Question about breeding a donkey to a mare.

[Beccy]

We are planning to breed our mini spotted Jack to one of our mini mares soon, and I am just wondering whether the best method is to try hand breeding when she cycles, or whether to just pasture the two together and let them figure it out? The mare was left open last year, so does not have a foal at foot to worry about.

The Jack has been kept with horses all along, so he is perfectly comfortable with them, but the mare is not acquainted with donkeys.

Any advice on how to do this would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

If your jack has been with horses all along, I would put him in a seperate pasture area with the mare (s) you want bred with him. A jack will know when the time is right to settle and breed them, they figure it out REAL fast :bgrin :lol:

: If for some reason you see the mare isnt accepting him in the pasture then you can hand breed, but remember some jack can become aggressive when breeding so be careful. Corinne

 

[Beccy]

Thanks Corinne, that is what a friend told me, that Jacks can be aggressive. Pablo is so quiet and just a sweetheart with people. He does roughhouse with the stallions and colts (we keep them all together during the winter months) but it's just normal play. However I am sure once the hormones kick in around a mare he could be a different boy!

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Beccy, ...lol... I dont think there are to many "males" out there that get as bad as jacks when those hormones kick in :bgrin My new blue eyed ivory jack, Casper~is such a sweetheart too...still gets a little nippy at times, but boys will be boys and hes learning space and the word QUIT real fast. We just started to use him for breeding, and as sweet as he is~~~WOW~~~ hes all jack and get the "deed done" , but yet he left me walk right up to him and take him off a jenny and put him back into his pasture with his girls (the jenny he was breeding belongs to a friend) so all in all hes a sweetie. I cant put him in with any of my colts or stallions, I tried, he gets too rough with them, and he will really run them, which I dont like. Corinne

 

[Beccy]

LOL, Pablo is not too rough with the stallions and colts, they all play with about the same amount of roughness, and there is no chasing going on or I'd have them seperated, but I don't want him to be rough with the mare, who is an absolute sweetheart!

Guess I'll just have to watch them carefully. Do you think it is better to put them together before she cycles, so that they bond a bit before he thinks about breeding?