I've been thinking about goslings. And baby chicks. One of my favorite things to do in the Spring is go to the feed store and come home with a box filled with peeping, honking barnyard birds. I love my birds.

But then I've been asking myself if I just want to feed that old bobcat this spring ... you know, the one who ate up everyone this year, including the barn cats? And I got real sad thinking about not having goofy ganders to follow me around on their orange floppy feet. (Years ago, we had a gosling that accompanied my husband Dennis every step of the way during the building of the front deck, until the sweet little fellow got too tired, and then took to napping in the sawdust in the shade of the table saw as Dennis sawed away. Damned bobcat eventually got that nice gander too.)

And then the idea of a guard donkey occurred to me. Uh ... in a flash of light. Like tablets handed down to Moses from the big dude himself. Well, actually, I got the idea from Farmgirl Fare.

Apparently a donkey can open up a whole can of serious teeth and hooves whup ass on a predator. They are highly territorial beasts. I am heartened by this story about guard donkeys on a turkey farm in Colorado--

The young turkeys (who were all gone to be dinner) live in a large open field, with a tall hoop house with perches inside. The young turkeys go in at night. They are protected by his two guard donkeys. We got to meet the donkeys, and after a polite offering of my hand to be sniffed, I was allowed to pet their heads and long ears. Guard donkeys

Dallas explained that donkeys just hate everything in the dog clan: dogs, coyotes, and foxes. In the previous year he lost fifty young birds one night; that's when he hired the donkeys as guards. Since then he hasn't lost any birds.

I believe I can get my hands on a wild donkey (an old gnarly one with a real bad attitude about predators, perhaps) from the BLM in April. April 17-19 to be exact in Artesia, NM.

I hear that girl donkeys aka jennies (I think that's the correct terminology) do the best for this job. I could name her, you know, Xena, for you know who. Donkeyzilla is under consideration as well.

I even read in my internet wanderings a story about donkeys killing a black bear that wandered into their field, although I'm not sure I believe that one.

Watch out you ol' bobcat, I may get my geese and pretty plump hens this spring after all, and the posse may be comin' to get you.

Related link: Sweet pet gives a mean kick