Nearly two weeks ago, one of the donkeys – Simon, I am certain – bit and stomped Liam, one of our new lambs. He probably didn’t recognize him as a sheep and went after him to protect the flock. Donkeys are guard animals, they are very protective of sheep. Since then, we locked the donkeys in the pasture alongside the house, separated by a fence from the ewes and their lambs.

The donkeys are mighty irritated about it, they want to get back to their pole barn, graze freely, get to Lulu’s crossing to gnaw on shrubs. They have been butting and pressing against the fence for days, they might just knock it off it’s hinges, donkeys are like that. Today, to give them a break, we opened up the rear pasture and Maria got a carrot in her hand and waved it at them and took off at a trot.

Simon and Lulu and Fanny went for it, and come running after her, and were locked up in the rear pasture before they knew it. Donkeys are smart, but most of the time, we are smarter.