Take care when breeding miniature donkeys

Severe warning - don´t breed with to small miniature jennets!

EA Palarmo with RS GizmoWe know, the ancestries of miniature donkeys are the sardinian donkeys. Over years they were breed smaller and smaller, so that some miniature donkeys have only a size from 25,5 to 30". But in all miniature donkey genes is the information about the sardinian donkey and their size. Their size ranges between 33,5 to 37,5". Don`t forget it, because not all jennets, which are small sized, can give birth to a foal, which have a birthsize from 23". The foal can`t be born normal, the birthway is to small.

Now my sad story -

SA Yukon JackI have had only one jennet, which measured 31 ", named EA Palarmo. I know about her last 3 foals: one foal, RS Gizmo, was born in quarantine, his sire is 33" . The birth was without problems.
Then she was breed to SA Yukon Jack, my first herdsire and gave birth to a little jackfoal, RS Jerry - without problems.
Now she was in foal to SA Black Luster, my second herdsire, 32" - no problems during here pregnancy, she was the whole time very quiet and careful. The birth started on the right date, I could see the bag of water, then the bag is broke, I saw the feets of the foal. Parlarmo worked and worked, but the birth didn´t go on. I rang up the veterian. He came fast and made a check up of the jennet. He told me, that the foal is to big, it couldn´t be born normal. Her birthway was to small. We shortly discussed about a transport to a clinic, but it was to late for the jennet and the unborn foal, because it is to far away.
SA Black LusterSo there was one last chance for my donkeys - a cesarean here at home. The vet is a good one and knows the most about donkeys. Short time later he had the foal, a big black jackfoal, but dead ! The birth was to long for him. The vet ended the operation by Palarmo and now she had to wake up. But one hour after the operation she was also dead !
We think, it was to much stress for her, because she was very sensitiv. There was nothing wrong .
I measured the foal - his size was 23 ", his weight 15 kg ! It was a big boned boy. The adult size from foals, which have a birthsize from 23", ranges between 33 to 34". Therefore i think, that ALL miniature donkeys have in their genenetic/DNA the information about the sardinian donkey and its size.