Miniature Donkeys on the Farm

Miniature Donkeys

Until this week I didn’t know much about miniature donkeys. I’m still not an expert by any means of the imagination, but I do know more now that I once did. I’ll get back to the donkeys in a minute, but first I need to give you some background information

Bellview Family Farm

If you subscribe to NanaHood then you probably know we have a blueberry farm. About 2 years ago we decided to turn the blueberry farm into an agri-tourism business and we are hoping to open this summer. One of the many components to our business will be the petting zoo.

We already have Babydoll Sheep

And Nigerian Dwarf Goats

And now we have two miniature donkeys, one of them is what is referred to as a micro-mini donkey because she’s so tiny.

Marlene and Barbie

The Sign of the Cross

As I mentioned before I did not know much about donkeys and the lady we purchased Marlene and Barbie from asked me if I knew why donkeys had a cross on their back. I didn’t know what she was talking about until she pointed out that every donkey on her farm (and everywhere) has what looks like a cross drawn on them with a magic marker. Only it wasn’t drawn on with a magic marker, they are born that way. No matter what color they are they have a cross on them. Of course it shows up better on some of them than others but I looked at every donkey and they each had one. To read more about the legend of the cross click here.

They were so friendly that if it weren’t for their ears you would swear they giant puppies. They followed my grandchildren around like a dog would.

This my husband, the donkey whisperer. I don’t know what he was telling them!

The Miniature Donkey

The miniature donkey is not a bred-down version of a larger donkey. Their small size is the way they are supposed to be. Miniature donkeys don’t grow taller than 36 inches (91 centimeters). Miniatures usually weigh 200 to 450 pounds, but Marlene will probably only make it to 150 pounds.

Miniature donkeys are not native to the United States. They come from the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia and were first imported into the United States in 1929 by Robert Green. There are between 10 to 20 thousand in the U.S. now. If you want to read more about these delightful animals you can click here.

And please visit Bellview Family Farm Facebook page and keep up with our farm there. We are located in south central Kentucky, right off the Cumberland Parkway. Visit us in June and you can pick blueberries while your children play with the animals and on our playground.

This is our new logo for the farm and I just love it! Don’t you? Do you have a agri-tourism business near you? Do your children or grandchildren love it?