La Drôme Donkeys

26/08/2026

Serious maternity munchers..

Feel so blessed to have these glorious mums, Kismet and Anissou, with their beautiful baby Qs, Quincelle and Quilla.....
aswell, obviously, as Lumière, Bamako, Dobble, Nata-Unicorn, the 3 Muskateers and the 2 stallions, Griot and Corto.

Now, watching and worrying for Kiaria, in the middle....due by the 24th September.....
Daughter of Dobble and Champion Stallion, Atacama....

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered and deserves to be saved. Trying to help them one foal at a time.
Thank you ❤️ for following and caring ❤❤

You can support by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Supporter.

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

25/08/2026

Kiaria de Barret....

My 2nd born Baudet du Poitou, born in my arms. Daughter of Champion Stallion Atacama...
And our dear Dobble....

Kia will be aged 6 on 8th September and her first foal, by Griot du Vern (son of Champion Cupidon du Vern) is due by 24th September.

So, the nightwatch starts again...

Wait and see what Kia and Mme Universe have in store.

The Baudet du Poitou remains critically endangered for good reason. Reproduction is very complicated and success rate is not high, especially for first time births . You have to be present.

Please send all your positive thoughts to Kia.

Teying to help save this most ancient, magnificent breed...one foal at a time.

You can support by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Supporter. Thankyou for caring and following.

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

24/08/2026

Worth the wait...

The baby Qs are growing fast and well. Just soooo cute!

Every time they see me they bray but I almost never catch them with my phone!

Here, you will hear what Quincelle thinks..... she has a very loud, distinctive voice, like her mum Kismet and grandmother Bamako !

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered. They deserve to be saved. So few pure race Baudet du Poitou in this world.
Trying to help one foal at a time...

You can support by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Sponsor. Thankyou for following and caring ❤❤

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

23/08/2026

Lover-boy, Griot du Vern.

I was quite surprised when Bamako left, having been his companion since March....

He was very calm and seemed to quite like having his shed to himself again!

He does love lots of cuddles and chats...and is otherwise very cool indeed.

As an approved reproductor, he arrived aged 6 and used to the life of stallion. He loves the company of a girlfriend but is also quite relaxed on his own.

The rest of the extended family likes to be together. Bamako, almost 4 months pregnant, virtuelle trotted all the way to be reunited with her 3 Muskateers and Dobble. She was quite happy to be the Proncess with Griot but also overjoyed to be back with her family.

Griot now awaits his next girlfriend.....

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered. There are only around 53 stallions officially approved to breed to help save their species.

You can support by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon Sponsor. Thankyou for following and caring ❤❤

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

23/08/2026

Bamako...
The donkey chess game...

Heads back to be with Dobble and the 3 Muskateers....
While Kiaria, due her 1st foal late September, comes here to the maternity shed with Kismet, Anissou and the 2 baby Qs.

Lumi is currently still one of the unlikely 3 am8gos, having fun with her best friend Nata-Unicorn and Corto....

Griot is very chilled. He has his shed back to himself. He is used to it. No drama, quite relaxed. Bamako trotted most of the way to her Muskateers. Pregnant for early May 2027 by Griot du Vern, Mme Universe willing.

Wait and see.... For now, she is delighted to be reunited with family.

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered. There are more giant pandas in the world.

Doing my best to help one foal at a time.
You can support this Baudet du Poitou Preservation Passion by booking a stay in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Supporter. Thankyou for following and caring ❤❤

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

21/08/2026

Motherliness Personified:

I just love Anissou so much.

Hugely intelligent, so gentle, calm, measured and sensitive, this huge , fragile girl.

Ani will be aged 16 on 31st August...

She arrived, with Dobble, in 2019, in such a truly terrible state. Broken ear, severe arthritis, very sensitive to worms, prone to colic and with Lymes disease and laminitis.

Ani lives with pain, as those of us with chronic conditions understand. Have to be careful what she eats. Remains mistrustful of man, despite the calm years here. And yet she just gets on and keeps up with her extended family. Such a dear, derp soul.

Here, Anissou, who is very rare genetically, has gifted 2 truly glorious Livre A Baudet du Poitou daughtes: the spectacular Lumière de Barret, who will be aged 5 in September and the dear Quilla de Barret, 3 months old next week....

Ani, remarkably, lets both fedons feed! Apparently this is very unusual. She us so motherly, she just doesn't mind! Quincelle benefits from both mums! Quilla has to wait for her own mum as Kismet soon pushes away any advances...

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered. The are more Giant Pandas in this world... This glorious, most ancient breed deserves to be saved. Doing my best to help one foal at a time.

Please support this Poitou Passion by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Supporter. Thankyou for following and caring ❤❤

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

21/08/2026

À chacune de vos âmes...

Nous sommes des particules de lumière provenant tous de la même source lumineuse.
Nous sommes tous les descendants de cette Lumière originelle, immuable, éternelle.

Nous descendons tous de la même lignée, du même souffle, de la même eau.
Tous les êtres vivants sont sœurs et frères d’une même famille d’âme.

De cette divine combinaison émerge notre âme :
Des grains de lumière,
une couleur, une vibration, une musique propre à chacun de nous...

François Bonnal ✍️

20/08/2026

Horrendous storms and torrential rain, with really loud thunder, sheet and fork lightening. The sky goes completely pink...

After months of continuous heatwaves, scalding heat and dry....

Really scary and I am now indoors. Had to go feed everyone in this, still in 4 groups due to the unrelenting hot....then been to check them all again.

Nata Unicorn is scared. The donkeys are all quiet, waiting for the end to come, knowing it will eventually.

These mums and baby Qs have been in their shed since 16h30, taking refuge and comfort eating.

All look utterly miserable.

We need rain but these storms are truly scary.

Stat safe, everyone.

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys

20/08/2026

The same miracle slippers for baby donkeys, too

✨🐴 **GOLDEN SLIPPERS: ONE OF NATURE’S QUIET MIRACLES**
They may look unusual, but these soft, delicate structures protect both a newborn foal and its mother during birth.

Known as foal slippers—or scientifically as the *eponychium*—they cover the underside of each hoof while the foal is developing inside the mare. A foal’s hooves are already formed before birth, but without this soft, rubbery covering, their hard edges could injure the mare as the foal passes through the birth canal.

The pale, sometimes golden-looking material is soft, moist and flexible at birth. Its strange feathered appearance has also inspired names such as “fairy fingers” and “golden slippers.”

They are incredibly short-lived.

Once exposed to air, the slippers begin drying and shrinking. As the foal makes its first wobbly attempts to stand, the soft protective material flattens and gradually wears away against the bedding and ground.

Before long, the familiar solid hooves beneath are revealed—ready to support a foal that may be standing and taking its first uncertain steps remarkably soon after entering the world.

It is a tiny detail that many people never get the opportunity to witness, yet it demonstrates nature’s extraordinary precision: soft when protection is needed, then quickly disappearing once its purpose has been fulfilled.

From the first breath to the first determined step, every part of a newborn foal seems designed for the remarkable journey ahead.

19/08/2026

Anissou looks like I feel most of the time, these days!!!!!
Exhausting, these tiddlers and having to think for new mum, Kismet, aswell...
We'll all be glad to reunite the extended family soon..

The Baudet du Poitou is critically endangered. They deserve to be saved. Doing my best to help one foal at a time.

You can support our donkeys by booking a holiday in one of our gîtes, donating or by becoming a Patreon donkey Supporter. Thankyou for following and caring ❤❤

www.lesbeauxchenes.com

Linktr.ee/ladromedonkeys