Thinking about getting a donkey

https://lemmy.world/post/2572978

Thinking about getting a donkey - Lemmy.world

Should I? Recently I realized that I have only been reacting to life, and not setting some personal goals to prepare the proper steps to fully savor it. I am very poor, however, could acquire in a few years some capital to invest into a proper home of my choosing. I am not really looking forward to the long years of work ahead of me, I will admit. This is where the donkey comes in. I have heard that these creatures lived almost human lifespans, and still being quite young, thought about acquiring such beast. Does anyone have experience working with such animals? I only have experienced going on a trek with a couple of them, and seemed to be a very personality distinct specie. Would it be lonely without me? I am planning upon getting it when I manage to escape the city and acquire a river accessible abandoned property somewhere. It would max be left alone 3 days as a shopping trip or when gone fishing. Also do they actually perform farm labor, last one told me that it was a human myth.

I grew up on farm & we had two donkeys, Honeybun & Buttercup. Buttercup was older & eventually passed away, leaving Honeybun solo amongst the chickens, cows & horses.

Honeybun became ornery as all get out, just mean as hell. He’d started to bite anything close enough to be bitten. These weren’t little nips for attention; he’d draw blood given chance.

It got bad enough my grandfather carried a potato soaked in hot sauce to deter the donkey from biting. Grandpa would try to shove the potato into the donkey’s mouth when Honeybun went in to bite.

I know some donkeys get along well with horses. Honeybun did not. He bit those horses, went after chickens that wandered into his area, & likely would’ve done the same to cows if we’d let him.

I don’t have any specific advice for you, but I do believe donkeys get lonely & need some measure of companionship.

Did the donkeys get along with the chickens before their mood soured? I can’t tell if this is a copy pasta also they have very fun names

It’s not copy pasta, all of this took place in the late 80’s - early 90s, in my preteen years.

The horses were my uncle’s, named Silver & Chestnut. He also had a pig, named Alex.

Here’s a few shots of the farm, I took a couple of years ago.

Valley Falls Farms

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That is one gorgeous looking estate, feels so full of potential even during the harsher seasons.