Information on Goat and Sheep Keeping in St. Kitts and Nevis

Donkeys to Guard Sheep & Goats

Donkeys have gained popularity in the USA, and particularly in Texas, among ranchers and farmers for protection of sheep and goats. This is because donkeys have defined herding instincts as well as a natural dislike towards dogs.

Advantages of donkeys:

Guard donkeys can provide a high degree of around-the-clock protection for sheep and goats, particularly against dogs. They can forage with the herds, are inexpensive to acquire and maintain, and have an expected useful life of 10 to 15 years as guard animals. Most importantly, donkeys already exist in St. Kitts and more so in Nevis (where they have become a pest!) where, every year, innumerable sheep and goats are destroyed by straying dogs.

Donkeys are very hardy and usually require minimal care. The females make excellent guard animals while the intact males should be gelded before use as guard animals. Do not use males as guard animals because they are frequently aggressive to other livestock and may kill sheep or goats.

Management:

No special training of guard donkeys is required but halter breaking and teaching donkeys to load in a trailer may increase ease of handling. Management practices that induce a donkey to become a member of a herd of sheep or goats, coupled with the natural protective instincts exhibited by some donkeys are the important factors in successful use of guard donkeys. Their loud braying may also be helpful in discouraging predators and in advertizing the owner of some danger for his herd. Good guard donkeys will chase and trample a predator.

Deworming and occasional supplemental feeding during periods of poor range conditions is generally all that is required, in addition to water. Donkeys are not ruminants and should NOT have access to feeds containing urea (such as multinutrient blocks). They benefit from vaccination against common equine diseases, such as tetanus and encephalitis. Veterinary care, hoof trimming and floating of teeth may be required.

Some "guard donkey" tips:

  1. Use only females or geldings of medium to large size as guard donkeys. Use only one donkey or a female and her foal per pasture.
  2. Do not use males .
  3. To increase the probability of bonding with the herd, donkeys should preferably be raised from birth or placed at weaning with the sheep or goats and away from dogs.
  4. Test a prospective guard donkey's guarding response by challenging the donkey with a dog in a corrall or small pasture.
  5. It is important to monitor the use of guard donkeys at lambing or kidding as some donkeys may be aggressive or overly possessive to newborns. If this occurs, remove them temporarily. For best results, use guard donkeys with fewer than 200 head of sheep or goats.
  6. Isolate guard donkeys from other donkeys and horses or mules.
  7. Large areas, dense brush and scattered sheep or goats will all contribute to reduce the effectiveness of guard donkeys.

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Adapted from Texas Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Programs. 1997

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