Well friends‚ our homestead and family just grew by four sweet souls! This week we welcomed home four miniature donkeys (or dinky donks as I’ve grown to call them): Winnie‚ Sugar‚ Cookie‚ and Bean Sprout. They are incredibly sweet‚ adorable‚ and silly; we love them so much already! We’ve officially caught “long ear fever”. Read along to meet our herd of mini donkeys‚ hear their adoption backstory‚ fun facts about minis‚ and why we chose to get miniature donkeys in the first place. I’ve also shared the steps we took to fix up and prepare our property and old barn for the donkeys. The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind getting ready for their arrival! Aaron and Sugar‚ pure joy and love. Why Mini Donkeys? Our miniature donkeys are primarily companions for us‚ but there are a few other awesome benefits of having them around too. As soon as we moved to our “new” homestead (coming up on three years ago now!) I assumed farm animals of some sort would be part of our future. Our property has a great fenced paddock area‚ weedy pasture‚ and modest old 2-stall horse barn basically ready to go. (The previous owners kept a couple horses and a goat on that 1-acre portion of the property.) Yet adopting farm animals wasn’t necessarily on the top of our priority list for the first few years here. I also wasn’t sure which farm animals would be the best fit for us. We briefly considered goats‚ but their reputation as escape artists and garden destroyers didn’t exactly get me feeling all warm and fuzzy about that idea. Alpacas are hella cute‚ but also hella expensive – and a bit moody‚ apparently. Plus‚ both goats and alpacas (or sheep) would need protection from predators.  Enter: mini donkeys! Mini donkeys are like the best combination of a dog and horse. They are sweet and affectionate like dogs‚ even smarter than horses‚ lower maintenance than horses (less expensive and less prone to health issues)‚ and easier to contain than goats – especially minis. Even better‚ they keep coyotes and other predators away! Full size donkeys can even kill coyotes‚ and minis will bite‚ kick‚ and generally deter them. They’ll also help keep our weeds down‚ and we can use their manure to make stellar compost for the garden. The herd Me and Winnie The Adoption Backstory In late November‚ I saw a couple adorable young mini donkeys on our local Facebook. I half-heartedly joked with Aaron that we should get them‚ though we definitely weren’t ready to jump into that kind of commitment on a whim. Their average lifespan is 33 years after all! BUT it did tickle my interest‚ hard. The more I looked into mini donkeys‚ the more I knew they’d be a wonderful fit for our homestead.  Serendipitously‚ I learned that there is a local rescue farm (Seein’ Spots Farm) about 45 minutes away from our house! The owner has a huge heart and takes in mini donkeys from kill pens or when owners can no longer care for them. The farm is also home to unwanted or neglected chickens‚ goats‚ horses‚ barn cats‚ old shelter dogs‚ pigs‚ bunnies‚ and a tortoise. On December 1st we went to the farm to meet some of the available donkeys. We were tentatively interested in adopting just two‚ but ended up falling in love with four (two bonded pairs): one older pair who are 15 and 16 years old‚ and one younger pair that are about 4 years old. The next few days were a total emotional rollercoaster mixed with very little sleep. Are we really doing this? Should we get all four? Perhaps just two is a better fit to start? What about the gardens‚ the cats‚ the quail…? Or going out of town? We went from wanting all four to none to deciding on just two and then back to four within about 72 hours. 🤣 But we are both SO happy with our final decision to bring home all of them.  After all‚ we have ample space‚ needed to do a TON of work to prepare our property whether it was 2 or 4‚ and (most importantly) donkeys are social herd animals and should not be alone. So while it is more mouths to feed and poop to scoop‚ we figured the more the merrier! Now if something happens to one of them‚ or if one needs to be away for some reason (like a trip to the vet)‚ then the others won’t be lonely. As sad as it sounds‚ it’s always good to prepare for the worst case scenario. The day we first met the girls at the rescue farm. Look at those sweet faces… how could we possibly choose?! Mini Donkey Facts They live a long time – up to 40 years or older! The average lifespan for a mini donkey is about 27 to 33 years. Donkeys are very social creatures. They thrive in herds and typically have one special buddy they’re most close to‚ also known as a bonded pair. So‚ it’s important for your donkey to have friends! They may also bond with a horse or other animals‚ but do love a fellow donkey around if possible. Mini donkeys are their own distinct species. Their small size is natural‚ and not a selectively bred-down version of a larger donkey (unlike most other miniatures). At the tallest‚ mini donkeys can be up to 36 inches tall or less‚ measured from the ground to their withers (or the area on where their back meets the base of their neck). Our girls range from 30 to 33 inches tall.  Mini donkeys weigh 250-350 pounds on average. Some can be more petite (our Bean Sprout is closer to 200 lbs) while others can weigh up to 450 pounds. Aaron and our shortest mini‚ Winnie. She’s only about 30 inches to her withers! Mini donkey facts continued… Donkeys are territorial and protective. Unless raised together‚ they generally don’t like dogs since they’re related to their closest natural enemy: coyotes. Full-size donkeys can and do kill coyotes‚ so they are often used by farmers as livestock guardians. Mini donkeys aren’t quite as voracious‚ but will fend off and keep coyotes away! Unlike goats‚ sheep‚ and other similar farm animals‚ mini donkeys don’t need predator protection – they are the protection! Our minis will help keep our property more safe for our chickens and cats too. Mini donkeys like to poop in piles. You can also train them to go in a particular spot by moving their manure there‚ making it extra easy for clean up and compost time! Donkey’s nap standing up‚ but lay down for a deeper sleep. They take little snoozes off and on throughout the day‚ but only sleep for about 5 hours total over 24 hours! Donkey’s originate from the deserts and savannas of North Africa‚ Egypt‚ and the Arabian Peninsula. Since they’re native to desert environments‚ their diet and metabolism is designed to subsist on little‚ dry‚ low-nutrient food. It’s important to carefully monitor your donkey’s diet‚ access to forage‚ and limit treats as they’re easily prone to getting overweight (which can lead to metabolic issues). I’ll write more detailed posts about mini donkey care in the future! Laying down to nap on their second day here – a great sign they feel comfortable and safe! Dinner time. We’re currently feeding them in a trough since that is what they’re accustomed to‚ but plan to transition to a slow feeder system soon. Meet Our Herd Our herd of mini donkeys includes Sugar‚ Cookie‚ Winnie and Bean Sprout. They are so sweet‚ beautiful‚ quiet and calm. Overall‚ they’re such good donkeys! We’d heard that female donkeys (jennets) were less rowdy than males (jacks)‚ so that’s what we were most interested in adopting‚ though we were open to a good gelded male-female pair too. We feel so blessed to have scooped up our four ladies! Sugar already knew her name‚ so we kept it as-is while we were able to re-name the others. Sugar (16) and Cookie (15) are the older bonded pair. They’re also a bit taller and larger than the younger two. Winnie and Bean Sprout are the smaller gray gals‚ and are both about 4 years old.  Winnie was surrendered by her previous owner who could no longer care for her. We’re unsure of the details‚ but she seems to be the most needy for affection and food. Bean Sprout was saved from a kill pen auction‚ so she’s the most skittish of the bunch but still very sweet and mellow. Both arrived at the rescue farm about 2 years ago‚ which gave them time to bond together and also be better trained there.  Sugar and Cookie had been at the rescue farm since they were little. They participated in the farm’s various fundraising events and open farm days‚ so they’re very well-trained and accustomed to people. It turns out Sugar even appeared on the Ellen Show as part of a feature about the farm many years ago! Check out the picture below. Though Sugar and Cookie were a beloved part of the farm for a very long time‚ the rescue owner knew it was time for them to move on to their forever home where they could live out their years with even more attention and space. It was an emotional goodbye for everyone‚ but she knew they were going to the perfect new home where they would be very well-loved and cared for.  Cookie and Sugar I’m not sure what year this was‚ but that’s Miss Sugar on the Ellen Show! Winnie (front) and Bean Sprout (back) Preparing Our Property for Mini Donkeys Though we already had a small barn and fenced horse pasture on our property‚ there was a LOT of work and modifications to be done before the donkeys came home! Much of the existing fencing was designed for horses‚ not mini donkeys‚ who can slip under or between things more easily. Plus‚ we’d just landscaped a big beautiful orchard area that we had to fence off to protect! Not to mention all the supplies we needed to get together. Thankfully the farm agreed to give us a few weeks to prepare. So‚ we made a “donkey do-list” and got to work! Barn Makeover Having an existing horse barn on our property was a huge asset. However‚ it was in pretty rough shape and needed a lot of TLC to get ready for our donkey girls. So we got to work scooping out old manure and bedding‚ pulled out and cleaned the stall mats‚ and removed rusted out water fixtures. I dusted off the cobwebs‚ sprayed down and shop-vacced the walls‚ and got it all ready to paint.  Painting the interior of the barn wasn’t totally necessary‚ but it made the space so much more bright‚ clean‚ and welcoming! Apparently equines are more likely to go into a well-lit space too‚ so that’s an added bonus. See the before and after photos below. We also replaced the leaking shut-off valves and re-routed some of the water lines for a new automatic water trough. The barn before. Ta-da! The barn after cleaning and painting. The donkeys will use the right side. The left side will be used for donkey and garden supplies storage. (That’s also where our cat Badger likes to sleep during rain.) Before. You can hardly tell there are floor stall mats under there! Plus check out the rusted-out waterer. After deep cleaning and paint. So fresh! Though it was a little more work‚ I decided to preserve and keep the nicest wood beams natural and only paint the plywood. Love the view of the oaks out the barn windows. Too bad the girls are too short to enjoy it! They’ll only come in the barn when it’s rainy though. Otherwise‚ they like to nap and sleep outside. Dragging out the old stall mats to spray down and clean. These stall mats are unbelievably heavy! Good thing we discovered these handy mat movers before we had to haul them all back in. Sugar and Cookie checking out their new digs and salt lick. We also installed a new light inside the barn (there wasn’t one before). For now‚ we’re not adding bedding on the mats because they will likely eat it‚ and will only be inside during rain (which isn’t often here). Fencing Once we decided to adopt the donks‚ coming up with a good fencing plan was one of my major sources of stress at first! We wanted to equally prioritize the donkey’s safety and happiness‚ as well as protect our garden spaces‚ keep certain areas off-limits to remain lush for wildlife‚ and still provide easy access around the property for our cats and small wild critters. Mini donkeys are best contained with heavy-duty (12 to 14 gauge) 2×4″ no-climb wire fencing‚ at least 3 to 4 feet high. Here is the fencing plan we came up with: Rather than keeping the donkeys confined to the existing paddock only‚ we wanted to give them free reign of as much space as possible – nearly an acre of the far side of the property. However‚ we also wanted to be able to close the girls into the paddock area on occasion when needed‚ so we had to add wire fencing all around it to close the large gaps. Since acorns are toxic to equine‚ we decided to fence off the densest oak areas on that side of the property. This will also protect the area that our wild California quail friends use for nesting and habitat‚ and ensure a few corners of property stay dense and wild for critters in general.  In order to ensure the cats‚ quail‚ and other small wildlife can freely move around the property‚ almost all of the new fencing we added has a 6 to 10 inch gap at the bottom above the ground. Finally‚ we installed 5 new gates at key locations for us to easily access the newly fenced areas. All in all‚ we ended up installing over 700 feet of wire no-climb fencing before the donkeys arrived! Nearly 400 feet on new t-posts around the orchard and “quail side”‚ and another 350+ around the perimeter of the paddock. The donkeys can roam in all the open space in front of the bar‚ in and alongside the paddock (the gate will remain open 99% of the time) and up a new path to the top of sandy hill. Our property is 2.7 acres‚ and the donkeys get to roam about an acre of it. Fencing T-post install day. Thank goodness for sandy soil and post drivers! Fencing off dense oaks and quail nesting habitat to the left‚ the orchard and largest oak to the right‚ with a path to the top of sandy hill up the middle. Mixing concrete and setting wood posts for the new gates My new favorite view – our (protected) new orchard on a hill with the donkeys happily grazing nearby. The existing paddock. Those horizontal gaps are too big to keep a determined mini donkey in‚ so even though we’ll leave this gate open most of the time‚ we decided to add fencing to the lower 2/3rd of the paddock. That way it’s secure and ready when we need it. The new lower orchard gate and fence line Outside the newly fenced paddock The First Week Home The donkeys are settling in very nicely in their new home! We’re spending as much time as possible outside getting to know one another‚ and I see more of their unique personalities emerge every day. In addition to all the excitement and bonding time‚ one of my favorite simple moments was when we were harvesting in the garden‚ and I looked over and could see the four of them peacefully napping in the pasture on the other side of the property. They really make our homestead feel complete! Our new daily routine consists of donkey breakfast and poo pickup first thing – we plan to build a big 3-bay compost system to help manage their manure next week. Then we come back for mid-morning brushing and cuddles‚ another afternoon visit where I’m learning how to check and pick their hooves while haltered‚ and then evening dinner time. Overall‚ mini donkeys are fairly easy keepers! First day home‚ checking out their new digs We built them a scratching post‚ but so far they prefer the barn… or us! 🙂 Excited for all this space and foraging! Donkey hugs Sugar is already a daddy’s girl All in all‚ it’s been a busy but beautiful first week. So that’s what’s new on the homestead. We’re so happy to give these sweet girls a loving forever home‚ and I hope you enjoyed learning more about them too. Be ready to see more of them in our posts to come! It’s about to be a very busy spring – we’re also getting over a dozen new baby chicks! Thank you for tuning in and helping welcome the dinky donks to the Homestead and Chill family. Please feel free to say hi or ask any questions in the comments below. You may also like: Backyard Chickens 101: What to Expect When You’re Expecting New Pollinator Orchard Garden on a Hill (Permaculture Berms Terraces)  Composting 101: What‚ Why &; How to Compost at Home How to Turn Your Yard or Garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat Did you enjoy this article? Want to hear more? Stay in touch! Sign up below to receive weekly updates on new posts from Homestead and Chill. The post Why We Adopted Mini Donkeys: Fun Facts‚ Our Herd &; More appeared first on Homestead and Chill.