Donkey

[jcummins]

I'm new to the cattle business, although have been around them for awhile. We have purchased 125 acres, remote from our house, a worn out old corral is about the only thing on it, but pretty good pasture. Have not had coyote problems…yet. But we are seeing them, and shooting them when we can. Concerned about new born calves, especially since we aren't there to regularly check on them.

I've read here that donkeys don't mix with cows, in fact one post here, had an injured calve cause by the donkey. But…I've also read some want them to keep predators out. And for sure I have concerns about coyotes.

So what's the consensus on this?

 

[dun]

Some donks work if they've been raised with cattle. The best use of them is still a pitcook barbeque. A neighbor had the same problem with llamas that the earlier poster had with a donk. The best solution is good protective maternal cows.
Although the judicious use of a predator call and a rifle (or Contender) sure doesn;t hurt

dun

 

[Brandonm2]

We have run donkeys with cows for years due to coyote and dog losses and our neighbor still does. Everybody in this clustered area with over 20 cows around here in the 90s ran donkeys with cows. I have never had a donkey harm a calf (to my knowledge); but coyotes are a different story. I would get the donkeys if I was regularly seeing coyotes in daylight. Now it probably would be better to get them from a guy who runs them with cows than from the government even if you have to pay a little more.

 

[ctlbaron]

I'd just as soon have the coyotes as a donkey. 8)

 

[Gale Seddon]

Okay, it's good that you are asking about donkeys BEFORE you get one to guard your livestock. Some people just put them out with their cows and are devastated when a jack (intact male) kills a calf or runs a cow through the fence. Some donkeys (and some horses, too) just don't mix well with cattle (or goats or sheep). They are territorial, tough and strong, the very qualities that make some of them very GOOD guardians...but not all are suited to this...a miniature donkey is simply too small (in fact, recently someone in KY lost three mini donkeys to a 2-dog attack).

Here's an article about guard donkeys...I hope you'll find it helpful:

http://www.usipp.com/gatefarm/the_donkey_guardian.htm

Dun, I ain't even gonna ask if you've eaten donkey cause I'm afraid of the answer (LOL).

Though I haven't seen any coyotes here, they ARE around and it's just a matter of time. Glad our cows have horns.

 

[cherokeeruby']

Since you live in Texas you could just run Brahman or Brahman cross cows and forget the donkey. They do a great job protecting calves. Never had any coyote problems here although we see them all the time.

 

[Scotty]

I have some Angus cows that are jsut as mean as the Brahman. To go along with what Dun said, the donk needs to be a jenny(female). I have only heard of horror stories with jacks.


Scotty

 

[Dusty Britches]

I'd just as soon have the coyotes as a donkey. 8)

Ditto that. Plus I've noticed that if I shoot at the coyotes every time I see them, they learn to skirt our place for several months. Most healthy calves will out run a coyote. It is only when they are less than 1 to 2 weeks old that they are vunerable.

Texas Department of Agriculture has some good information about guard donkeys.

http://www.agr.state.tx.us/pesticide/br ... onkeys.htm

 

[jersey lilly]

Several years ago, we had a lil jenny in our herd. She'd been raised with ropin steers. Friend needed a place to put her, so brought her out and let her run with the cows. Didnt have a problem until.........
One of our heifers looked really big and we were afraid she'd have problems havin the calf. This same friend asked if we mindin him takin the heifer home with him so he could watch her close. We check cows every day, but he was just overly worried about this heifer. Turned out he was right, couple mornins later he started to leave for work around 7 am and she was havin trouble. He pulled the calf, everthang was fine. Two days later he loaded her and the calf back up and took her back out to the pasture. Soon as he unloaded her and the calf, that lil jenny grabbed that calf by the scruff of the neck and took out across the pasture carryin it. 350 acres and she crossed a creek and headed for the backside of the place...still carryin that calf. Needless to say, he hopped in his truck and chased em down.......rifle in the back window came in handy that day. I won't ever put another donkey in with my cows...let the mama's take care of em.....I know they are protective.......

 

[S.R.R.]

Put a couple Highlands in there. Real easy keepers and good on coyotes dogs ect.

 

[jersey lilly]

Highlands in south east texas??? with all that hair? and this heat? Lord have mercy they'd be mighty miserable lil critters.

 

[S.R.R.]

jersey lilly. Buy looking at them you would think so. What alot of people do not know is that a Highland will not grow their long hair if it is hot. The ones I have have hair close to my Lim x Char in the summer and will stay that way until it starts to get cold. People that live in the south say their Highlands do not ever grow the real long hair. Neat little beast eh?

 

[stocky]

I had some coyote problems and was told that llamas would keep them out of the pasture. I bought llamas and put 1 male or 2 females in each pasture and I havent had a coyote problem since. I bought 21 llamas, but it has been worth it to watch them run any dog out of the pasture. Now, dogs may go up and down the road, but they wont cut through the pasture. The llama will walk along side the fence right with the dog, to make sure they dont come in the pasture. Maybe I have been lucky getting good llamas, but I am happy with them.

 

[Bobg]

Since your in Texas get a longhorn. My longhorn cows don't let anything in the pasture, they even chase the rabbits out.

Bobg

 

[jersey lilly]

LOL no thanks, dont want any longhorns either, I may be born and bred Texan, but I just don't prefer them. in 15 years of havin cattle we've never had a loss to a coyote. Only reason that lil donkey was here was because the friend didn't have any other place to put her at the time. However we do watch the coyotes close since they carry mange and rabies. If we see em that are scrungy lookin we definately try to taken care of em.
As for highlands, I've seen a couple down here, and they had long hair. poor lil guys were standin there pantin. No way would I even think of puttin a critter that comes from an area thats cold that they are designed to live in, and put em in a situation like 110 degree weather.

 

[S.R.R.]

Drive by and take another look at thoses Highlands. I bet when you saw them they had not been there a year yet. Take a look at the study done by the National Library of Medicine titled
"The effects of heat exposure (31 degrees C) on Zebu and Scottish Highland cattle." Interesting stuff.

 

[Craig-TX]

Although the judicious use of a predator call and a rifle (or Contender) sure doesn;t hurt

Agreed. It's hard to beat a deal where you have fun and come out ahead at the same time.