I have been trying to get a sled setup for the donks for almost a year now and we finally did it! My husband picked up this Pelican sled from the local farm start winter of 20/21. Not the most amazing setup for the shafts, but they work very well, the can move up and down, and are strong enough for Daisy to turn the sled. The most important part of this is the shafts give you brakes! Sledding won't be fun for your donkey if the sled bonks them in the legs when you stop. The shafts are from Kingston Saddlery, they are the 7 Piece heavy duty curved shafts. You can purchase them here. So far the length works for walking, I may have to extend the shafts if I plan to trot her. Daisy is wearing her farm work harness, I love this set up, she is very comfortable in it, and it has the proper line of draught. Surprisingly it's quick to put on, even though it doesn't look like it. You can check out the harnesses here.. Hoping to build a little seat soon, for now it's piled up blankets and a sheepskin, so cozy! This was one of my absolute favorite days, getting to take friends on a little donkey sled ride all dressed up for Christmas. Yes, the rein is looped under the shaft, but Daisy is actually being led by my husband. We snowplowed a trail through the property to sled on, so it would be easy for Daisy to pull.
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We have finally started on Donk Hause2 (aka all I want for Christmas is a house for my ass). We visited a local shed dealer and looked at their run in sheds. After seeing some pricing we made some notes and decided to build them ourselves. We are hoping to build two of these, and a third as a tack & feed room (which is currently housed in our basement, which is not ideal). This shelter is 10'x12', 8' tall on the back wall and 12' tall on the front wall. The door opening will be 8' as well. We used T & G for the lower 4', to double as a kick wall. Most of our building was on Christmas day and we had some good weather! Almost ready to the metal sides and roof. A nice shot of the Bridger mountain range with some Alpenglow.
We have Ass Haus #1! We are starting on plans to build two more, one for each donkey (we did not build this one). We got a really great deal on it from our local shed supplier. Rocky & Daisy are making good use of it as a playground! Unlike horses their coats are not as waterproof. Donkeys always need access to a shelter, now whether or not they choose to use it is a different story! I have told many people that donkeys dislike standing in the rain only to watch mine stand in the rain and get absolutely drenched! But they always need the option! We are still planning our barn and likely will not get to start building it until next year. So for now it's just some run in sheds that we can relocate as the property changes. ![]() Now that we live in a different area with no HOA...that means we can buy round bales! We used to have to buy our hay and it HAD to fit in the barn, it could not be left out and tarped....you know 'eyesores' and all. This created alot of anxiety feeding through the winter - did we have a enough hay to make it through....will I be able to find more....all that jazz...(fyi for those that don't know, in MT there isn't 'feed' stores like in other states where you can go down and buy some hay, you need to find a farmer to buy from directly. No HOA also means I can buy large rounds of barely straw for the donkeys to have access to 24/7. why straw? "As donkeys have a very high fibre, low sugar dietary requirement, straw makes a good basic feeding product. Donkeys are generally able to eat as much straw as they like to fill their bellies and keep their digestive systems moving without consuming too much energy (although testing straw before feeding is recommended as some modern strains can be higher in energy than expected). Consuming too much moderate to high energy food (particularly products containing cereal grains) causes weight gain and has been associated with development of gastric ulcers and laminitis among other things" - Donkey Sanctuary UK. I can tell you this so far, mine have been LOVING it....I love watching the timelapse off the camera and seeing how often they go and visit the bale....er....pile (it didn't' really stay bale shaped!) to snack on between feedings. I will be doing a review on this camera soon. So far it's great! If you want to learn more about feeding donkeys....go to the Donkey Sanctuary UK For my Burro Walk people, I have see people joining and leaving, I see you! I haven't forgotten about you all! We did not anticipate moving...Once we get settled and wedding season is over, we're going to set something up. Maybe we need a donkey Haus building meeting!?! eh?
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We finally were able to find a new home! Our previous home became unwelcomed for the donks (HOA's sheesh!) After a ton of hard work, showings, house hunting we finally found a house that had no HOA. We are still settling in and building a new house for the donkeys, hopefully before winter!! The new property has no donkey amenities and we're starting from scratch again - donkey houses, water infrastructure, fencing, everything!
If you'd like to help contribute to our rebuild, please click the link below, we will be posting our progress here and on social media. The donks thank you! We have a changed the way we take date requests and collect info for events. Please check out our Beer Burro Event page and scroll down midway, you will see two buttons on the left you can click to get a date requested.
![]() That was quick! We are now fully booked for July 2023. If you're interested in having Rocky & Daisy at your event, don't wait! We are filling up quickly and they only work a limited amount of events per season. We still have dates open in June, August, September, and some of October (weather dependent). ![]() I have had a hard time keeping up on the blog, but also there has not been much going on. Rocky continued to be hand walked daily, took his medicine, had his temps taken, stall cleaned etc. He is such a good patient. The only times that were not super fun is when it was blowing snow, you know the kind that hits you in the face and stings. I also have not gotten too many good photos, days mostly consisted of walking in the AM, in the dark, going to work, and walking him in the PM, yep, you guessed it, in the dark.... I am happy to report that he is almost fully integrated again! We started out by spending a few hours turned out with Daisy, then the next day a few more and so on. I kept a close eye on him in the beginning, even rushing out when Daisy started clacking at him, in fear he might mount her. After that I started stalling her and letting him have the run of the pasture, which if you look at the photo below, she hated. But we're up to full days turned out with Daisy, and nights in the stall. Mostly because we have had quite a few loose dogs in the last few months and I don't want anyone chasing him, especially with how slippery it is (ice). He's doing great! Swelling is worse than yesterday, thankfully attitude wise he seems less depressed. Walking around more etc. Saw him eating a bit on camera, he also drank almost a gallon when I refreshed his water.
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We had to leave our beautiful donkey barn behind at our old property. We now have to completely rebuild.
AuthorHere to share all my donkey related adventures....why? Because they're basically the best thing ever. Archives
January 2023
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