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"I'd like to purchase a breeding pair." This is a statement I receive in a lot of emails and hear from a lot of people so I thought it would be good to explain why this is NOT a good idea.
I myself, am one that loves to breed and raise animals and I have ever since I was young. I
had my own small pygmy goat breeding business. I would rent a buck from a friend to breed my does and then have a few babies in about five months time and sell the babies when they were a couple of months old. There is something so incredible about being able to witness the entire process. It wasn't always smooth sailing and I had plenty of heartbreak but it helped me to value life and the process of birth even more.
This can be the desire of a lot of people. It really seems to make sense financially to buy a breeding pair in order to produce offspring that can be sold (or kept). For some reason though, I don't think I have ever heard someone request a breeding pair when it comes to horses. Usually people realize that it is not a good idea to own a stallion unless they have plans to become serious breeders. The same is true for miniature donkeys. Even though they are the size of some goats, they are part of the equine family and should be respected as such.
An intact jack runs on hormones that can be unpredictable and at times dangerous. If there is a jenny nearby that is in heat, that jack is going to do everything in his power to get to the jenny, no matter who is in the way. Most of the time, jacks are very pleasant and loveable but must be respected for who and what they are. We say all of the time that these animals are small but oh so mighty! On our farm, we have two jacks and my kids know they are not allowed in either of their pens without an adult being present.
Another problem that presents itself when considering buying a breeding pair is the timing of the actual breeding process. Most miniature donkeys that I have seen for sale and the ones which we sell, are foals that are just weaned off their mothers at six months of age. Because donkeys are herd animals they need to be with another of their own kind. By the time they are a year old, jennies can become fertile and able to breed but should not until they are at least 3 years old. A jack can become fertile around the age of 8 months old and will start jack like behavior very early on. If you were to purchase a jack and jennet foal together, they would have to be separated from each other until the jennet reached the breeding age of 3.
This would make for a very frustrated hormonal jack and both would be sad and lonely.
A jenny is pregnant for 12-13 months and during this time can be housed with a jack. We separate all of our jennies from the jacks within a month of their giving birth. After delivering her foal, a jenny will have her first heat cycle (meaning she can breed again) by about 7 days post foaling. We find this can be very hard on the jennet and like to keep her separated from the jack for at least a month or two and generally we will give her an entire year off. Again, if you only have a breeding pair, this makes for a very frustrated and lonely jack. For the jenny not so much because she at least has a foal for company.
It is not advised to purchase an intact jack unless you are planning to start a miniature donkey breeding program. It is recommended that you have at least 5 jennies before getting a jack. If this is not a possibility for you and you are still longing to have foals, find a breeder who is willing to do a stud service with their jack.
When we purchased our first donkeys, there were no breeders even somewhat close to us. After doing some research we decided we wanted to become breeders. We purchase 5 jennets, three of which were pregnant. After a year, we bought our first jack. After some sad outcomes and realizing he wasn't a good match, we had him gelded and purchased two smaller jacks. Having more than one jack can be extremely complicated and dangerous so do not take this step until you are experienced with the breed and the process!
Our jacks are in separate pens and have a female companion at all times to keep them company. We rotate which jennies are with the jacks in order to keep everyone safe and happy!
In a nutshell, do not purchase a breeding pair. Buy two jennies or a jenny and gelding. Geldings (castrated jacks) make wonderful pets and companions and there is no danger in them breeding an under-aged jenny.
On our Simple Little Farm, this is one thing that is not that simple!
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