I think I have told you how Ethel Merdonk loves to sing… She sounds like Chewbacca. It is uncanny, really.
Anyway, she’s been braying at night. I can barely hear her because of how our bedroom is situated, but our neighbor, who is sleeping in her bunkhouse while her home is being repaired, has complained to me.
Here was her text to me:
Good morning, just a couple of questions, not a big problem, but now that I’m sleeping in the Bunkhouse I hear the donkeys bray at 1am, 3:30am and 5am and I imagine as you said it has to do with a light going on in the house, which I see. I will hear less when I move back into the main house in mid May but until then, is there anyway to block the light that could be triggering the brays if you’re up in the night hours? If not, I understand, I just wanted to ask. Is the increased braying part of bringing them back to health or do you have more donkeys now. Also, will you be getting more donkeys in the future?
Imagine my surprise that my donkey brays at exact hours. How is that even possible. But… I had to figure it out.
The first question I had was a ‘light’ going on in the house… Hmmm. Unless we had ghosts, there were no lights going on in the house. Hubby suggested that maybe it was the motion sensor light on one of the sheds. But still, how would an animal cross the shed motion-sensor light at exact hours?
We shut that light off.
My second thought was that she might be braying due to wildcats and coyotes passing by – who have been seen frequently in the neighborhood. I decided to move her closer to the house where she couldn’t see into the distance.
I also put out a bunch of food, in case she was just hungry.
In any event, the ‘precise hour brays’ are very confusing. Should I throw away my alarm app on my phone?
I’m hoping it was the sensor light that triggered the brays. I will do tests… If all else fail and she just needs to be in this dogleg at night so she doesn’t see animals, so be it.
My neighbor’s text this morning:
So nice of you, I truly appreciate your adjustments. The first bray was at 5:45 and the rest of the night was wonderfully quiet. Thank you.
Onward.
PHOTO JOURNAL.
Here is a pic of the forlorn Jenny twins in the dogleg paddock.
Princess Buttercup Pebbles looking especially forlorn.
Ethel Merdonk, the culprit, with her sideways ears – not happy. Note the grain bucket I had to use to trick them into going into the dogleg.
Poor donkeys. They have to have a shaded, private enclosure with plenty of food and fresh water.
As you can see, the leaves are coming in on the trees, so this are will be lovely very soon. However, I hope to not have them here except, maybe, at night. I’m hoping it was the light that she was braying about.
