Janie and Jeannie have been a part of our family for just over a week and they are such a JOY! All of the wonderful things you and others have said about donkeys ring true and so much more! Here is a little synopsis thus far!
Our "precious cargo" arrived home safe and sound with Al at the helm. The trailer ride was pretty uneventful, thank goodness. Janie decided she was going to do a cute little "jump" off the ramp of the trailer as Jeannie walked off. Janie also did a little "jump" into their stall on the first night. With that, we nicknamed her Jumping Janie. They had a little loose stool and were inquisitive when they first arrived, which was to be expected. Janie also decided she was going to take a little "romp" under the electric fence wire. Al lowered all the wire accordingly and all is now safe and secure! All in all, their first evening went relatively well! The first night coming into the barn for night feed, we took our time with them and coaxed them one little baby step at a time with treats. We were so proud of them, after all, strange faces, strange home, strange barn, strange EVERYTHING! The first night it took 35 minutes for them to come in, night two.....10 minutes, night three all of 3 minutes, night four and on, they both now come without a lead line and follow each other in, one... two... three..... They are very content in the barn at night as if they have been doing it all their lives! They share a stall and we have been finding shavings on them in the morning, which leads us to believe they are laying down to rest. Just as you said, Ann,
They are adjusting well to their new environment and our consistent schedule. Breakfast is served promptly at 7:00 AM, turn out at 9:30 AM, Lunch at 12:30 pm and Dinner back in the barn at 6:00 pm. Al primarily does morning feed as he thoroughly looks forward to that time with everyone before heading off to work for the day. They love their daily grooming out in the paddock and Al loves to give them a second grooming at night in their stalls. They LOVE that special time with their Papa. What a nice way to end the day! I am a full time "domestic engineer" so I am blessed with lots of time with them during the weekdays. Whenever possible and on the weekends, Al & I both LOVE sharing lots of quality time with all of them out in the barn and the paddock. When Al takes Blue out for a ride or drive, the girls are behind along with our potbellied pigs and I and we have one another for company while they are away, which is nice.
Janie came into her heat cycle last week and we witnessed first hand that she was chomping her jaw and shortly after, there was Blue, gently rubbing his head on her rump as if they were having a love affair. Fortunately, it wasn't anything too obsessive. He would follow her around a little and then after a while they would just go about their business. Jeannie would stand on the side lines, totally going with the flow. Such a sight to see! Jeannie has not come into heat yet, but we hope all will be just as uneventful as it was with Janie!
On the third day we were first graced with Jeannie's melodic, baritone Bray! Janie joined in with her more raspy, alto tone. Wow, what an amazing and joyful sound! Pure music to our ears! Blue and our potbellied pigs, Harold & Hannah, didn't now what to make of it at first. Blue and Hannah have adjusted to this new, delightful sound BUT Harold seems a bit unsure and runs to the fence with an alert stance. He must have thought they were horses at first, but now is not so sure what these long eared, furry "creatures" are! After all, Harold & Hannah have been with us and our horses since 5 weeks old and they are now going on 12, so horses are all they have ever known. We are sure he will adjust over time. He just doesn't understand what they are all about. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day. We just reassure him that all is ok.
The girls and Blue are settling in very well together! They are wonderful company for our boy and their calm nature seems to agree with him! The first day or two, Blue had to put on a big show with a slight pinning of his ears and he would run around them in a playful fashion. They would just trot away, not sure of what to make of him. He too was not sure of them BUT there was never any sign of aggression towards one another. He is been such a good boy with them and they have been nice to him as well. By day three they were all following each other around. Janie usually leads the parade out to the back pasture, Jeannie follows and Blue takes up the rear. It is so cute to see! They all enjoy their hay lunch under the big tree in their front paddock, no problems at all. Janie does a little "stomp" once in a while with her back foot when eating her hay, not a big deal, but just a little way of hers. Blue has to make a point of trying to take over the girls pile half way through lunch time, but they are fine with that, they just switch piles and we just monitor things to make sure that everyone is getting their fair share. We think that Blue still wants to let them know he is the "man of the house" so to speak! LOL! We are so proud of everyone and how they have all adjusted!
Janie and Jeannie are so gentle, loving and sweet. Both calm in their demeanor yet each have their own distinct and unique personalities. Jeannie is a little more reserved, Janie a little more adventurous! We treasure each moment with them and as each new day unfolds, we look forward to learning, loving and growing with them. Although we still mourn the loss of our beloved Cheyenne, we shed tears sadness for her BUT we shed tears of joy in happiness of our new arrivals. In honor of our Cheyenne, we have made a new, loving, forever home for our Janie and Jeannie.
Thanks "Auntie Ann" and Save Your Ass Long Eared Rescue for all that you do!! We will surely be in touch!
Al, Jackie and "The Crew"
P.S. We have now nicknamed Janie.....Jumping, Romping, Chomping, Stomping Janie. First she was jumping of the trailer, romping under the wire, chomping her jaw while in heat, stomping her foot while eating hay. We still don't have a nickname for Jeannie. I am sure we will come up with something soon! Ok, so we've lost our marbles, but they are so much fun! LOL!
