I would appreciate any help. I have a young (yearling) Jenny that is fairly timid. She will allow me to get close, she will eat hay from my hand, but she will not allow me to walk around to the side of her nor make contact with her. She has a growing fly issue that I am trying to figure out how to treat, since I can’t get close enough to put anything on her. She is noticeably agitated by the flies and she is starting to develop small sores (which will be a whole new problem since I won’t be able to medicate them too), that the flies only further irritate.
Tom, you have two major problems. One is that you need to get this donkey to a point where you can handle her, to be able to care for her, and the other is a fly problem. Deal with being able to handle her first. You may need to put her into a stall, so that you can approach her, and she can’t exit (stage right). That would involve treats, and cajoling her. Donks are, for better or worse, really smart. You need to bear that in mind.
Then, you need to address her issues. That’s the easy part.
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I, too, have a shy donkey that is rather new to me that I’ve also discovered is a fly target. I laughed when I saw the title because I had the same thought — how will I ever get fly spray or a fly mask on!?
Lots of treats, lots of forcing him into situations where we are in close quarters but I’m totally ignoring him and then “forcing” scratches in all the places I know he likes (and reinforcing with treats for being tolerant). It’s never taken an animal this long to take to me and it kills me but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully, he’s food motivated so I ask him to come into the barn aisle for his 2x/day feedings where I am in close quarters. Since being home more now, for the past week I’ve been able to be more consistent with showing him that I’m safe — scratches in the right places (albeit against his will until he sees just how good it feels) and leading him to the good grass out of the pasture. I use leading loosely because he gets stuck and plants his feet at least five times to get the 10 feet to the nicer grass. Always reinforcing with treats! In just three days he would let me scratch him sparingly and today he let my “stranger” husband scratch him all over. You must get her into a space where you can handle her and show her that you aren’t trying to hurt her and that you’re a provider of something good to her, whatever that may be. Hang in there!
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Thank you both for the help. I do have a small stall that I can get her in, but I need to put a gate on one end of it so she can’t get out. Oddly and unfortunately, she is not terribly food motivated. She will come and eat hay and feed from my hand, but I have not found a treat yet that she likes (and I’ve tried a few). Being home these last few weeks has really helped, she has gotten to the point that she sees me coming and will walk right over to the fence and wait for me, but still only wants me right in front of her.
FYI, there numerous videos on youtube showing “Working With My New Donkeys”. Go slow and have lots of patience.
Might help you to see how someone else does it.
I’ve had young foals who hated fly spraying near them so I started getting them used to me rubbing them with a rag or wash cloth. I then proceeded to put fly spray on the cloth and rub that on them.
Everything you do with them, break it down into tiny steps before moving on. If they react, back up and go back to what they accept. It seems like a slow process and sometimes it is, but eventually you’ll get to where you can do more and more with them.
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OP, I sympathize. I got a second donkey in January as a buddy for my first one (who is incredibly sweet and people-oriented). The new one was born feral and after 3 full months of me not trying to kill him, he still acts like I’m a potential donkey murderer. It’s frustrating and I know I need to put in more time with him so I’m not in the same position as you when the flies get bad here. Thankfully he’s pretty food-motivated though.
When you are able to handle her, I’ve found the following to be helpful for my other donkey’s legs:
Pyranha Insecticide Aerosol (https://www.pyranhainc.com/products/for-horses/) – this stuff is amazing and has kept my donk’s legs bite-free for two summers with twice-daily application to each knee and below, but since it’s an aerosol it’s loud and will probably scare your girl without a proper introduction
SWAT
Silver Whinnys (https://soxforhorses.com/silver-whinnys/)
Shoo Fly Leggins
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Since I am a relatively new Donk owner- can anyone tell me why flies love Donk legs? Seriously, I do not get it!
Until you can handle her, an insecticide rubber might be worth a shot? They’re used most commonly for cattle, but there’s no reason you couldn’t set one up for a donkey.
Here’s one version, Google for more. They’re basically a fabric bat that’s charged with fly spray, and the cow/donkey/whatever rubs against it to apply themselves. Donkeys are smart!
https://www.battlearmordesigns.com/implements/cattle-curtain-insecticide-dispenser
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