good for you!!
i have two two yr old mini donk geldings. they are new to me, as of july, but grew up with three ngs and a mini horse. i got my goats at the same time. i was advised to keep them separate for awhile, to be sure the donks would not consider them intruders. so, that is what i did.
i am totally amazed at the behavior of the donks toward the goats. i, too, wanted protection, but wasn't sure what that would be, only that donkeys instinctively hate canines (you'll want to be careful with any dogs you have, perhaps someone here can tell you how to introduce them; i still do not let my dogs in with the donks now that they are as i am about to describe with the goats, as i think the donks would pulverize the dogs).
i just had my 'real' fencing installed which gives me a very large paddock, and a 1 1/2 acre pasture. while the goats and donks were in the smaller paddock for three months, they all seemed to get along fine; the goats did their thing, the donks theirs; sometimes the donks would seem to chase the goats and the goats would then run into their stalls.
then came the pasture, and i learned why the chasing episodes. the donks were out in the pasture; i let the goats out of their stall; one of the donks came all the way back and herded the goats out to the other donk. then, for the rest of the day, the goats were kept in a group, a donk on either side, as if the donks were trained herding DOGS!! when the donks decided to come in, they moved the goats in, one donk in front, one behind.
well, this seemed so neat to me. then a few days later, with all of them up in the pasture, i looked out and noticed both donks had alerted to something, their humongous ears erect and both of them looking at something i could not see. after just a little bit, one of the donks rounded up the goats quickly and moved them back half way to the barn, while the other donk stood where he was, watching. in a few minutes, the far away donk joined the group, but kept facing the trouble, and the other donk stood with his back to this donkey while he kept watching the goats.
when whatever the trouble was seemed to be gone, i swear the two donks high-fived one another with a big neck swat!!! i was just amazed!!!
it was truly like watching the trained dogs one sees on animal shows, as if i were here giving whistle commands or something.
evidently the chasing in the paddock had been the same thing, but with a smaller area it was harder to really see what the donks were doing. every day, the donks will come back from the pasture and herd the goats out. any strange noise or concern, and the goats are rounded up. the goats have learned to watch the donkeys signals (ears back, a quick run) and seem to understand. if one goat should stray a little too far from the group, a donk will pursue him and chase him back.
sooooooooo, these guys ARE guardians!! anytime my dogs are outside the fence, at least one of the donkeys moves to position himself between the dogs and the goats. this had been apparent in the paddock, as well. one day i was going to bring a new person in to see the goats; the donks suddenly were blocking the gate and wouldn't move! they had NEVER done this with just me.
the donkeys can bite and kick and stomp. we have coyotes and i am now much more relaxed about the goats' safety.
i HAVE HEARD that some donkeys have killed goats by grabbing them by the neck and shaking them. i don't know the circumstances at all for this; perhaps the donks were playing--they grab one anothers withers all the time; perhaps the goat was new to the herd and the donk considered it a threat. who knows. that is why i do suggest a period of time where they can all see one another, but are not in the same pen at the same time. then begin with supervised visitations. if all goes well, i think you will be extremely pleased with your new LGDs!! :lol:
i was also told that jennets are more reliable with goats than jacks. maybe mine being geldings makes a difference, and there are no competitions for jennets or anything.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU and welcome aboard the donkey circus!! i think you will find yourself laughing many times at their antics.
re: care. very similar to horses....need very little actual grain, like fresh water, mostly hay and grazing for food, hoofs trimmed (no shoes needed) about every six weeks, worm them as your vet advises. if youi have minis, they can and will overeat very easily with grain, fruit. i have found if i give each of mine an apple, they get diarrhea. if i split it between them, they are ok. they love carrots!! oh, more than just a handful of BOSS gives them diarrhea, too.
enough for now. feel free to check back in . we had a full sized donkey for many years, and he was great and a very easy keeper.