Pictures of Our Mini-Donkeys

The sole purpose of this page is to show off my dear mini-donkeys. They were both born in the fall of 2012. Chester, the brown one, is 36 inches tall at the withers and is a true miniature donkey. Meadow, the gray one, is about 38 inches tall at the withers and is technically classified as a small standard. These two are my dear friends and companions. They love attention, are curious, smart, and just so much fun to live with. I love sharing their antics. We also keep other people's donkeys here from time to time, so as you work through these photos, you will see pictures of them, too. The pictures are in chronological order with the most recent at the top. The captions are beneath the photos.

In early February, 2024, two new mini-donkeys AND a mini-horse came to stay on Our Tiny Farm until their "parents" finished preparing their forever home. Meet Forest (white spotted donkey), Wilson (grey donkey), and Harold (the horse)

 Chester and Meadow love their hay ball when it is suspended from the rafters of the barn. But when it rolls around on the ground, as it was intended to be used, it practically scares them to death!

When the temperatures dip below 15 degrees for an extended period of time, the donkeys get to wear their colorful coats.

This is a September 2023 shot from one of the paddock cameras. The donkeys have learned that if they stand in this particular corner they can get our attention from the camera notifications. They are just too smart!! Our two donkeys are the only ones on the farm right now. They are a little lonely.

This is March 2022, and it was a cold night and day. So most of the donkeys wanted to keep their colorful coats on for a while.

Early March 2022. All six of the mini-donkeys enjoying a bit of hay that we tossed on the pasture for them. Spring is on the way, as you can see from the daffodils blooming in the background.

In February and March 2022, we held a fundraiser for Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville. People could come and hang out with the mini-donkeys for an hour in return for a suggested donation. It was so much fun!

It's mid-February 2022 and the donkeys are enjoying some lite feed to be sure they get all the vitamins and minerals they need.

January 16, 2022. Several of these donkeys had never experienced snow before!

On January 16, 2022 we had 14 inches of snow on the ground. Meadow was warm and dry in the barn wearing her new blue coat and she was like "you expect me to go out in that stuff?" Our donkeys are not fans of snow.

Many donkeys like toys. Meadow and Chester in particular love to play. Here's Meadow on January 1, 2022 playing with one of her Jolly balls.

There is not much to graze on in mid-December 2021 in the pasture, but it keeps them busy.

Late November 2021, when the nights get cold the donkeys like to gather against the east facing wall of the barn in the morning to soak up the rays.

See that big patch of bamboo growing in the background. We did not plant that, and at first it looked nice, but now it is getting out of hand. So we are making it smaller, but want to keep some of it growing because the donkeys LOVE it. They are munching on it here in mid-October 2021 in the paddock.

We do have cameras in the barn so we can monitor the donkeys, especially at night. Here Waffles and Pickles are eating hay from the slow feeders in mid-October.

October 2021, look at all the ways we try to slow down the donkeys' consumption of hay! We have three slow feeders in the barn. Nibblenets (love those things; they last forever), a Hay Pillow (on the ground; works good but they drag it out into the rain and mud), and the Hay Ball (suspended from the rafters because the holes are large enough for the smallest donkeys to get their hooves into).

Meadow and Chester eating hay from a slow-feeder hay ball suspended from the rafters in the barn. This was supposed to slow down their eating, but they quickly learned that if they both ate from opposite sides of the ball, it stayed still and they could easily pull out whatever they wanted pretty quickly. So much for my "diet plan" for them in late September 2021.

Pickles and Waffles watching the truck and trailer leave that had brought them to Our Tiny Farm where they will live until their owners build a barn and put up fencing for them on their own farm.

Late September 2021. These are the newest boarders on the farm. Pickles, on the left, and Waffles, on the right, just moved here from California.

Mid-August 2021, early morning shot of "my kids".

Enjoying a little treat (forager balancer) in a hot August afternoon

It is early August and time to start bringing in the hay. I always feel so relieved when there is hay in the barn. 

This turkey has been stopping by to visit the donkeys in their paddock several times a week. The other day, our son said she tried to get in!

Late June 2021, Chester and Meadow napping in the sunshine.

June 2021, our sticky fly strips hanging in the barn so a pretty good job at catching standard house flies, but not so good at catching those nasty biting flies. So we are trying out this shimmery, sticky trap. Seems to be working!

Mid-May 2021. That feed bucket was screwed to the wall. Chester seemed quite pleased with himself that it no longer is!

May 7, 2021. Just a cute picture of Meadow and Chester.

May 2021, "Can we help?"

April 2021, we have to carefully monitor grazing on the rapidly growing spring pastures. And it's once again grazing muzzle season for two of the donkeys.

April 2021, this is a slow feeder hay ball. We suspended it to make it even more challenging for the donkeys to extract the hay!

April 2021, how did the Jolly Ball end up in the water? I wonder!!! (Not!)

March 2021. Donkeys and daffodils. 

March 2021. Enjoying a wee bit of a forage balancer to make sure they get all their vitamins and minerals. 

February 2021. Where are the donkeys? None of them like the snow. They stay in the barn except to tip-toe out to drink from the heated water trough. 

February 2021. Visiting with the donkeys in the pasture.

January 2021. Checking out the new slow feeder hay ball!

Christmas 2020. Look at the great windshield sunscreen we got from the woman who boards her donkeys with us. We love it. It looks great in the RV!

November 2020. As soon as I vacate the stool, they start chewing on it!

Mid-October 2020. The upper picture is a sunset shot as seen through Meadow's ears. In the lower picture, Chester is in the foreground and Clara, one of the donkeys boarded here, is in the background. Clara is shy and slow to warm up to people. But she is very sweet.

Early October 2020. Donkeys are desert animals who come from areas with little green grass and lots of high fiber, low nutrition scrubby plant material to graze on. So when they have ready access to the lush green grass in western North Carolina, many of them put on weight quickly. And excess weight is dangerous for their health and difficult to remove. On the farm right now, we have two donkeys who gain weight easily and two that don't. One of the ways we control their eating is by limiting the time they are on the pasture; usually between 2 and 5 hours per day depending on the time of year, temperature, and condition of the grass. In addition, the two who gain weight easily wear grazing muzzles, as modeled by Meadow in the photo above. The muzzles have a small hole in the end that the donkeys can eat through. So they can still graze, but they get much less per bite than without the muzzle. They are safe and have break-away closures so they can't get caught on anything. And both the ladies who wear them seem okay with, well maybe better to say, resigned to wearing them.

Early October 2020. From left to right, Meadow, Wilma, and Clara in the paddock showing all the lovely dust baths they have created.

Mid-September 2020. In the top photo, Chester is posing regally (in my opinion) in front of the water trough. In the lower picture, all four of our darling long-ears are enjoying an early evening snack in the pasture.

Late July 2020. It was a very hot summer and our donkeys seemed very appreciative of the barn for protection from the hot sun. We also have two fans mounted high that run whenever it's hot out. Notice we don't have stalls. Our donkeys are always able to move freely in and out of the barn. If there is a storm, winter or summer, we might pull the far side doors shut to cut the wind, but we have never "locked our donkeys, or horses, in the barn". On the rare occasions where we have had to separate animals, we have removable barriers that we use to divide the barn in two. We then use portable fencing to do the same to the surrounding paddock.

Mid-July 2020. A picture of my two precious donkeys. Chester on the left and Meadow on the right.

Mid-June 2020. Friends stopping by to visit with our long-ears. I don't know who enjoys it more, the humans or the donkeys. But the donkeys are therapeutic. When I retire from my faculty position with NC State University, maybe I should start a donkey retreat center!

Early June 2020. The farm behind us also raises donkeys. Matter of fact, that is where Meadow and Chester were born. One of their donkeys gave birth in the shade of the trees along the fence line between our two farms. We were able to stand just feet away and watch. So these aren't our donkeys, but they are probably related to ours!

Mid-May 2020. Glen spending a little quality time with the donkeys in the paddock. Here you can clearly see that three of them are wearing fly masks, with ears, and you can see Meadow with her grazing muzzle on. 

Mid-May 2020. This is a precious picture to me. Traveler is the dog. He is wearing a t-shirt to protect the incisions healing from surgery. He is on a leash to keep him from running. He wanted to visit with his buddy, Chester. Chester and Traveler were good friends (although we NEVER left our dog alone with the donkeys because their idea of playing is sometimes too rough for a dog). Traveler passed about a month after this photo was taken. A very sad time on Our Tiny Farm.

Early May 2020. This is Wilma, one of the two donkeys who are boarded here. Wilma really likes to eat, so she wears this big ole grazing muzzle whenever she goes on the pasture. This style muzzle was too big and bulky for Meadow to wear, even though Meadow is a bigger donkey. But Wilma seems to do just fine with it!

Mid-April 2020. We had a huge storm go through on the night after Easter, and a microburst or something similar, targeted our farm. We lost all the big trees around the house. The donkeys were as shocked as we were about how the landscape changed. Here they are heading out into the pasture for the first time after the event. Some fencing was crushed, so we had to put up temporary fencing before we could let them into the pasture. We are so thankful that no harm came to the animals.

March 2020. From bottom to top: three of our four donkeys enjoying the spring grass on the pasture in front of the house. Notice the large trees dwarfing the house. The middle picture is of all four donkeys in front of the barn politely asking me to open the gate and let them onto the pasture. In the spring and again in the fall, we are very cautious about what time of day we let them on the pasture and for how long because of the risks of colitis or laminitis due to high sugars in the grass. And the top picture is of a horse who came to visit the donkeys. This horse is boarded on the farm next door to us and likes to come by and visit with his little buddies.

March 2020. Meadow and Chester are always the helpers. We leave the wheelbarrow and manure fork unattended at our own risk, because given the opportunity, these two will run off with the fork and/or tip over the wheelbarrow.

February 2020. Just a pretty picture of our long-ears on the pasture at sunset. We are so blessed to live in this beautiful little area in western NC. It was so peaceful that evening. I had no idea what 2020 was going to unleash on us just a short while later.

January 2020. We keep our donkeys confined to the paddock and the barn at night. We do this for their safety. We have many coyotes in our area, and if one or more ever got into the pasture, they would try to run the donkeys to exhaustion, and then attack them. Our reasoning is, in the much smaller area of the paddock and barn, the donkeys would have a better chance to use their own ways to defend themselves. I have seen them go after dogs, and it's not pretty. But for extra protection, we also put the six strand electric fencing on the outside of the paddock area, with the bottom wire close to the ground and on an extra long insulator. Then we put galvanized 2x4 wire fencing on the inside; so it's double fenced. We also put wire on the gates and cement blocks under the most used gate so a coyote or dog couldn't wiggle under it. The paddock and barn are also close to the bedroom side of the house and the donkeys wake me when they all bray. So I was very surprised when I went out one morning and found a section of the wire fencing ripped from the posts and a print in the mud.  The fencing was pushed inward from the top. I shared the photos with friends who are hunters and we all agreed that the only explanation was that a bear tried to get through the fencing. As he or she pushed the fencing inward, the bear eventually made contact with one or more of the highly charged electric strands. The print was identified as the front of a bear foot, as it was probably reaching forward. We never heard a thing! But, there were, and continue to be, bear reports all around our area. The woman who boards her donkeys with us has had some very interesting times with them at her house throughout 2020.

December 2019. We only managed to get hats on three of the four donkeys. Clara was not going to have anything to do with such nonsense.

November 2019. The four donkeys are now best friends. Donkeys like to be in herds.

October 2019. I really like this picture of the four donkeys on a foggy morning.

September 2019. Chester and Meadow love toys of all kinds. There are always balls, traffic cones, pieces of drain tile, old boots, etc. in the paddock for them to play with. Interestingly, the two boarder donkeys have no interest in the toys.

September 2019. Our peaceful herd of four enjoying the fall afternoon in the pasture.

September 2019. I was brushing the donkeys one by one. Chester was first and then he left the barn. When he returned he was covered in mud!

April 2019. Chester is now the only male donkey on the farm and he had to assert his authority as soon as we put the four donkeys together for the first time.

April 2019. Whenever we bring new donkeys onto the farm, we separate them for awhile. The barn and the paddock are both divided, so they can see and smell each other but not hurt one another.

Early April 2019. Meet Wilma (on the left) and Clara (on the right). They are twelve years old and they are our new boarders.

February 2019. Meadow on the left and Chester on the right. What handsome donkeys.

February 2019. And then there were just two donkeys on Our Tiny Farm again. They were very affectionate throughout the rest of the winter.

January 2019. What a sad and joyous day. Sad because Faith, Hope and Corey were leaving our farm. Happy because they were moving to their owners new farm!

December 2018. The donkeys really don't like to walk in the snow. So we spoil them and shovel out big areas for them in the paddock so they can stand in the sun.

December 2018. And here's the view from inside the tackroom looking out. They are waiting for their treats.

October 2018. Whenever someone goes into the tack room, the donkeys think they are going to get a treat. They will open the door themselves if it is not latched!

September 2018. Mother Faith always enjoyed the rain, but we felt bad about the baby standing out there getting soaked, so Glen went out and herded them into the barn.

August 2018. Chester and Hope are always so helpful with the manure pickup!

Late June 2018. And now there are five donkeys living on Our Tiny Farm.

June 9, 2018. Our daughter just had to hold the newborn donkey.

June 9, 2018. Corey Love is just a few hours old here.

June 9. 2018. I walked out early in the morning and this is what I saw! He couldn't have been more than 15 to 20 minutes old. Meet Corey Love and his mother. It was so very exciting.

May 2018. Here are Chester and Meadow in their fly masks to keep biting insects out of their eyes and ears. Yes, they can see through them just like you can see through a window screen. Meadow is also wearing a grazing muzzle.

May 2018. Meadow is what is known as an easy keeper. She puts on weight very easily. Unfortunately, she is the only one in the herd that does so. To slow down her eating, she wears this grazing muzzle when she is on the pasture. She can still eat and drink with it on, but it only lets her get a little grass at a time.

April 2018. The donkeys enjoying some play time on a sunny afternoon.

March 2018. We now know that Faith is pregnant! Wow, a baby donkey on its way to Our Tiny Farm.

February 2018. It is very unusual to find all four donkeys off their feet at the same time. Usually at least one is standing guard. They must have felt very safe.

January 2018. On cold sunny mornings you can often find the donkeys soaking up the sun by standing next to the east end of the barn.

December 31, 2017. It was really cold, so we put the blankets on the donkeys. I think Chester looks particularly fetching in his.

December 2017. I swear donkeys are part beaver and they will chew on barns, fences, doors; anything wood. To discourage this destructive behavior, we often throw some branches into the paddock.

December 2017. Our two boarders in the snow. This is baby Hope's first snow.

November 2017. Here are the four donkeys on Our Tiny Farm. From left to right, Hope, Faith, Chester, and Meadow.

 

July 2017. These are the newest donkeys on Our Tiny Farm. They are boarders. The momma is Faith and the baby is Hope. They are a joy to have here.

 

Late May 2017. People always make comments about the fly masks, but they make the donkeys so much more comfortable! They gladly wear them.

 

May 2017. The donkeys enjoying a sunny spring afternoon in the paddock.

Mid April 2017. Little Chester had to have surgery to remove a growth from his chest. Fortunately, it turned out to be a benign tumor. Trying to keep a bandage on him was interesting!

April 2017. Hubby enjoying a little time in the paddock with Meadow (lower photo) and Chester (upper photo).

January 2017, trying on the new winter blankets the donkeys received for Christmas. Fortunately, it never got cold enough to ever actually have to use them.

January 2017 and Meadow is getting chubbier and chubbier. So now we are trying a slow feeder. In this case, a NibbleNet. Not only does it slow down their eating, but there is virtually no wasted hay!

It was a warm, sunny December afternoon (2016) and Chester and Meadow were just enjoying playing with anything they could find.

Donkeys love to chew on wood, e.g., fence posts, barns, wheelbarrow handles. As the grass growing season slows and they spend more time around the barn and the paddock, one worry is that they will get bored and start chewing on the barn. So, we feed them sticks! Keeps them busy and it is something they would chew on if they were wild little burros (October 2016)

Donkey ears. Just gotta love those ears!

Little Chester enjoying a warm September 2016 afternoon in the paddock.

Meadow is such a pretty little donkey. This picture is in her paddock in July 2016.

It was an unseasonably warm holiday season this year and we all got used to running around in shirtsleeves. The donkeys, too, were spoiled by the warm weather. Today (January 18, 2016) it was 20 degrees F in the morning. Everyone seemed a little shocked by the cold, so just goofing around, I put my red scarf on Chester's neck.

This picture of Meadow was taken on January 17, 2016. Look at all the fur on her face. Compare that with some of the summer pictures. People always ask me if we blanket our donkeys. Not when they put on natural coats like this!

One of the grooming brushes has a little tiny strap on the handle. Chester gets that in his teeth and twirls the brush around. One of his favorite little tricks (January 17, 2016).

In these two photos above on January 17, 2016, I had been grooming the donkeys and went back into the barn to get a different brush. When I returned I found Meadow chewing on and tossing around my stool and Chester had my brush. I love the look on Meadow's face when she noticed I was there and dropped the stool.

Two close-ups of little Chester in mid-December 2015 showing off his winter coat. It will get even fuller as the season progresses.

 

Meadow in mide-December 2015. You can see that she is putting on her winter coat. More fur on her forehead and jowls.

 

I put the treats (oyster crackers this time) in a small round plastic coffee container. Chester got hold of it but was quite frustrated because it was so hard to pick up. He finally wedged it against the wood so he could crush it enough to make an edge that he could get between his teeth. Smart little donkey (December 12, 2015).

The donkeys usually get along just fine, but on this fine October afternoon, a squabble broke out over the container holding their treats (it was animal crackers this time).

Donkeys like to play and if not provided with toys will make toys out of just about anything, including fencing, barns, water troughs, and gates. So we provide toys for them. Lots and lots of toys. I was playing with them on this beautiful afternoon (October 16, 2015) and made an arrangement with their toys just to see what they would do with it.

This is little Chester checking out my handiwork.

It didn't take long for him to knock everything down...

and spread the toys all around the paddock.

Then I set everything up for Meadow.

She pulled the pink wand out of the orange cone...

and proceeded to knock everything down with it. That is a donkey using a tool, my friends! I told you they are smart. Very smart.

We are having a lovely autumn in western NC (October 14, 2015). The colors are bright and the temperatures are just perfect. I love spending the afternoons with my donkeys just enjoying being alive.

Donkeys love to play and they can turn most anything into a toy. Here Meadow has discovered a small bucket. It is upside down and she wants it right side up. It was fun watching her figure how how to turn it over. First she pushed it around the paddock for awhile, which made a great noise that she enjoyed.

 

She finally got the bucket upright which meant she could carry it all over the paddock, eventually dropping it into the water trough. We find lots of thiings in the water troughs.

It is the very end of August. The air is starting to cool and the days are obviously shorter. The donkeys seem to enjoy this weather. I cleaned the water troughs this afternoon and Chester was "checking it out".

 Chester likes to put his head on my should like he is going to whisper something into my ear.

It is mid-August. Meadow, the gray donkey, really started to put on weight this summer. You can see it in the cresty neck that she has. In June we started using a grazing muzzle on her (see photos below), but when it got really hot, it just seemed cruel to expect her to wear it. So we started keeping the donkeys in the paddock area during the day. At first they didn't like being separated from the horse, but we put a hip-height barrier down the center of the barn so when they all came in to cool off in the shade they can touch noses and be right close to each other. They are used to it now, but run right out and start munching on grass as soon as we let them onto the pasture each eveing.

Here's a close up of my lovely Meadow.

And one of my adorable little Chester.

The mini-donkeys were just running all over the pastures and paddock, braying, kicking and having a good time. Here is just a short clip of their antics. This was mid-June 2015.

So many people ask me about these fly masks with ears. Here is a close-up of Meadow wearing hers. The donkeys and horse really do like to wear them. They can see just fine. And the ear covers prevent the little midges from filling their ears with scabs. This was early June.

Now Meadow is not so sure about this contraption. It is a grazing muzzle and this photo caused all kinds of controversy among my friends on Facebook. If you look closely, you can see that Meadow is developing a cresty neck. That is not a good condition and the vet said we shouldn't let her gain any more weight. Well, we have a very old horse that we have to supplement his feed every day, a mini-donkey who is just right, and Meadow the chow hound. How to keep them all fed correctly is a challenge. So I am getting her used to wearing this several hours a day. She can eat, drink, and breathe just fine with this on. It just slows down and restricts her eating. Kind of like when I eat with chopsticks!

This is just a sweet close-up of my little darlings in early June without their masks.

 And another one of them with their masks, in early June 2015.

It is late May and rainfall is very short for the season. You can see how sparse the grass is and how dry the soil looks. To protect the rest of the pasture we have fenced the animals off into a small section and are feeding them hay. We are taking advantage of this time to do some weed control, liming, fertilization, and if it ever rains again, seeding. Because the animals are in a small section, I pick up manure daily. This weekend I had helpers. They kept running off with the tools and did successfully turn the wheelbarrow on its side. Lucky they are so cute!

We had to keep the equines off a portion of the paddock while we did some weed control, liming, and reseeding. It was too hot to just leave the barn doors closed on that side, so I put up a barrier across the doorway. It is one of the stall separators that we use (the interior of our barn is wide open and we use moveable separators to section it off as needed) that is made of hardware cloth and two by fours. I wedged it into the doorway and used a few fiberglass temporary electric fence posts to keep it propped up. I tied those on with baling twine. It was fine for a day, but the second night the donkeys must have been bored. They ATE all the baling twine and were playing with the fence posts when I went out there. Fortunately, barrier did not fall. It is big and heavy enough to have hurt them if it fell on or against them.

 

It is mid-May and a beautiful afternoon. Chester is playing and both of them are looking to get into mischief.

Chester found where I hid the container full of animal crackers and brought it to me just like a little child asking for a cookie. I use animal crackers for training because I can break them into very tiny pieces so the donkeys don't get too much sweets.

It is very early May and the insects are coming out again. So on go the fly masks. Our donkeys really appreciate these and willingly let us put them on in the morning and never try to take them off. Their ears, in particular, need protection from the flies that bite them and would leave their ears full of scabs if not protected.

In late April the grass is growing and the donkeys spend all their time in the pasture. Hay is forgotten because fresh grass and weeds taste so much better.

I am getting concerned about Meadow's appetite. It is never ending and she is beginning to develop a cresty neck. That is that roll on top of her neck; it is a fatty deposit. Little jennies are particularly prone to this. I will try to find ways to increase her exercise and get her off the pasture. Otherwise more drastic measures will be in order.

It is early April and we are feeding our old Tennessee Walker on the other side of this gate. Since the last thing Meadow needs is grain, we have them sepatated during feeding time.

But we have to watch Meadow carefully because she is smart little donkey and has been known to figure out various kinds of latches before!

It was early March and the grass was just starting to grow. Chester had gathered up some of his toys to play with but stopped to sample the spring fare.

Small traffic cones purchased at home improvement stores are good for training and playing with.

The piece of plastic drain tile is a favorite toy for both the mini-donkeys.

Chester does not care much for the snow and will spend days in the barn avoiding it. But after multiple snow storms in February, he finally decided he had to wander out occasionally.

 

Last Saturday was a beautiful, sunny February day. I was grooming our old Tennessee Walker, Little Man, and had brushes and combs out for the job. After combing out his mane, I reached down for a small brush, but it wasn't there. A short search revealed Meadow in the paddock with the brush firmly in her teeth. But Chester wanted that brush for himself.

And a tug-of-war over the brush began.

This went on for quite awhile. Neither was making any progress.

Eventually Chester got a better grip on the brush than Meadow had.

And he finally won the match. His interest in it lasted about 30 seconds. After which I was allowed to reclaim the brush and continue grooming dear Little Man.

It is the last day of January 2015. It is bright, sunny and almost spring like; one of those rare winter days meant to be enjoyed outside because it is supposed to rain and maybe even snow tomorrow. I spent sometime grooming and making a fuss overthe mini-donkeys this morning. I sit on this little stool to be more on eye level with them (also makes it easier to hug their necks!). Whenever the stool is vacated, however, the donkeys grab it with their teeth and take it away. Chester was the culprit this morning. Looks like I am going to have to recover it before spring!

Over the Christmas 2014 holiday, I got to spend more time than usual with the donkeys. They were very active and playful and enjoyed their Christmas presents which included a new orange traffic cone. Of course I had to do take the traditional "donkey in a Santa hat" pictures. Chester was quite alright with it. Cute, isn't he?

Meadow, on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled. As soon as hubby let go of her, the hat was off.

We did a lot of playing around over the holiday. Here the two of them are just winding up for a bit of rough-housing.

They would both start running for the traffic cone, racing to beat the other to it.

Chester kept beating Meadow to the cone which frustrated her, so she finally took off after him!

Eventually Meadown gave up on the cone and decided to lie down and...

take a dust bath.

A short while later they were best friends again as they shared a small dish of grain.

It was the day after Thanksgiving 2014. Our boarder horse, Teddy, left the farm in the morning for cheaper pastures and our animals were subdued. So I went to spend some time with them. The donkeys were particularly affectionate and in need of attention. They were also being very cute. They kept stealing the gloves out of my back pocket. Here's a short series of photos I got of their antics. In this first shot (above) Chester realized that I caught him with my gloves!

Meadow didn't like it that Chester had a glove and she didn't, so she hollered at him.

Then she tried the "I'll be nice" approach.

Finally she realized there was another glove on the ground and picked it up. Everyone was happy for a few minutes.

Then Chester noticed that I was taking pictures and did like he always does...

walked right up to the camera to see what I was doing!

Here is a close-up of Chester. He has a short, kinked tail (he was born that way), a pot belly and beautiful big brown eyes. This was early fall 2014.

 

After we put up the hay in the barn in early fall 2014, the donkeys helped clean up the mess that we made. They seem to prefer hay over fresh green grass almost any day. The donkeys are about two years old here.

  

The horse sized Jolly ball, the blue one, is really a little too big for the mini-donkeys, so when I found a smaller one at Tractor Supply, I just had to have it. As you can see, the donkeys approved of my purchase.

   

I am so glad that I captured this picture of the two of them playiing with the big Jolly ball.

  

Meadow is a very beautiful little donkey and her coat became very short and smooth this summer (2014). I thought she looked quite lovely next to the flowers.

 

Donkeys are very smart animals and need to be kept occupied or bad things can happen. When bored our donkeys will eat the barn, dig deep holes in the barn, drag off hoses and brushes, and chew on the horses' tails. So we always keep lots of play things in the field for them. Our daughter gave them a small traffic cone for Christmas. This is one of their favorite toys.

  

  Small sections of drain tile also make good toys.

  

 Shaggy little donkeys.

  

We have to be very careful to latch every gate securely because the donkeys will test them daily!

 

This was during the first winter with them on the farm (2013-2014). Chester loves attention and a grooming session was just the thing on this cold day. Chester is about a year old here.

 

The fly mask was a little too big for Chester that first summer; the floppy ears looked so cute! But he quickly learned how much more comfortable he was with the mask on during fly season and was very cooperative when we went to put it on him each morning.

  

This is when we first got Chester and Meadow. Chester was six months old and Meadow was about seven months old. It was Easter 2013.