Score one for the humans against the wily donkeys, at least for now. The chicken wire held up, and the donkey’s efforts to eat the barn have been stymied, at least for now. I had called Ben to come and replace the wood, but we came up with a $30 solution that will, I think, hold up. All we needed was two rolls of chicken wire and a staple gun. Necessity is the mother of invention.

I also tossed out two or three pieces of firewood so they can nose around with that (and I’m looking for a few traffic cones to help ease donkey boredom.) With the snow, the donkeys can’t graze and as they are curious creatures, they get bored easily. We do need to give them some things to do. But they are also creatures of habit, and if they stop chewing on the barn, they’ll move alone. I used a horse repellent called Rap Last, but it is strong stuff and I wasn’t at ease with it. Dish washing detergent worked too. Might look for some pine boards to throw in as well.We are pleased with ourselves, though I wouldn’t rule the donkeys out yet. I will go out the barn and jeer at them in a bit.