the donkeys

We have the company of three donkeys: Nora is the eldest, Jerome (her son) was born at the donkey court and finally, Babette who's been with us since September 2004. The donkey court (ezelhof) is situated in Flanders, Belgium - see map,

Nora	Jerome	Babette

born 1999? father ? mother ? always wants to eat	born April 18, 2002 father ? mother Nora always wants to be annoying!	born April 28, 2004 father Dorus mother Siska always wants to be hugged

Nora

Finally... We had just moved to our new home in the spring of 2001 and we went to have a look at a donkey up for sale just a couple of kilometers away. We couldn't resist.

	In the beginning, Nora was very shy. It took several months before we could even stroke or brush her. It seems she wasn't used to people but gradually we managed to gain her trust. Now, we have no problem looking after her feet or brushing her belly (as long as there is no one else around).
Nora August 2004

Taking a walk with Nora can sometimes be a real pleasure, although on occasion she can stubbornly come to a standstill and refuse to walk any further (and then, it begins to rain, and there you are...).

When buying Nora, we explicitly choose a non-pregnant mare and the seller assured us she was not pregant (so much for his care and knowledge!). Nora grew bigger and bigger. Although we sometimes joked that one day we would wake up and have two donkeys looking at us, we never actually imagined she was pregnant (nor did the vet!). Nora was too young, we think that by the spring of 2002 she was barely three years old. Some people claimed she was eating too much and should loose weight. And so she did: Jerome was born, unexpectedly but very much welcomed by all of us!

Jerome

Jerome was unexpectedly born on April 18, 2002. The delivery went very well and he was already born by the time the vet arrived. We were pleasantly shaken up and very much surprised!


Jerome trying to stand up about two hours after delivery, April 18, 2002	Trui brushing Jerome, summer 2002


Cadache (cat) & Jerome summer 2002	Nora &Jerome August 2002

Babette, Nora & Jerome
2003

Jerome is now as big as his mom and is a bit of a handful. When we want to brush him, cuddle him, or when his feet have to be taken care of, he cannot stand still!

Nora and Jerome cannot be separated: when we take either of them for a walk, the remaining one raises hell in the pasture, fiercly trotting around and loudly braying.

Babette

In 2004, we decided to take in a third donkey. We bought Babette in the summer of 2004 and she arrived on the donkey court on September 11, 2004 (born on April 28, 2004).


Babette - September 2004	Serena & Babette meet September 2004

Babette is a real sweety and is very affectionate.
While Nora is primarily interested in food, Babette always wants to be cuddled and hugged .

Front to back: Babette - Jerome - Nora
July 2005

It took a while before Babette was accepted by Nora and Jerome. The first couple of months, they completely ignored her and left her out of donkey play.

Now, Babette, Jerome en Nora form a close donkey threesome.

photos


Jerome, Nora and Petoet (cat), 2003	Jerome a couple of days old, April 2002

Trui with Jerome & Nora
summer 2003


Babette, Nora, Jerome July 2006	Babette, Nora & Jerome, March 2005

Nora is tired - summer 2006

Babette, Nora, Jerome
March 2005

Thinking about keeping a donkey?

a donkey needs company
Don't put a donkey all alone in a pasture. Preferably with another donkey, or otherwise with one or more sheep or goats.
Regularly brushing them is good for their fur and gives a good bond between catetaker and donkey. Especially in spring, they enjoy being released of that excess winter hair!

the hooves of a donkey need to be taken care of
Because their hooves do not wear off themselves on soft pastures, the farrier needs to come around about three times a year to trim the hooves. In between, you need to clear the donkey's hooves of dirt on a regular basis.

the vet comes on a regular basis
We have the vet over at least twice a year for vaccinations (tetanus etc). On that occasion, their general health status can also be checked (teeth, ears, etc).

patience is all you need!
When you take the donkeys for a walk, when their hooves need to be taken care of or when they need to return to their stable in wintertime, things do not always turn out as you planned (you are the one being fooled!). However, don't give up! Donkeys remember very well that they had their own way once and can give you an even harder struggle next time!

donkeys can eat themselves to death
Obesity is a serious problem for donkeys and can ultimately be fatal. Rich land with lush grass is not good for donkeys: their diet is too rich in proteins. Ideally would be too have such pastures grazed by sheep in advance and just afterwards let the donkeys graze on them.
Donkeys may only sparsely be additionally fed, with some dried bred, carrots or on occasion an apple. Hay and even straw should be given daily in wintertime and suffice as supplementary food. The donkeys also have a universal mineral lick in their stable. In winter, we also give a special dry donkey food mixture (Alfamix ezel) which our donkeys are very fond of.

donkeys can endure cold, no damp
Donkeys can endure mild freezing temperatures (although they originally lived in warmer regions) but they cannot stand wetness. Keeping donkeys in our climate, they always need to be able to seek shelter in a draught proof stable (even in summer time). We use wood shavings as bedding. The stable is about 6m X 3m. In wintertime, the donkeys need to stay in their stable at night (door closed) together with the elderly goats and we only let them out for a couple of hours a day in winter time.
In Flanders, the dominant wind direction during storms is south west, so the stable door is situated on the opposite side (north east).

A donkey can reach the age of 30 to 40 years!

Some movies of our donkeys.