We have a herd of 15, including baby Tammy, who was born here in March of 2007 - only the second donkey to be born at Manor Farm (the first was Sadie, daughter of Molly)

Our donkeys love meeting the public, and some of them give rides to the children.

Adopt a donkey and you may even get chance to groom them, and perhaps take them for a walk, too.

Here you can see some of the donkeys having a feed in their paddock.

See our donkeys below!
Click here to watch a video clip of the donkeys coming in at bedtime
- and Sooty getting a little too close to the camera! 
(don't forget to come back to us afterwards)

 

Barnaby was only a month old when he arrived with his mother, Candyfloss, “on loan” to the farm until he was old enough to be weaned.  The staff became so attached to them both that a fund-raising project was instigated to purchase them.  Barnaby was to be Candy’s last foal, as she unfortunately died of old age in May 2004

 

We feel very fortunate to have her son, who has inherited a lot of his mother’s mannerisms and gentle nature.

Danny Boy

Born:    15 August 1998

Sex:     Male

Colour/markings:  Grey and sandy neck and body; white forehead, belly and legs

Danny Boy came to England with a shipment of other donkeys and was put up for sale at the Appleby Horse Fair.  He was in a very sorry state and painfully thin.  Because his hooves, which had grown into ‘winkle pickers’ through neglect, had been hacked off prior to sailing he was finding difficulty in walking. Gradually, through a lot of patience and good farrier work, his hooves were re-shaped and he was able to put his feet down and balance his weight properly.

Dougal was in a very poor condition when he arrived at Manor Farm, having been accidentally separated from his mother when he was loaded, as part of a cargo of horses and adult donkeys, on board a ship coming to this country.

The person who took delivery of the petrified little animal in his intended shipment contacted us to see if we could take him.  Not having been weaned properly, he was found to be suffering from malnutrition and rickets.  It took a lot of nursing, and gentle handling, to produce the happy, confident donkey he is today.

 

 

 

 

 

Tammy was born at Manor Farm on 29^th March 2007.  She is only the second foal to be born here.  She was born about 10:00am that morning, which is quite rare, as donkeys usually give birth at night when there is no-one around. 

Tammy is a friendly, confident little donkey and comes over readily to visitors for a fuss.  When she is let out into the fields in the morning she frolics around like a playful child.

Dulcie is an eastern European donkey who had a sight-threatening tumour which was left untreated by her previous owners in order that she could continue as a breeding mare.  She came to Manor Farm with her young foal, Dixie, and our first job was to have her properly cared for through specialist attention.  Dixie could not be separated from his mother at this stage, so the pair of them went away for several months intensive veterinary treatment.  They returned to us in March 2007.

Eddie

Colour/markings: Brown & white skewbald

Gypsy

Born:       16 March 2000

Sex:        Female
Clour/markings: Grey with a white belly and black cross on her back

  

  

Eddie was born in a small village in Leicestershire.  He attracted interest because of his size and build, as donkeys of his proportions are few and far between and are ideal candidates for donkey derbys and giving rides to larger children.  His owner had, unfortunately, had him gelded as a youngster, not realising the height he would ultimately achieve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she was rescued by Manor Farm staff, after being found wandering by the roadside in Leicestershire and in danger of being killed or causing a nasty accident, her feet were in quite poor condition – her hooves were overgrown and cracked.  She is still undergoing regular farrier treatment and the damage is slowly being rectified.

Born:        2 March 1979

Sex:         Female

 

 

 

 

We felt it important to give Heidi a good home as she was a retired beach donkey who was really too small to carry large or heavy children.  When stricter rules came into force for seaside donkeys she found herself unwanted. 

Jim Lad

Born:          15 August 1996

Arrived:       August 2002

Sex:             Male

Colour/markings:  White with grey flecks and a very faint cross on his back

 

 

Jim Lad arrived with Danny Boy in August 2002.  His original home was in Derbyshire where he lived as a family pet.  His owners introduced a pony for their children as well as an intended companion for him.  Probably through jealousy, however, Jim Lad flatly refused to accept it.  As all attempts at integration failed, they were left with no option but to part with one or the other and, unfortunately for Jim Lad, he was the one chosen to go! 

When he first arrived at Manor Farm he found great difficulty in integrating with the other donkeys, whom he tended to bully.  Being taught to pull a cart has given him an interest in life and made him far more amenable and popular with his friends, both 2 and 4 legged!!

Born:         13 April 1989

Sex:          Female

 

 

Molly had been a breeding mare for the biggest part of her life and when she first arrived at Manor Farm was extremely timid due to the fact that she had been kept in a shed with little or no access to the outside world and hardly any human contact.  At the time of her arrival she was pregnant with Sadie and quickly adapted to her new surroundings, displaying obvious pleasure at being free in a field full of grass!

Popeye

Born:         31 August 1996

Sex:          Male

Colour/markings: Skewbald, i.e. white with brown splodges

 

 

 

Popeye was quite a sad and lost little donkey when he arrived as, although barely old enough to be weaned, he had been separated from his mother.

Shortly after arriving at Manor Farm he suffered a severe attack of peritonitis.  It was very much “touch and go” for him, but with plenty of dedicated nursing we were able to slowly pull him through.  He is now full of fun and loves to play “tug-o-wellie” with his donkey friends.

 Sadie

Born:     27 May 1997

Sex:      Female

Colour/markings: Grey with a white belly and black cross on her back and long blonde strands coming out of her ears.

 

 

 

 

She can easily be recognised because of the long blonde hair on her ears and in the winter she tends to become extremely hairy and fluffy.

 

Her boyfriends are Dougal and Barnaby, but she has never lost the bond with her mum.  Sadie enjoys giving rides to the public.  She has won prizes at two local donkey shows.