One Sneaky Donkey

Sometimes it's difficult to live with a sneaky donkey.  Named Luigi.

While Spice eats her special feed in the barn,  Luigi attempts to break in to share.  At least 90% of the time.  Every day.  E.v.e.r.y  d.a.y.

It takes some quick maneuvering to get Spice in the barn and close the gate before anyone else wises up.  I don't always succeed.  Which complicates the process greatly. 
And I have to make sure the chicken coop door is closed at the back of the barn so Spice doesn't saunter in when she's done. 
And I have to make sure Luigi doesn't try to get in the barn to share.  I don't latch the gate so I can continue to do chores while she eats.  Luigi is the only one who has figured out all you have to do is push on the gate and voila, you're in.  Sugar and Gabs haven't processed that yet.  So my eye is on Luigi.

Here he has spotted Spice eating something which must be very very special.
And then the games begin.

It takes a bit of muscle to stop a 300 pound trickster from opening the gate.

And then there's the backward approach. 
Donkeys have a behavior not shared with horses in which they slowly, step-by-step back up to the object in their focus. I swear they think they're invisible.  I'm not sure if this was his thinking in the photo above.

Sometimes if I hold the gate closed for a few minutes he'll lose interest and wander off to eat hay with the other girls and I can actually get some work done. 

But not always.