25/09/2026
๐จ๐จ๐ซ THINKING ABOUT BUYING DONKEYS? READ THIS FIRST ๐ซ ๐จ๐จ
Please. Itโll save everyone time, money & stress.
Hi โ welcome to your donkey journey.
Donkeys are incredible animals when placed correctly. At Last Stop Donkey Program (LSDP), we prioritise education and correct placement over quick sales.
1) Donkeys need donkeys
Donkeys are highly social animals and generally need the companionship of another donkey.
Horses, cattle, sheep, goats and alpacas can absolutely coexist with a donkey and they may even form very strong bonds โ but they are still different species and they donโt communicate in the same way.
The easiest way I explain it is this:
Imagine putting an English-speaking child and a French-speaking child together. They might play together, become great friends and enjoy each otherโs company โ but you wouldnโt expect that relationship to meet all of their social and communication needs when neither speaks the otherโs language.
Itโs much the same with donkeys.
Another species can be wonderful company, but another donkey speaks donkey.
Thatโs why LSDP generally places donkeys in pairs unless there is already a suitable donkey companion at the property.
Weโre not trying to sell you two donkeys when you only wanted one. Weโre trying to make sure the donkey you take home has what it needs to live a happy, socially healthy life.
2) Long-term commitment
Donkeys are not a short-term fix.
They commonly live for decades โ around 40 years or more with good care, with some living well into their 50s.
That means the cute young donkey youโre buying today could still be part of your family several decades from now.
Youโre committing for a generation, not a season.
Think about what happens if you move, sell the farm, retire, your circumstances change or you simply arenโt physically able to manage them anymore.
A donkeyโs future needs to be part of the decision you make today.
3) Infrastructure first
You wouldnโt build the house after the furniture arrives.
Please donโt buy the donkeys and then start wondering where youโre going to put them.
Before they arrive, you need:
โข Small, secure yards for catching, separation, training, illness, injury and routine husbandry.
โข Suitable shelter. A three-sided shelter with the ability to secure them when required is ideal. Donkeys donโt have the same waterproof coat as horses and need somewhere dry to get out of prolonged wet weather.
โข Stock-proof fencing and gates that actually shut and are maintained.
โข A safe area for vets, farriers and other professionals to work.
โข Grass management. Donkeys evolved to survive on relatively poor forage. Unlimited access to lush pasture can create serious health and weight problems.
โข A plan for other animals, particularly dogs. Donโt assume your dog and a new donkey will automatically understand each other.
Good facilities arenโt about having something fancy.
Theyโre about being able to safely manage your donkeys when you need to.
4) Handling skills matter
A cheap, unhandled donkey can become a very expensive donkey very quickly if you donโt have the facilities or experience to manage it.
This is particularly important with Australian Teamster donkeys.
Some LSDP donkeys originally arrive completely wild-caught and unhandled. Others have had months or years of education and routine handling.
There is a huge difference between the two.
Before buying, honestly ask yourself:
Can I catch this donkey?
Can I put a halter on it?
Can I lead it safely?
Can I pick up its feet?
Could I manage it if it were injured?
Could a vet safely examine it at my property?
If the answer is no, that doesnโt necessarily mean you canโt own donkeys.
It means you need to choose donkeys whose handling level matches your experience โ or have the facilities, support and willingness to continue their education.
There is absolutely no shame in saying, โIโm new to donkeys and I need something well handled.โ
Weโd much rather hear that at the beginning.
5) Feeding & routine care
Donkeys are often described as easy keepers.
They can be โ when theyโre managed correctly.
Their nutritional requirements arenโt simply the same as a horseโs.
As a general starting point:
โข Base their diet around appropriate roughage and avoid unnecessary high-energy feeds.
โข Monitor body condition rather than feeding simply because everyone else in the paddock is being fed.
โข Manage access to lush pasture carefully.
โข Provide appropriate salt and constant access to clean water.
โข Have hooves professionally attended to on a regular schedule โ commonly around every 6โ8 weeks depending on the individual and conditions.
โข Use faecal egg counts and veterinary advice to guide parasite management rather than automatically worming everything on a calendar.
โข Arrange regular dental examinations, with frequency determined by the donkeyโs age and individual needs.
โข Maintain an appropriate vaccination program with your veterinarian.
And remember that donkeys can be extremely stoic.
A donkey that is sick or in pain may not advertise it loudly.
Knowing whatโs normal for your donkey is one of the most useful things you can learn.
Well-maintained donkeys can be remarkably low drama.
Neglected ones arenโt.
6) Emergency & bushfire plan
If thereโs a bushfire coming and you canโt catch your donkeys, you donโt have an evacuation plan.
You have a problem.
The same applies when a donkey is sick or injured.
Before they arrive, think about:
โข How quickly can you catch them?
โข Where can you safely contain them?
โข Can a vet access and treat them?
โข Can you separate one donkey if necessary while keeping its companion nearby?
โข Do you have access to suitable transport?
โข Will they load?
โข If you donโt own a float or truck, who are you calling?
โข What happens during a bushfire, flood or other emergency?
Donโt wait for an emergency to discover the holes in your plan.
7) Time commitment
Donkeys arenโt paddock ornaments.
Even quiet, established donkeys require your time.
There will be farrier appointments.
Vet visits.
Dental care.
Feeding and pasture management.
Fencing repairs.
Handling.
Illness.
Injuries.
And occasionally a donkey will wake up and decide that something it has happily done 147 times is suddenly deeply suspicious.
Theyโre donkeys.
You also need to think about who takes over when youโre away, sick, working, on holidays or simply unavailable.
Owning them isnโt difficult when the right systems are already in place.
Trying to organise everything after something has gone wrong is considerably harder.
THE HONEST TRUTH
If youโre time-poor, donโt have suitable facilities, arenโt prepared to provide donkey companionship or youโre looking for something you can buy, put in a paddock and forget about โ donkeys may not be right for you right now.
And thatโs okay.
We would much rather help someone reach that conclusion before they buy than six months afterwards.
Likewise, you donโt need to know everything before owning your first donkeys.
None of us started out knowing everything.
What matters is being willing to learn, asking questions, having appropriate facilities and choosing donkeys suited to your experience and circumstances.
โค๏ธ FINAL WORD
Donkeys are clever, funny, incredibly individual animals.
Give them the right companionship, management, education and environment and they can be one of the most rewarding animals youโll ever own.
But please donโt buy a donkey because itโs cheap, cute, available today or because somebody told you it will automatically guard your livestock.
Ask questions.
Ask about its history.
Ask about its handling.
Ask about its health and husbandry.
Ask whether itโs actually suited to what you want it for.
And make sure youโre ready for the donkey youโre actually buying โ not the donkey youโre imagining it will become.
You absolutely do not have to buy your donkeys from us.
We just want people asking the right questions before they buy them.
๐ซ Last Stop Donkey Program โ Farmers helping farmers. Always.
