Today I decided to recycle a broken bird feeder into something for our donkeys as an experiment for their enrichment and stimulation. As comical as ever, such clever boys …….

Here are some photos of what happened

So I’ve been out here for about an hour waiting for our donkeys, who are busy chomping on the grass, to process it and for it to appear the other end.

I’m doing this so their poo can be sent off ( special delivery 📦) to The Donkey Sanctuary to be tested for worm eggs. This gives us a really good indication as to wether they need worming or not. We only treat if necessary, ensuring greater efficacy in the treatment.

Good job we didn’t do it yesterday, as the hunt were out and about and you could have put their poo through a sieve they were so nervous 😬. Peace and harmony restored today 😊. Although it seems to be a bit like watching paint dry 😂…..

We have spent an amazing morning with our friends “Mary and Richard, Donkey guardians in waiting. “ 

Little Lad and George have met them once before back in May. Today they were very confident, striding up to them as soon as they eneterd the field and enjoyed a good scratch from them both. We decided to get their head collars on and Mary had no trouble catching George. Then they decided to walk them around the paddock. Richard took charge of Little Lad, who in the past has been a bit anxious of new situations, particularly when it involves a man. To my absolute amazement and sheer delight, Richard and Little Lad lead the way. Khush and myself just sat outside their stable, while these two confident donkeys did everything that was asked of them.Over poles, around bollards  you name they did it. We couldn’t have been more proud.

Then for a bit of routine maintenance, in the form of hoof picking. George stood very calmly while Mary confidently picked up and picked out all 4  hooves. Little Lad did his usual party trick and picked up his feet, just by touching the top of his leg. Never having children I can only imagine this is how you must feel when they have reached yet another milestone in their lives. Even Mary and Richard commented on how calm they were and how different they seemed from last time. 

It is great to meet like minded people and I know this is the start of a friendship where possibly the only thing we talk about are our donkeys ❤️🐴🐴

Here’s hoping that Mary and Richard get the news they have been waiting so patiently for, that there are two donkeys coming their way. Until then they can play surrogate guardian to our two amazing donkeys……    

Gorgeous George is celebrating his 7th birthday today and looking mighty fine 😊 🎉💕 

He shared his homemade cake with his bestie and most trusted friend, Little Lad. 

And no washing up needed as they licked the plate clean !!! ❤️🐴🐴



For some time now George had been going around his paddock and lifting the electric fence posts out with his teeth. There is a little peg on them that you stand on to push them into the ground. It is that little peg that he gets his pearly whites around and gently leavers it out the ground. There is no benefit to either him or Little Lad just to do one, so he does two or three in a row. This renders said electric fence useless, as it is now lying on the ground and easy to jump over. When he first started doing this it was  just Little Lad who would bound over to new juicy grass and George would stay behind and split on his bestie by braying until someone would come out to see what was going on. However he is being led astray by Little Lad and now follows him into the out of bounds pasture. 

We thought we cracked it by giving George some of the posts in his paddock to satisfy his curiosity, but no he is up to his usual tricks again ….. you have to hand it to him, as far as we are aware he has never got a shock and it must take some skill when you’ve got ears the size of his not to get zapped. 

You’ve just got to love ’em 

So as an experiment, we borrowed a hay  net from our friends at #Cary Alpacas today. We filled it with some Hazel branches, some nettles and some Dogwood. It mimics our donkeys natural foraging instincts, as they would browse more in their natural environment. As usual George was first to experience it, with Little Lad waiting behind to make sure it wasn’t something that was going to scare him. George maybe the smaller of the two, but definitely the most gregarious! #lovedonkeys # thedonkeysanctuary #caryalpacas

Using those buckets in our training plan. Clearly George and Little Lad had other ideas. They do love picking things up in their mouth and generally having fun with it. 

So here are two boys in their best condition. They have both lost their thicker coats and look about 3 inches narrower. #showdonkeys #handsome. 

Although they have clean now for ages ( with the absence of rain) today as we wait for Sophie from the Donkey Sanctuary to come, they have found a nice muddy spot to roll in 😂 

So not quite an ice pop, but the next best thing if you are a donkey. A gigantic carrot 🥕 ice cube ….. just what you need to keep cool in this glorious weather. 

I don’t want to get up this morning.  Can I stay here a bit longer …..