Mo wanted to switch it up… visit his neighbors. So, I let him. Let the Dust begin!






So last night, when it was dinner time, Annie and Missy Miss ran in from the huge pasture… but Mo didn’t.

I called him… and then saw him.  He was banging on the below gate that goes to Finn and BG’s pasture.

Hmmmm.  He wasn’t just banging on the fence, he was banging on THEIR GATE.  He wanted into their pasture more than he wanted to come in for dinner.

Wow.  This donkey knows how to make his desires known!

So, I went down there and opened that gate.  Well, first I closed the gate to Missy Miss and Annie – didn’t want them to come over and fight with Finn.  THEN, I opened the gate for Mo to come into Finn and BG’s pasture.

He ran in!

Wow!

Finn and BG were not interested in sharing their dinners, so I put in a bucket for Mo.

18 HOUR PHOTO JOURNAL OF THIS EVENT

Below are the photos of the stages of engagement, my problem solving decisions and the results.

Mo is in Finn and Bg’s pasture… eating out of his own bucket. (I didn’t have my camera earlier to record his request at the gate.)

That is the gate he was banging. He had been in the large pasture and didn’t come up for dinner. Instead, he banged on this gate.

He is cautiously looking their way. Finn looks back.

I had been listening for donkey brays, but none came. So I went out after an hour to check on him. He was down by the gate, so I figured he wanted out and to get back with his girls, Annie and MM.

So I went into the pasture to let him out.

Here I am, at the gate, with Mo refusing to go out. Look at his face! “What? I didn’t want to leave… I was just checking things out!”

OK, then… I wanted to make sure that Mo had an escape route if anything went sour overnight… So I opened the lower gate. Mo is much more brave and will stay in the large pasture over night. Finn, not so much. So, if Mo needed to be safe, he could exit and Finn wouldn’t follow. However, Wrigley went crazy when I opened that gate. So, I opened his gate and let he and Gwen into Finn’s pasture. Here you see Mo trying to show Wrigley who is Boss.

Wrigley didn’t agree. Here Mo is pinning his ears and Wrigley is not taking it.

Peace. Wrigley won that battle, but he obviously like Mo as they ate together after that. (They know each other from over the fences.)

Meanwhile, Finn and BG are just one feeder over, not paying attention to Mo.

And here is Gwen, still in the upper pasture, giving ugly ears to Mo as he turns away in respect.

Wrigley continued to run around, wanting anyone to leave dinner and go out into the huge pasture with him. No one wanted to go.

Mo tried to keep Wrig off of the feeder. Mo’s ears are flat to his head.

Wrigley cannot believe that Mo turned his butt to Wrig AGAIN. “I thought we settled this…”  At this point, Finn and BG had had enough of the fuss so they both went into the upper pasture.  I closed the gate between them.  Now Wrig, Mo and Gwen were in Finn and BG’s pasture.

Mo eventually settled back to the far, new feeder that I put in there for him.

As the sun was setting, Mo was at his feeder in the new pasture – Annie and MM didn’t miss him at all. More food for them.

This morning, when they saw me coming out, Wrig was standing at the new feeder, Gwen was at the middle feeder and Mo was at the furthest feeder.

When I actually fed, I fed the front feeders first, Gwen and Wrig grabbed those… which tells me that Mo is the lowman. He is eating out of the new (not preferred) feeder.

I came out at 1pm to give them their buckets. No one is fighting, but they are definitely moving each other around. This is so interesting.

WHY DID HE WANT TO GO INTO THIS PASTURE?  HOW LONG WILL HE STAY?  WILL HE PREFER THIS PASTURE OR WANT TO GO BACK TO HIS OLD PASTURE?

This and other stories to be continued!





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2 comments have been posted...

  1. dawndi Post author

    Debra: Thanks for the email. The fields are coming back slowly. The big lower field was covered in grass this Spring.
    But, it is hot here and this is the end of summer… so it is dry and sandy. Ugh.
    But if the horses weren’t in those upper corrals all the time when they want shade, the ground would be healthier.
    That worm formula I put all around the trees has really helped. I think the ground will revitalize eventually. Even the birds are coming back.
    Who knows why he did that…

  2. debra b weber

    I am curious if your fields are still suffering the effects of Round Up or if it is just that dry at your location? Why did the former owner do that to the fields? How long will the effects linger? TY. deb

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