Good morning Donkeys

Or what we do at 05.00 in the morning. They have learned to be patient and generally do not wake us, but occasionally they like to remind us that the day has dawned and it’s about time we did something about feeding them.

They are very clean animals, and between them Mother and Daughter have a code of behaviour worked out between them, so (generally – Ed) they do not poo in the stable, preferring to do so in the same position in the stable yard. Usually in one corner.

This obviously keeps the inside of the stable clean and fresh overnight, which they seem to appreciate. They lie down inside, and a bit like a youngster wetting the bed we have spillage, usually in the same position. When we first had them, we used straw for bedding but as the price became more expensive (six years ago it was £2.50 per bale, now it’s £4.00 – Ed), and of course how do you separate tainted straw from fresh? We then discovered @aubiosehorsebedding which is a hemp-based bedding which is absorbent and makes bed-making extremely easy.

First job is to hand pick the accidental poos that they have done overnight.

Then we hand sort the wee tainted bedding from the rest which obviously we can reuse. We then sweep the reusable bedding to one side leaving the wee’d upon bedding which conglomerates.

The next step is to kick the tainted bedding around until full absorption has taken place, then a small hand brush micro manages the debris to be taken out in the barrow.

The donks then have access to the stable for the morning, and in late afternoon the bedding is re-spread and mixed with new to create a sweet-smelling and cosy, comfortable, overnight bedding. The first thing do when we open the doors is to roll and appreciate the bedding – the second thing they do is wee! I’m guessing it is a form of scent and ownership marking.