You all know I love our mini donkeys!! Miniature Donkeys have become my pride and joy this past year. Everyone thought I was the crazy goat lady and now my husband says I’m on a whole new level!! These mini donkeys want attention and love and they are beyond kind to children. Read on to learn more about miniature donkeys!

What is a Miniature Donkey?

Miniature donkeys are a specific kind of Mediterranean donkey. In order to be officially recognized as miniature, the animal has to measure no more than 36 inches in height. All of our donkeys are under 35 inches currently. Even though they’re cute and compact, they still weigh between 200 – 400 pounds. This means when they step on your boot it hurts watch out for them leaning on you to give you love!

Given proper care, a miniature donkey in the right environment will live for around 30 + years. Mini-donkeys are also very trainable, so they’re used for various tasks in various environments. First, they are used for companionship. People will keep them on the farm to play with their kids or serve as companions for horses, ponies or other donkeys. They can be used as protectors too of sheep, goats, or other smaller livestock.

They have a natural dislike of coyotes and foxes and they won’t hesitate to try and stomp on any trespassers that try to slink into the pasture. They also have very strong herding instincts, so they’ll keep the flock together as a matter of course. But, according to National Miniature Donkey Association (NMDA) and the American Donkey Association (ADA), reputable breeders have been fighting for decades. Hundreds if not thousands of miniature donkeys have been severely injured, tortured, and worse (killed) by this misinformation that they will protect livestock. It is important to be proactive in the area you live in to protect your livestock it is not the miniature donkey’s duty.

Miniature Donkey Temperament

Miniature donkeys are extremely social animals. If a miniature donkey was alone on a farm without any other animal friends, it may become sick or depressed. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to have a herd of mini donkeys like we do, just one other donkey friend would do. You could also surround your miniature donkey with other livestock such as goats, sheep, chickens, horses, or cows. The most important thing is that they have some sort of social interaction, which should keep your miniature donkey entertained and happy.

If you were planning on only keeping one miniature donkey with your other livestock, you may want to consider keeping a female, or a jennet. The reason for this is that a male miniature donkey, or a jack, may become aggressive if they are the only miniature donkey around. Females typically have an easier temperament and would be easier to train.

Miniature donkeys each have their own unique bray, or hee-haw, basically like their own unique voice! This is such an interesting miniature donkey fact, because this is how they communicate with each other and recognize each other, and it’s sweet to know that they would recognize each other’s voices in the dark. Overall, your miniature will form a close bond with you and the other animals it interacts with, and can become a special part of your family.

5 Reasons to Have Mini Donkeys

If you were considering adding a miniature donkey or two to your farm, you are in the right place. Not only have we made our miniature donkey breeding dream a reality, we are absolutely loving it! Here are 5 reasons why you should own a miniature donkey of your own:

1. They act like dogs! They have the best personalities ever. If they were small enough, they would just crawl right into our laps!
2. They’re incredibly affectionate and love cuddles. Mini donkeys will nudge you for attention and may nibble on your clothing.
3. They love being with other animals. Ours are with sheep and goats are they are adorable to watch!
4. They are the best with children. Our friendly mini donkeys just love Frankie & Georgie!
5. They are easy to train and did I mention how cute they are?!

Looking back on how far we have come since starting our miniature donkey breeding dream is truly humbling. We love each and every miniature donkey that we have bred and raised on our farm! We hope this post has inspired you to get a mini donkey.. or two… or FOUR!

Hugs,

Christina & Trevor