How good are donkeys with cows?

Answer 1

They are not great if they are not introduced to the herd at a young age (i.e., just after weaning), are intact males, and there is more than one of them in with the cows. Jennies (female donkeys) are best for being livestock guardians, especially as mentioned, they are introduced when they are young and are the only donkey in with the herd. The bonding aspect is very important if a donkey is going to be a good livestock guardian and going to do its job of keeping away the predators instead of causing chaos and heartache for the cows and calves.

Jacks are probably the worst for cows because when they get into this "rut" phase they will try to force themselves onto any cow or heifer, and will chase, bite, kick and all-around harass the animals in attempt to mate with them. Even castration likely won't solve the issue, because it won't change the jack's perception that he's a donkey and not a cow, and thus the dominant one in the herd. Jennies can be just as bad if they aren't bonded to the herd. They won't try to mate with the cows, but they will bite, kick and harass cows and calves until the owner has had enough with the donkey's troublesome habits.

Donkeys will also be nasty to cows when feed is around, because they will dominate the feed area and chase away any cow that tries to go near. This is especially true if the donkey sees itself as a donkey and not just another cow a part of the cow herd, and if there are two or more of them. Donkeys, like horses, will hoard and act food-aggressive towards any competition that is not another equine.

Donkeys are also not the greatest for accepting anything that is smaller than them into the herd. This could be a risk for new calves hitting the ground, so if this is the case the donkey may need to be separated from the herd. This is particularly if, as mentioned, if the donkey doesn't see itself as part of the herd or just another cow.

Otherwise, if all goes well and the donkey is well bonded to the cows, she will be the greatest thing for keeping coyotes, feral/stray dogs and other predators away, keeping the calves safe from harm until they're big enough to look after themselves. A good donkey won't hurt the newborn calves and will accept them into the herd--provided the cows do a good job letting the donkey know to not mess with their calves for the first little bit if they suspect any leery behaviour from the long-eared equid--even play with the calves without hurting them. A good livestock guard donkey will put the fear into the heart and legs of any potential predator that comes near her cows and calves.