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Brayer: A Breeder's View: Choosing Miniature Breeding Stock By Carolyn Christian, Quarter Moon Ranch |
A. A FEMALE BREEDER
Your jenny should be two to three years old before she begins
breeding
depending on her size, condition, and overall development. Because
we prefer
our weanlings to mature to 32" to 34" in height (jack or jenny), my
ideal
breeding jennet is 32" to 34". Bred to a jack which is 32" or so,
this foal should
have a better chance at good conformation. A wider chest in most
cases is
characteristic of a wider rib area which should not only help in
foaling, but aid
the donkey in standing firm and square. Avoid mouth defects, toes in
and out,
cow-hocks, ridged and concave rear ends, poor tail sets, weak
symmetry in the
rear end and total body outline, heads that are not in proportion to
the rest of
the body, etc. And when you find this donkey, buy it because it is
rare.
Extremes in structural defects is not good in your female breeder
and don't buy
into the theory that a good jack can correct a laundry list of
major conformation
faults. If your jack can do it, you're more lucky than genetically
wise. If you want
quality in your donkey, your best chances of getting it are to
breed to quality.
That's just common sense. It has paid off for us tenfold. We don't
hit homeruns
each time, but most. Our herd is not the largest (21 breeding
jennets and 2
herdsires) but we bought and bred quality as we built quantity.
Also, pedigrees
are important but don't become a pedigree snob. A poorly conformed
donkey
with a recognizable pedigree is still a poorly conformed donkey. If
it is a jack,
he should definitely not be the cornerstone around which your
entire breeding
program is built. I see far too many new people get into the
miniature donkey
business and spend an enormous amount of money on an animal just
because
it has "original bloodlines" or is a son of "Perfect Jack". I
believe that
pedigrees are important in determining the height, color,
breeding, and genetic
makeup in the background of a particular donkey, but look up from
the
pedigree and look at that donkey. Does it have allot of the faults
previously
mentioned and if so, are they major or minimal? Not EVERY progeny of
"Perfect Jack" is as perfect as he was, and quite frankly, I even
wonder if in
some cases "Perfect Jack" wasn't more like "Just So-So Jack" and
simply the
object of an agressive marketing campaign. THE PROOF IS IN
THE PROGENY NOT THE PEDIGREE. This is why buying from reputable
breeders becomes important.
B. A MALE BREEDER
As previously mentioned, your herdsire is the foundation of your
breeding
program. He determines the sex due to the makeup of his
chromosomes, and
he puts his genetic fingerprint on every foal you produce. I've
noticed that
everyone in the market for a herdsire has the same criteria. They
want a
breeding age jack (black most of the time) with a good pedigree who
is small
and a proven breeder. The chances of finding this little guy are
about as great
as Pete and I selling all the donkeys, moving back to Houston, and
living in an
apartment on the freeway. Why would anyone sell that jack? You
probably
could buy him, but what part of your land are you willing to sell to
pay for him?
Seriously, you may get lucky and find a fire sale or someone who has
to avoid
inbreeding, but you might think of searching for a younger animal
with promise
to become that jack, or seek stud service from a jack of which you
are fond
until you find yours. And when you find him, the key word is not
"small" nor
"black" but "proven". We bought Barney at two years old. He had
never bred.
We knew he had extremely correct legs, good top line and chest, and
proportion, but the jury was still out until we saw if he could pass
those
qualities on to his foals. After the first 5 foals, we were
encouraged. After the
next 5, we were beginning to get happy, after the next 5, we were
buying him
blankets with his name on them! Then, after we saw his first few
jacks and
jennets at maturity, that boy gets to stay! This same theory
applies to your
jennet as well. After a few foals, you will be able to tell to
some degree of
accuracy what her part in that particular cross is. We breed
certain jacks to
certain jennets because the end result is better than either of the
individuals. It
may sound funny, but we want our offspring to be better than the
pair from
which they are bred, therefore, as good as our boy is, we want his
progeny to
be even better. To cattle people, this is the basic principle of
heterosis or hybrid
vigor where the cross exaggerates the best qualities of the
parents by bringing
to the cross a completely diverse genetic tree. That is also why it
is important to
have good genes on both sides.
C. A PET QUALITY MINI DONKEY
The criteria for selecting a pet quality miniature donkey is that
you forget
everything I've just said and look for the most lovable donkey you
can find that
fits your personality, one that was born just to live at your
ranch. If it is a jack,
geld it. If it is a jenny, love her, don't breed her. I've talked
allot about our
emphasis on conformation. Don't think we don't have pet quality
animals here
at Quarter Moon Ranch. We do AND SO DOES EVERY OTHER BREEDER
whether or not they will admit it. Genetics is not an absolute
science. But we
don't panic because it gives us the opportunity to place donkeys in
the homes
of people who may otherwise not be able to afford another animal. We
want
everyone to share these special "critters" with us.
IF YOU SELL A MINIATURE DONKEY TO SOMEONE NEW, WHAT DO YOU TELL THEM ABOUT ITS CARE?
If you follow a few basic rules which include worming, vaccinating, health,dental and hoof care, nutritional requirements, clean management practices, and basic responsible animal husbandry, these donkeys will live long and happy lives with fewer health problems.
ANY INTERESTING STORIES, FUNNY, HELPFUL HINTS OR OTHER TO SHARE WITH READERS?
I got a call from a young mother in her late twenties wanting us to
bring a
donkey to her daughters 10th birthday party. I had met Christine
when she and
her THREE car loads of family came to see the donkeys. I was told at
that time
that Christine had cancer and was not expected to live. She speaks
openly and
courageously about her illness. Christine and Kirt have two
children and she is
one of the most beautiful young women I have ever met. Her
daughter had
loved the donkeys so that she wanted to surprise her with having one
come to
her birthday party. She told me that her children's birthdays are
more important
to her now because of her illness. We COULDN'T refuse. We didn't
bring just
one donkey, we took weanlings, mommas with babies and Barney. We set
up a
petting zoo and gave children rides in the cart with Barney. The day
was long,
exhausting, and very rewarding. She fell ill three days before the
party and was
released from the hospital only the morning of the party. She was
determined
to be there. Christine is in failing health but she and her
daughter have fond
memories of Barney driving Pete, Christine, and the birthday girl
all around
their ranch- AND SO DO WE. There are always funny and heartwarming
moments with our donkeys, but the one story that sums up what
these animals
are all about came from a farrier we had working with the donkeys
when we
first got into the "business". Randy is a real Texas cowboy. He
looks and acts
the part. He raises race horses and quarterhorses and had no place
among his
sophisticated horse clients and macho rodeo buddies for a donkey,
let alone a
miniature donkey. After he had been working for us for several
months, he said
he wanted to buy Pedro, a gelding we had. I said that, of course, I
will sell him
to you but that he didn't look like the "miniature donkey type". He
agreed that
he was going to get an enormous amount of teasing for buying
Pedro. When
asked why he wanted to buy him, Randy replied that after being
around these
donkeys, "I want to drink coffee and grow old with Pedro". Many
horses have
come and gone in Randy's life both before and since then. He and his
wife
divorced. But Randy and Pedro are still drinking coffee and
growing old
together. That's what miniature donkeys are all about.
