Meet Jemima!

We have never seen a more energetic and friendly foal! Jemima hit the ground running! We had been anticipating her birth since the middle of March and were now approaching the 13 month mark. It's hard to call a donkey "overdue" because the gestation range is anywhere from 11-13 months. It can kinda make a person go crazy!

Earlier in the the day, Deedee had been showing some unusual behavior by excluding herself from the herd and having loose stool. The strangest most sure sign that foaling was going to happen, was when we opened the birthing stall door and she walked right in! Definitely not normal.

I went out to do a final check before going to bed and discovered Deedee in the pushing phase! Baby was coming with the front hooves and nose but it was a big one and mama was having a hard time getting it out. I took a hold of the front hooves and gave some resistance so the foal stopped slipping back in between contractions. After a few more contractions, she was out! Good job Deedee! A cute, dark grey/brown foal with the biggest donkey ears we have seen.

Within five minutes of being born, the foal attempted to stand and was successful. It was up and moving around before mom was. With the size and energy we just knew it was a boy and were pleasantly surprised to find out otherwise!

She needed a jacket since that night dropped to 23 degrees!

It was such a stark contrast from our last foal, Ginger, who really struggled. This little Jemima is full of spunk and was running and kicking at just two days old. She loves attention and will follow you around just like a puppy. We love our Jemima!