Instructions
Choose the proper breeding stock for your donkey, avoiding miniature breeds. The donkey has to be big enough to take on such critters as coyotes, wild dogs, foxes and bobcats. Visit donkey breeders or attend livestock auctions, or contact the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, www.blm.gov, an Interior Department agency that offers an adoption program for wild burros.
Sisterhood is powerful: Select females, or jennets, rather than males, or jacks, since the latter often act aggressively toward all other animals, including your goats. Pick a jenny with a foal, since the mother's natural protective instincts toward her offspring will benefit the goat herd when predators lurk. Wean the foal with the goats, which will lead to bonding between young donkey and goat herd, giving your farm an effective police officer with a job expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
Select carefully your donkey's home on the range. Donkeys are best used guarding no more than 200 goats in an open pasture of not more than 600 acres. Too many goats or acres, or too rough a terrain, and the guard donkey's effectiveness is reduced. Introduce the donkey to the goat herd on the other side of a common fence, so the donkey has several weeks to acclimate itself to its new companions.
How to Raise Donkeys to Guard Goats
Don't let predators get your goat, or the goat herd. Hire a guard donkey. With its exceptional hearing (think long ears), keen vision (note big eyes) and animus to all things canine, feline and vulpine (think of being stomped by those sharp hooves), the donkey can be an effective 24/7 security shield for your goat herd. However, raising donkeys for guard duty requires proper farm management practices, says the Texas Department of Agriculture.