village answers at the top of their voices" Apparently she lived in the village about half a mile away and Harvey Stood on top of the hill to let every lady for miles around that he was available.

 

[canteron]

And if you ever do clicker train the big secret is Ginger Nuts - Donkeys aren't stupid and will only do tricks for a really high value treat!

 

[RutlandH2O]

Op, canteron has given you some very invaluable advice. I've had donkeys for years, and the only times they bray is when I'm about to feed them and when one has to be separated from the other (a very rare occurrence indeed). For years our donks grazed with our Shires, but there was just too much lush grass for the donks, so we fenced off 2 sections of the paddock that became the donkey runs. Doing something similar, where your donk can limbo under a tape or rail, and you can toss in a section of barley straw, might just be the answer when you take your horse out. Though, I have to say, good luck with barley straw. My lot won't eat it. They will eat wheat straw, but it's not the best thing for them. Oat straw is preferred by some people, but it is so difficult to source, at least around my area. I have found that once the donkeys have tasted hay (very coarse, stalky, fibrous hay), they won't be inclined to eat straw. When I acquired my first Poitou donkey, her previous owner in France was rather adamant that she be fed hay, saying that straw is for bedding and hay is for eating. I did try to feed her straw over here, but she wasn't having any of it. My younger Poitou is quite unwilling to eat straw, either.

Contacting the Donkey Sanctuary is a very good idea. They have years of experience and are very forthcoming with advice.

I haven't done any clicker training, but have seen some remarkable examples of success with several donkeys and 2 pure Highland cows. Keep your cupboard well-stocked with ginger nuts...they are the most highly coveted treat in the donkey world.

Good luck with your boys. Let us know how you get on.

 

[fatpiggy]

My horse had donkey inmates in the adjoining paddock, always a minimum of two at time and the personel changed regularly as they were rotated from another paddock elsewhere. All the horses had complete hysterics when they first saw the donks, so you can imagine what they did when they brayed for the first time. The smallest one always wound up his air-raid siren as soon as he saw me every morning when I arrived to feed my mare and I used to shush him (it isn't as if I ever gave him so much as a polo either!) and he always responded to that Once my mare had bravely touched one over the fence she was totally in love and never took any notice of the braying again. Interestingly, he was the only really noisy one, most of the others never said a word so I think alot depends on individual personality. He was a minature and had little-man complex I think. He was very bright, nosey and I'm sad to report, despite being gelded, a proper s*x-maniac!

 

[spottytom]

My horse had donkey inmates in the adjoining paddock, always a minimum of two at time and the personel changed regularly as they were rotated from another paddock elsewhere. All the horses had complete hysterics when they first saw the donks, so you can imagine what they did when they brayed for the first time. The smallest one always wound up his air-raid siren as soon as he saw me every morning when I arrived to feed my mare and I used to shush him (it isn't as if I ever gave him so much as a polo either!) and he always responded to that Once my mare had bravely touched one over the fence she was totally in love and never took any notice of the braying again. Interestingly, he was the only really noisy one, most of the others never said a word so I think alot depends on individual personality. He was a minature and had little-man complex I think. He was very bright, nosey and I'm sad to report, despite being gelded, a proper s*x-maniac!

I think you have hit the nail on the head. They are all individuals - and mine is obviously a chatty one! There were varied reactions from horses at my "weekend yard" - but only one that was absolutely terrified and he has now accepted the Donkey too. The kids all adore him and he seems to love a fuss. He just needs to know when to shut up....

 

[Highlands]

Hi Helen - how lovely to hear from you. Please help yourself to Donkey when next passing - but.... you have to take Echo too!!

You know I like Echo alot! If I take donkey I insist you have Mars... He bites and Knicks and nearly pulled mother over.... Why because he can at 23.... Have a good clicker book if you ever want to borrow. My mum can't stop laughing re the braying... Doug moule on the corner had pebbles for years so your donkey is nothing new! Let donkey bray alot. Your YO needs a project! So funny!