# To geld or not to geld that is the question......



## PamL (Sep 14, 2017)

Good Morning,
I have a mini jack that just turned 1. I have an appointment to get him gelded next Thursday. I just found 2 Jenny's that need rehomed last night and now I am debating on getting him gelded or not. The girls are mother and daughter ages are about 13-14 & 5-6 years old. Should I let nature take its course and try for babies or just get him gelded? I will add that he is a little brat! He is super friendly but very feisty and likes to bite. We had to keep him separated from the cows because of biting and chasing. I was also hoping that the girls would help him settle down. Anyone with experience that can guide me in the right direction???? Thanks


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 14, 2017)

GELD!


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## Mini Horses (Sep 14, 2017)

GELD.

I raised them.  If he is feisty now, the jennets will NOT gentle that.  Donkeys are very aggressive in their breeding habits.  They like to chase the jennets and mount when she is too tired to run.  I have seen them bite one they didn't like until stitches were needed.   Plus, what do you intend to do with more?

So, if gelded, they can roam together & he will settle some ---will take 6-8 weeks before ---so keep separate.   He will like some of his on kind.  

Donkeys are far stronger than they appear.   I had a 32" jack that was gentle & easy to work until the jennets cycled.   THEN, two men who were 6' tall & 200# each could not hold leadlines on each side of halter.   It's like a tank with legs!!

Just because an animal has the equipment, why use it unless there is great improvement in the get.   Too many are in rescues now.   We should house them, not make more.  IMO


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## Bunnylady (Sep 14, 2017)

GELD


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## PamL (Sep 14, 2017)

Thanks all! I will keep the appointment to get him gelded.


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## promiseacres (Sep 14, 2017)

Any doubt please geld. Any breeding should have a plan and purpose.


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## PamL (Sep 21, 2017)

Update....... he was gelded this morning! Shew, he gave us a workout!! He fought the tranquilizer and would not lay down, the vet had to give him extra.


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## Goat Whisperer (Sep 21, 2017)




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## Mini Horses (Sep 21, 2017)

I'm certain he left it open to drain.  He needs to be walked to help with soreness.  Watch to be sure flies are not on the wound, that it is draining, that you hose it off (the ooze can crust over & prevent needed draining).   Certain the vet told you all of this      Sometimes we don't pay as much attention when our adorable animals are  being  treated.  

If you see more than a little swelling, hose and if much swelling, CALL THE VET.   The donkey may hate you for a few days -- he'll get over it and be a better animal for the alterations. 

Keep the updates coming.


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## Baymule (Sep 21, 2017)

You made a very wise decision. With all the unwanted equines out there that go to slaughter, it is silly to breed animals just to have babies. It is so easy to get donkeys or horses that are unwanted, you can even buy them out of the slaughter pens to keep them off a truck going to Mexico or Canada. You are to be commended for being a responsible donkey owner.


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## PamL (Sep 22, 2017)

Thanks all! I am a huge advocate of spaying and neutering for dogs and cats, I guess I just needed a reality check that it is just as important with farm animals. Melvin is doing pretty good this morning. He is quieter than normal which isn't a bad thing . Thanks @Mini Horses the vet did not mention about hosing him off. He did tell me that it will drain and to watch for bleeding and flies. The weather here is a little warmer than normal so I am concerned about the flies.  I'm looking forward to him settling down and being a good boy. I should get the Jenny's in about a month. I am in a sense rescuing them, the guy is losing his farm and wants them to go to a good home. He is keeping them until he has to move.


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## Baymule (Sep 22, 2017)

If you hadn't taken them they would probably have been hauled to auction. There they would sell for as low as $15 to a kill buyer.


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## PamL (Sep 22, 2017)

Baymule said:


> If you hadn't taken them they would probably have been hauled to auction. There they would sell for as low as $15 to a kill buyer.



So sad!!


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## Mini Horses (Sep 22, 2017)

Yep, he will be quiet while healing.   You can spray the fly spray onto a cloth and wipe hind quarters, inner legs, belly to keep it from spraying into the wound.  And/or use Swat, the fly cream you wipe on, etc. 

Wash inner legs, tail, etc. to keep any drainage off...again reduce fly attraction.  Just a reminder from way back when...LOL

Give Melvin a hug for me!!  You will love the "new" guy.


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## Simpleterrier (Sep 22, 2017)

Yep you cut his heehaw off for a while. All the donkey's I know wouldnt Bray while soar.


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## PamL (Sep 25, 2017)

Thanks again for all the advise. He is getting back to normal. He is not quite there yet but almost. He has been braying a little more . I'm so happy I went ahead and had him gelded. I just love him.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 29, 2017)

I'd like to mention just one thing that often haunts a donkey -- they are NOT stubborn animals.  

They are extremely cautious and will often take a slower approach than a horse with training.   So, go slow if any hesitation and he will respond well.  Once something is learned, it's there forever.  Good or bad.  They are quite devoted animals, you earn their trust and  you have a friend for life (and they have a long life, generally).


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## PamL (Sep 29, 2017)

Mini Horses said:


> I'd like to mention just one thing that often haunts a donkey -- they are NOT stubborn animals.
> 
> They are extremely cautious and will often take a slower approach than a horse with training.   So, go slow if any hesitation and he will respond well.  Once something is learned, it's there forever.  Good or bad.  They are quite devoted animals, you earn their trust and  you have a friend for life (and they have a long life, generally).



I've been trying to teach him a few things.... Picking up stuff mostly. Any tips on that? He likes to bite me and the farrier told me that it is because I give him treats from my hand. He said put them in his food bowl. I don't know how I am supposed to teach him anything doing that??


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## Simpleterrier (Sep 29, 2017)

I had a mammoth jack for about eight years. He liked to bite until one day I bit him back right on the nose really hard never tried again. Is he having trouble  picking up his feet ? Is that what your having trouble with and want tips on.


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## PamL (Sep 29, 2017)

Simpleterrier said:


> I had a mammoth jack for about eight years. He liked to bite until one day I bit him back right on the nose really hard never tried again. Is he having trouble  picking up his feet ? Is that what your having trouble with and want tips on.



Lol. I might have to give that biting a try! Just teaching him things in general is what I was looking for tips on. He is good about picking up his feet. I've been teaching him tricks like picking up a bucket and his ball. But when I go to leave the barn that is when he bites me. He likes to block us also. We call it donkey block.


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## Baymule (Sep 29, 2017)

You have to establish yourself as the Lead Mare. In the horse herd, it is the Lead Mare that rules. People think it is the stallion that is the leader of the herd, but not so. In horse language, the first one to move their feet is the loser. I have a 30 year old TW mare I no longer ride because she has breathing issues. But she is the Lead Mare and will bite and run any and all horses that I have had over the past 20 years. Most horses she accepted, a few bites and kicks and they knew their place in the herd. She had one serious challenger and she ran that mare ragged for over a week. She would not let that mare eat with the herd or join the herd in any way. I fed the mare away from the rest, but the Lead Mare would leave her own feed to go run the new mare away from her feed. She made the new mare _move her feet._ Over and over and over again. By the time the Lead Mare finally let the new mare join the herd, she gladly took her place in the herd and never challenged the Lead Mare again, ever.

My point here is that your donkey needs to respect you. By biting and blocking you, he is clearly telling you that he is dominate and you rank lower than him. Making him move his feet when he exhibits undesirable behavior could be as simple as yanking a plastic bag from your pocket and flapping it at him, waving your arms, yelling NO! chasing him and _making him move his feet._ It might take one of the above, or maybe all of them. None of these hurt him. Chase him away, do not let him stop moving his feet until _you_ decide he can stop. A round pen is a good idea for this. Go soft in your posture, put the bag in your pocket and let him stop. Pet him like you usually do and see if he tries to bite you, if he does, rinse-repeat. Always end on positive behavior. Donkeys are brilliant smart, so make sure the last thing you do with him is something good because he is going to roll it over in his mind, the last thing you want is him to be thinking about bad behavior. 

I had a donkey with curled up feet, it took two years to get him right again. Even after trimming his hooves, he toed out and it took a lot to get his feet straight again. He was like trying to stop a tornado. He fought, kicked, ran, you name it. But I had a good farrier that didn't give up. The donkey finally figured out that if he just stood there, it was over with quicker. Once he got that idea in his head, he would stop when he saw the farrier, let me halter him up and he practically lifted his feet for the farrier. We always ended on a positive and never quit when he was acting out. 

I had a mule bite me once, she was 9 months old and was jealous of me paying attention to a horse. She stomped her foot and when I didn't give in to her demand, she bit me. I ran her away from the herd. Now you might figure, that mule could just run away and not come back for awhile, but nope, that's not what they do. A mule, donkey or horse alone is vulnerable to predators, they want the safety of the herd. So she tried to join the herd and I ran her away. What was so funny, the other horses didn't run, they seemed to know that she had done something bad and was being punished. I chased her away for 30 minutes, by that time I was tired, so I let her come back. I petted her, brushed her-on _my _terms-not hers. I had her for 10 years and she never bit me or anybody else again.

We bought a gelding in January, he came from a kill pen. I had him on a halter and rope one day when he bit me. I yanked hard on his halter and waved my arms. I backed him up, yelled, kept backing him-about 20 feet. Then I let the rope go slack, walked to the end of the rope, and he came to me. He hasn't bit since. 

I hope my rambling helps in some way. Your "herd" is you and your donkey. He has to understand that you are the leader, not him. This does not mean that you can't love him and spoil him. Mine are all so spoiled rotten, they stink and draw buzzards LOL. But I am the Lead Mare and they know it.


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 29, 2017)

What she said /\. Whoever moves first - loses.  Works with horses, donkeys, (husbands - lol) pigs, roosters... 

Dominance is the language that animals understand.  Establish yourself as the BOSS and you will have no problems.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 30, 2017)

That's all correct!!!!!

So, when he blocks, make him back up RIGHT THEN.   If you use the same key voice & work or sound  (NO, STOP, AHHHHT, etc.) each time it will become the "known" and you will need do no more than express that for whatever is happening to not.    My minis all know when I thunder "AHHHT" in "that" gruff voice, they need to settle down....generally it's a little spat at the food trough.  But, even on a lead, it's the key to correction.  They want acceptance and a leader.

And I never hand fed a mini or donkey.   It will cause nipping as they smell a treat or want one.  Plus I never knew when a kid would be around and want to pet -- what else?  their nose  --  OR at a show what someone might try to feed them.    It frustrated the grkids when they came out with apples & carrots and the minis didn't know what it was and wouldn't eat it.   Tough. LOL

Rewards are a great scratch or pat on the neck along with  praise "GOOD!!" Watch a horse groom one another on the neck.  Watch a mare correct a foal by nipping on the leg, etc.   You have to be a good lead mare.  

Reward even the smallest effort, then ask for more.


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## Baymule (Sep 30, 2017)

Oh yes, that AHHHNNNNTTT! in a loud voice of authority strikes fear in children, dogs and horses. Awesome guttural word that you won't find in any dictionary, but it is a REAL word and it WORKS.


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## PamL (Oct 2, 2017)

Thanks all! Sorry we had a busy weekend and I wasn't online. I will take all this advise and start doing it immediately!! Still a huge learning process for me!


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## Eteda (Oct 6, 2017)

yes congrats PamL  on your decision. a year from now I think you will look back on it and know you did the right thing.  I just had a ram lamb neutered at the vet. It took him almost two weeks to forgive me and that was with daily feeding. But I am so glad I did. Now I can keep him forever and he will always be the sweet little gentle lamby.


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