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Do Donkeys Keep Coyotes Away? (Read This First!)

Coyotes are a huge problem for farmers because they prey on their livestock. They will chase different farm animals from small to bigger ones even. The highest risk is for the fowl that fall easy prey to the predator.

Furthermore, there are cases of the coyote taking small sheep even. That is not all, coyotes are well known for going for pets too. Sometimes to the remorse of the farmer they will go after the small cats and even dogs.

Since these animals present so much trouble, farmers have come up with ideas of rearing other animals that are effective against defending against this menace. Is “donkey” one of those animals? Let us find out below.

Do donkeys keep coyotes away?

Generally speaking, a donkey used as a guard can be a good match against a coyote. While it might come as a surprise but donkeys are one of the animals that are used as a guard animals. They can be tenacious when it comes to guarding an area. Thus, they have a good reputation as guard animals.

Donkeys are animals that have a very strong territorial instinct. Their instinct of theirs is so high that in many countries around the world they are used as guard animals for herds of different animals like goats and sheep.

They protect these farm animals and scare off predators like the foxes, wolves, and coyotes.

All that aggression towards those animals, just because they have such strong territorial instincts. Furthermore, due to their strong physique and size in regards to the foxes and coyotes, a one-on-one will be always in the favor of the donkey.

This instinct of donkeys goes over the board sometimes and they can even mess with smaller farm animals and sometimes even prey on goats, sheep, cats, poultry, and dogs.

Donkeys seem to not mess around when it comes to defending their territory.

Therefore, whilst there may be other animals that can act as guard animals on a farm, the donkey surely is a strong contender.

Whether it be a fox or a coyote or even a wolf, the donkey will stand strong and guard the territory it has been given. It will go out of its way to make sure they do not come close.

Are coyotes afraid of donkeys?

Coyotes do not specifically dislike donkeys. If a single coyote finds itself in front of a big strong donkey it will know that it will be best not to provoke the animal and thus strays far from them. Unless they are in a pack, well that is another story.

Coyotes are rather afraid of humans. They will run off easily if we throw objects at them, make loud noises or even project bright lights at them. That’s how easy it is to scare away this animal.

How do donkeys keep coyotes away?

Apart from being stronger and bigger, the donkeys have other ways of intimidating the coyotes. They bray loudly and stomp their feet with aggression.

This ultimately sounds like a warning signal to the coyotes that the donkey is prepared to fight if they keep provoking it.

Donkeys also use their brute strength and kick using their hard hooves that prevent the coyotes from ever getting close.

If all of the above is not enough to drive away from the coyotes then they will go out of their way and charge towards the predator that is provoking them.

Therefore, in this way, we can understand how a donkey can protect a farm’s animals by scaring away the coyotes or other predators that might be in the area.

Do miniature donkeys keep coyotes away? 

Donkeys as an animal do not fear coyotes whatsoever. Be it a miniature one or a rather bigger one. The animal dislikes the coyotes with passion and will proceed to end one’s life if one gets the chance.

They will bray and stomp until the threat is gone, and even if that does not help, they will charge at coyotes with an intent to end their lives.

Therefore, donkey be it miniature or otherwise, does not matter. It will protect its territory with severe prejudice of coyotes.

Do donkeys protect your livestock from coyotes?

People do not think of donkeys as useful animals and presume that they are only good for carrying/pulling weight around.

Despite their nickname and the reputation of being moody as well as difficult to work with animals, they can be relatively smart and efficient livestock guards.

Below we will list some examples of animals they can protect and animals they will not protect or are unable to protect. This will help you understand better if you want to have a donkey as a guard or not.

Sheep:

Donkeys will protect sheep and goats despite their stubbornness. When trained well donkeys will be showcasing great guard animal prowess.

Horses:

This is one of the animals that the donkey is not able to protect. This is because they are not effective at protecting widely scattered animals such as the horse.

This is also because they do not have the protective undercoat that horses have.

Chicken:

It is custom to have dogs to protect chickens. They are considered to be the best animal to protect them. However, that does not count out the donkeys as guard animals.

Furthermore, since donkeys are also considered to be strong guard animals they will fight any predators that get too close to the farm animals. They will sound an alarm and always be on guard if they notice any predator.

Calves and Cows:

Donkeys might not be effective for large pastures with dense vegetation and rough terrain as well as wet or cold.

However, that is no concern in this case since cows and calves will not go to such situations and always stay in the vicinity of the farm. Therefore, making the donkeys are an excellent choice as guard animals.

Why are donkeys good protectors or guard animals?

Donkeys are good protectors because they are nature’s alarm system. They are equipped with so many detectors for any kind of life-threatening scenario that it is quite impossible to rule them out as guard animals.

So let us briefly discuss some of their charming sides as to why we agree on them being good protectors.

Hearing:

Donkeys have exceptional hearing; they have excellent hearing. Their ears are able to hear for up to 60 miles in a desert environment.

When you have such good hearing, predators that try to sneak up will have no chance against this predator detector.

Eyesight:

Donkeys have good peripheral vision even with their head down when grazing. They have great binocular vision. Donkeys even have one of the best visions during nighttime.

This plays a major role in protecting the farm animals as coyotes are active during the night. This fact alone makes the donkeys one of the best choices when it comes to getting guard animals.

Sense of Smell:

Although it is not documented clearly about the donkey’s sense of smell. However, generally, people agree that a donkey’s sense of smell is well developed.

That is because donkeys have a keen nose that can pick up the scent of predators if they are in the vicinity of their territory.

What animals keep coyotes away?

There are a lot of animals that can keep coyotes away. However, there are a select few animals in particular that are the best protectors when it comes to defending the farm against coyotes. Here’s a list of them below.

Llamas:

This animal has an instinctive hatred and no fear of dogs. They are super aggressive against coyotes thus making them one of the best animals to protect against coyotes.

Donkeys:

Donkeys are like an alarm system when it comes to protecting a farm and its herd of small animals and poultry. They also are aggressive towards the coyotes, making them another excellent option as a guard animal.

Dogs:

Not all dog breeds are helpful in protecting against coyotes. Sometimes there will be cases of coyotes chasing them, but that doesn’t mean a dog won’t be able to guard against them either.

Final thoughts

Donkeys dislike coyotes and are exclusively aggressive towards them since they also dislike dogs, and those two animals somewhat resemble each other. Donkeys are great animals to guard against predators as their instinct is to aggressively guard their territory. If taught well, they stay loyal too.