Aggressive (recently gelded) donkey

[Juliette]

We have a three year old donkey that my husband bought in April. He’s bigger than a mini, but nowhere close to standard size. Not much history, was supposedly turned out with cows, hasn’t had a whole lot of handling but is a sweetheart with people.

He was cut in May, and we waited 60 days before attempting to introduce him to any of our horses, although for the last two weeks he’s been in a small paddock adjacent to my mare field.

Yesterday I turned him out with our mini mare and he attempted to savage her. Trying to ram his shoulder into her, biting at her ears and legs. He actually grabbed her hind leg and jerked it as high as he could, came very close to flipping her over. They were in a small paddock and I had left his halter and lead rope on, so I was able to immediately remove him from the paddock, but it really surprised me.

So my question is, does he just still have jerky jack manners that my go away as we get further out from gelding, or do we think he’s just a jerk?

I’m not too worried about putting him out with my big mares, as they would absolutely not tolerate that kind of crap (in fact, he baby talks to them over the fence), but it’s going to be a pain if I have to keep him and the mini separate. Plus I’m a little worried that if he tried that behavior with my other girls they might seriously injure him.

I am able to keep this guy by himself, and I have a friend who raises cows who would probably be willing to turn him out at his place for a few months if he just needs more let-down post-gelding (while still having some kind of companionship).

I will consult with my vet too, just wanted to see if anyone with more donkey experience than me would care to chime in. We had a jenny for years, but she was super passive and sweet, the ideal companion animal.

[candyappy]

Donkeys and mules are as individual as they come. He may not be able to live with horses. He was gelded late and I don’t know if he will ever be docile with mares ( especially if he bred them).

Truthfully,
I would find him a home with cows because you know he will be happy there and I would always be worried about the safety of your mares and him.

[wireweiners]

Jacks are notorious for being aggressive toward other animals. If he was gelded late and not used to running with other equines, I wouldn’t trust him around your mini.

[DJohn]

I’d let him in with the mares, personally. Let them smack some sense into him. He will probably always bully the mini though as she is the only one that’s smaller than him. You never know though, the mares may protect the mini.

Put him out there with just the big ones first. He may not know what is expected yet, and needs to learn.

[maunder]

I had a pony mule that savaged anything smaller than she was. She was fine with a horse but not anything under 44 inches.

[microbovine]

If you turn him out with big mares, watch him carefully when they go into heat. Jacks will run a mare until she is too tired to fight his advances. Our donkey was very slowly introduced to the herd. What keeps him in line is our late cut horse gelding.

Do you have another gelding to be his buddy? They are so much fun to watch when they play. Our donkey has a pony BFF and they are quite entertaining.

[Libby2563]

I acquired a 5-year-old mini jack and gelded him the next year. In the meantime he was basically fine with my two full-sized large horses (geldings) but did play quite rough with the youngster. It was mostly mutual but I did catch him hanging off the ground with his teeth clamped on the horse’s throatlatch once, and that’s when the gelding was scheduled. They no longer play rough so it seems to have worked. He has also been out with full-sized mares no problem.

BUT several months after gelding I attempted to turn him out with other minis and he was a total ass (ha). Ramming them, biting their withers, etc, like you described. This too was only a few months later so maybe your guy needs more time or a bit of an education in manners, as DJohn suggested. Or maybe they’re both just jerks. I haven’t tried again. If you have the time and patience, maybe put him out with the cows or alone long enough that your vet says the hormones are no longer in play, then try him with your larger mares and let them educate him.

[crosscreeksh]

[QUOTE=wireweiners;8758119]
Jacks are notorious for being aggressive toward other animals. If he was gelded late and not used to running with other equines, I wouldn’t trust him around your mini.[/QUOTE]

This…and donkeys have a vicious bite!! The crushing quality of their jaws creates a huge area of dead/necrotic tissue…we have a broodmare with a donkey bite scar which resulted in a large, permanent indentation (HOLE) in her neck!!

[crosscreeksh]

[QUOTE=DJohn;8758143]
I’d let him in with the mares, personally. Let them smack some sense into him. He will probably always bully the mini though as she is the only one that’s smaller than him. You never know though, the mares may protect the mini.

Put him out there with just the big ones first. He may not know what is expected yet, and needs to learn.[/QUOTE]

This is not a satisfactory solution IMO…big mares also suffer bad bites. If you’ve ever seen a donkey latch onto another animal (remember the video of the mule killing the mountain lion) you will never forget it!! Our 30 inch Jack…never known to be aggressive…attacked a nasty, visiting QH gelding who was kicking and biting several of the horses who were part of the donkey’s “herd”. It took two big men and a 10’ jump rail to beat the 30’ Jack off the 16.1 hand, stout QH who was near death as he laid on the ground…the Jack was clamped down on the horse’s windpipe!! Best to relocate the ex-Jack!!

[candyappy]

[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;8759621]
This is not a satisfactory solution IMO…big mares also suffer bad bites. If you’ve ever seen a donkey latch onto another animal (remember the video of the mule killing the mountain lion) you will never forget it!! Our 30 inch Jack…never known to be aggressive…attacked a nasty, visiting QH gelding who was kicking and biting several of the horses who were part of the donkey’s “herd”. It took two big men and a 10’ jump rail to beat the 30’ Jack off the 16.1 hand, stout QH who was near death as he laid on the ground…the Jack was clamped down on the horse’s windpipe!! Best to relocate the ex-Jack!![/QUOTE]

This is why they make good livestock guarding animals ( if you have the right one).

[crosscreeksh]

[QUOTE=candyappy;8759628]
This is why they make good livestock guarding animals ( if you have the right one).[/QUOTE]

Yes it is!!! But you have to know who and what you are pasturing them with!! One with a proven bad record needs a special turn-out!! We had a young, standard, GELDED donkey turned out with an Angus heifer…twice his size…one day he had a brain fart…got her down on the ground and almost tore her ear OFF!!! Love my donkeys, but Jacks must be monitored!!!

[Personal_Champ]

I have a small standard and a mini, the small standard was gelded at 3 and the mini at 6. They were put out with mixed herds from day 1 and get along with geldings, mares and foals just fine.

However - my mini is definitely a herd protector and will try to DESTROY anything smaller than him, even to this day - and he’s now 10. Dogs, foxes, coyote, smaller goats - and yes, probably a smaller horse. He was fine with my colt who was born taller than him.

[Dreamwalker]

[QUOTE=candyappy;8759628]
This is why they make good livestock guarding animals ( if you have the right one).[/QUOTE]

I’ve seen them paddocked with mature Bulls to break up fights in the herd. That was quite eye-opening!

[Rooty]

Interesting stories. I have a 15 year old standard donkey gelding and when he was younger I used him as a babysitter for our foals. He was wonderful, would play with them but not until they were old enough, and never too rough. I used to see him escort them back to their mothers if he felt they were not ready for him. I also used to put him in as a stall buddy with new weanlings.
That being said, I sold him for a few years (bought him back) and my instinct says not to use him now. When playing with adult geldings he can be rough, and they are so strong.
He was gelded as a yearling and he was a nightmare before he was gelded - would even attack people if one wasn’t careful. I couldn’t get those things off fast enough. I noticed a difference in him almost immediately after gelding, and he’s never attacked another person. If he had that would have been it.
He’s been a great companion animal, he can go out with mares or geldings, although not both together as he can get possessive about mares. But he gets quite attached to gelding buddies.
My 2 warmblood mares grew up with him as their childhood friend and they TOTALLY boss him. Heat cycles are never an issue, they don’t run from him, and they do not find him at all sexy so any overtures are met with a kick in the chops.
But he grew up with horses…