Donkey Day - My life is all about Sergio Now...

As you may have read in my post yesterday - we lost Cheyenne Thursday night, it has been very sad around here - lots of tears, but my focus now is for her baby Sergio. He is my life now...


Cheyenne was one of the first three donkeys we purchased 7 years ago. She was a huge part of our family and very special as one of the first. Her death has been a shock to us and really taken a lot out of Hubby and myself. But we both know that the main priority now is her 11 day old baby... So the foal formula came out and I tried to start bottle feeding at 4 am yesterday... 3 hours I got 4 oz in him and just as much all over me. He did not like the bottle and fought me. Doc suggested that we just skip the bottle and go straight to a pail... I found a small stainless steel pail and mixed up 2 cups of formula.... after we got him to figure out to put his head down a bit instead of up and back... he drank the entire pail. Then every 2 - 2.5 hours he had gotten down 2 cups..

So now we have done this over 24 hours.. he already has learned that the silver pail means a meal and Hee Haws and comes towards us when we come out the back door. So for the next few days... every 2-3 hours I will be out with Sergio making sure he gets down his milk. He is already chewing on hay and roots, and drinking water a bit. So if we can get through the first week I think we will be in a safe area and he will make it. So now I guess all my days ... OH and nights will revolve around the alarm on my cell phone going off every 2.5 hours. Last night was hard, after being up all night with his Mom the night before and so tired already. Hubby was great he insisted on coming out with me each time, despite the fact he was totally worn out and had to go to work today... he is such a great guy and really is so attached to each of our babies. He is so funny ... he tells each of the now 34 of them.."Now don't tell anyone else but you are my favorite..." I am sure the night shift "feedings" will soon become my detail.. But I think he was just so worried about Sergio that he just had to go out with me.

So now that we have feeding down... and I will have to learn when to up the amounts of milk. My next worry is that he will find some comfort with the other donkeys and learn to socialize with them. He doesn't have the nuzzling that the Moms give their babies, and the learning and "do what I do" that the baby gets from Mom... I was hoping that one of the Mom's might take him in a bit... adopt him even if it wasn't to feed but just to help take care of - that we will watch over time and see... right now they don't push him away (they were in the beginning) they are allowing him to "hang" with them.. not to close but closer - and for the first time late last night he played with is 1/2 brother and 1/2 sister... funny too as he is the older one he should be the leader. But due to the fact he was off with his sick Mom... and not getting enough to eat, he just didn't have it in him to play with the others. I am sure in a few days he will be much stronger and playing with them much more.

So my life is in 2-3 hours increments. If I can't get somewhere and back in that time.. it is not possible. In a few weeks.. it will move to 3-4.. then a few weeks 4-5... that will get me past the 3 month mark and then he should be ok to only be fed milk 4-5 times in a 24 hours time.

Now... do you think I will be able to sell this little guy after all of this... I have already warned Hubby... our first big dollar hot stud to sell... and well he is going to be a Mommas boy and I am just going to have to wait and see... bets are being placed... most of the family is putting their money on "no sale".....


HUGS and Happier Donkey photos and Libbie photos next week.....