Best pasture ornament?

i have made up choice new swear words for donkeys over the years!! both ours, who lets himself and pasture mates out and the nieghbors who rolled under the fence and serenaded the next door niegbor at 2AM (steve yer donkeys down here bellowing its head off !! get there, aint mine dude!! well whos is it!?!? not a clue and at 2 i aint waking no one else up!)

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àigeach carnaid
chaora dhubh
"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."

cruachan

If you have kids or grandkids, how about a mini horse?

[QUOTE=MushCreek;4283065].........I have no desire to get in to breeding and milking..../QUOTE]

You know this is how most of us started, right?

My ds got kicked by a foul-tempered Shetland when he was small, so I have a bias against small horses. For small children riding, I think a large mini or a standard donkey would do better.

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God bless,
Bonnie
Opportunity Farm
Northeast Washington

"While we have the opportunity, let us do good to all." Galatians 6:10

I think Willow Girl has the answer if yer just lookin for a lawn ornament. A contented old cow out in the pasture just seems so peaceful to me.

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www.salmonslayer-simplelife.blogspot.com

If you want low maintenance, goats are NOT what you want.

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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus

I have had both. Both make great pets. I would get mini donkeys again. Goats you would really need to tempt me.They babies are so dang cute though and that is what lures you in. My pygmy goats soon could scale anything you put in front of them, open any feed bin, learned a few latches and door handles too. Despite how stupid they can act sometimes, don't buy into it, its really just an act to test your weaknesses. Nothing is cuter though then a group of baby kids playing king of the hill on your pick up truck or climbing your apples trees. If you have a sense of humor goats should work, if you are a control freak and want everything in order, probably not. They would follow me and the dogs on walks so that was kind of neat. The donkeys stayed where you put them, were kind and gentle but had quite a voice on them. You will not miss a feeding time if you have a donkey. I tried housing mine together but the donkeys took great delight in chasing the goats all over the place and making them scream bloody murder.

Well, as much as I enjoy my goats, my vote goes to a donkey. They are very hardy, will eat a lot of the same scrub plants that a goat will, and you don't get as much of the " really fine and healthy last night, but deader than a door nail this morning" type of problems.

Goats! Goats! Goats! Best thing I ever did was get a pregnant goat! Now I have 3. I love them!!! Full of personality, loving, protective, easy keepers and make me laugh and smile EVERY day!

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Teach only Love...for that is what You are

I just changed my mind, and will say a couple of goats and a cow. This is only because my goats like to snuggle with the calves at night to stay warm.

Is there really any question?

GOATS! We have three Nigerian Dwarf wethers and they're the life of our barn. They're easy and relatively inexpensive to keep, full of personality, and without question the most fun animals I've ever owned.

Put up a good fence and make sure your latches are secure and they're fine. Mine are very well behaved, have never escaped and cause no damage (although they do like to chew on the barn from time to time). They sleep in my lap, dance and leap around their pasture and butt heads in the sun. They're even leash trained.

Can you tell I love my goats?

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Beth ~ Old Church, VA
3 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 4 cats, 3 Pekin ducks and 7 chickens. One very patient husband~

We stayed at a B&B that was also a hobby farm. Their fence was pretty weak, and had a low spot, which one of the goats had learned to hop over. I was taking by usual walk at daybreak, and the darn goat was out in the road. Having never dealt with a goat that I didn't have a fence between us, I shooed the critter back into the yard, and over the fence to it's pasture. My wife teases me that I earned my 'goat wrangling' badge that day! Their goats sure were cute.

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"What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces." -John Wesley

Some of the neighbors cattle got out and we enjoyed looking out in the snow covered wheat field watching them eat. what a nice sight to enjoy...so yep you guessed it..three black angus calves in the barn as we speak.. Dont forget that you also need one overweight dog laying in the yard that DW calls yard art

Goats. You wont regret it!

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Abby
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Unless life also hands you sugar and water, your lemonade is going to suck.

I haven't seen anyone say this, but having a B sized Donkey for years and know friends that have all sizes.

First question for you...

Do you plan to have the Donkey out with the chickens in pasture?
If the answer is yes,, most Donkeys will chase and stomp the snot out of your chickens. My chickens and even the Cat, have learned never to go into the donkey's pasture.
Same problem with all the friends I have that have them.

Do you want your donkey to protect your animals?
I would not recommend a Miniature donkey for this. I know of too many Donkeys from mini to small Standard that were either harmed and a very large Vet bill or killed. They are a prey animals just like horses, cows and so on.
Last year I ended up with my B sized Jenny with her face split open to the bone by a Bobcat, and she wasn't expected to guard. Not sure how it got in but now the fencing has been really, really beefed up. She also had claw marks on her hind quarters, if it wasn't for my Icelandic Horse I have no doubt she would be dead. Those stitches on the front of her face and the emergency call, cost a pretty bundle.

Have you ever handled Donkeys?
They are a whole other animal and it is best you learn about handling one before you get one. Or find one that has really been trained properly.

Do you have close neighbors?
I ask this because most donkeys are loud, very, very loud.

I had less problems with my little goats and sheep. Those were easy to care for, got along with all the chickens and ducks. Just like with anything else, good fencing is a must.
The large goats can and do pull "goat carts" .

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Shari