Donkeys’ natural food is coarse grass, roughage, leaves, bark, branches, thistles, blackberry and herbs. Donkeys are not in their natural environment in New Zealand. Our rich lush grass is the opposite of what they need and too much rich feed can soon founder a donkey.
What treats can I give my donkeys?
Treats
- Basic treats like carrots, apples, peppermints, bananas, watermelon, oranges, pears, grapes, celery, strawberries, and pumpkin are all safe for donkeys. ...
- Donkeys like sweet flavors, like raspberry. ...
- You can add fruit to a bucket of water to make it more challenging to grab—think bobbing for apples, but with donkeys!
What human food can donkeys eat?
What human food can donkeys eat? Carrots, apples, bananas, pears, turnips and swedes are all safe and usually very popular with donkeys. Ensure that chopped fruit and vegetables are cut in a way that minimises the risk of choking, such as in sticks.
What is the best grain for donkeys?
- Hay
- Straw
- Minerals and Vitamins
- Short chop chaff products
- High Fibre Pellets
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Dried Sugar Beet Pulp
- Don’t forget – Your donkey needs plenty of fresh water!
How to raise a donkey as a pet?
Donkey Housing And Management. When just beginning in raising donkeys the first thing you have to prepare is land and housing. Raising donkeys requires you to build a proper house for them. The housing provides the donkeys with shade from the hot sun and keeps them warm in the winter. Donkey house can be designed using wire, fencing hardware ...
What is the best thing to feed donkeys?
What to feed your donkeysStraw. We recommend feeding donkeys quality barley straw as it is high in fibre and low in sugar, and closely resembles the food that a donkey would eat in the wild. ... Hay. ... Silage. ... High fibre pellets. ... Short chop chaff products. ... Dried sugar beet pulp. ... Succulents. ... Minerals and vitamins.More items...
What do donkeys mostly eat?
Top donkey feeds:Straw. Barley straw is an ideal feed for your donkey. This is because donkeys need high fibre diets with a low amount of protein and carbohydrates. ... Hay and grass. The remainder of your donkey's diet (25-50 per cent) should be grazing on grass, hay or haylage.
Should donkeys eat hay or straw?
Straw should make up the majority of most donkeys' diets, with grazing and hay or haylage being considered a top-up only. Feeding a donkey on grass and hay without providing any straw will end up over-supplying them with calories and energy, causing them to store the excess calories as fat.
What do domestic donkeys eat?
Donkeys, however, are both grazers and browsers. This means that in addition to grass, they can eat shrubs and woody vegetation; their digestive systems can handle low-quality forage that a pony may not be able to digest efficiently.
Do donkeys need grain everyday?
Do Donkeys Need Grain? Donkeys do not need to be fed regular grain if they are given enough straw along with grass or hay to maintain their normal diet.
What is the best grain to feed a donkey?
barley strawThe donkey diet should consist of mainly good quality barley straw or oat straw (barley straw is best) and carefully restricted access to grass. Donkeys may require supplemental hay if they are not maintaining good body condition with the straw and restricted grass diet (for e.g. during the winter months).
What is the best bedding for donkeys?
Barley strawBarley straw is the preferred bedding for healthy donkeys. Barley straw is lower in feed value than oat straw, but higher than wheat straw. It is comfortable for the donkeys to lie on and drains reasonably well.
Can donkeys eat rolled oats?
Youngsters under the age of two and older donkeys that are more than 20-years-old have been found to do well on rolled oats or a 50 per cent rolled oat and 50 per cent rolled barley mix. Adult donkeys over the age of two years do well on good quality, clean whole oats.
How much hay should a donkey eat per day?
Many donkeys do. These are signs of an overweight donkey and in this case you need to feed them slightly less than a maintenance amount of hay so that they will lose the extra weight slowly. Feed them roughly 3-5 lbs of hay per day each – roughly!
What foods are toxic to donkeys?
Barley straw is a great option along with Meadow hay or seed hay. However, it's important to avoid feeding donkeys cereal grain, as they may develop gastric ulcers from these. Many other foods can be harmful to donkeys such as bread, rotting fruit, chicken feed, and horse nuts, and should all be avoided.
Do donkeys eat horse feed?
Donkeys and mules have unique evolutionary traits that mean you should not feed them like a horse. Mules and donkeys should not be fed the same way as horses. Mules and donkeys are members of the equine family, along with horses, ponies and zebras.
Do donkeys need a companion?
Donkeys are definitely not well-suited to living alone. A donkey without any buddies will quickly get sad, depressed, and lonely. They form incredibly strong bonds with their pals, so we strongly recommend keeping bonded pairs together for life. Donkeys can also bond with horses.
Do donkeys eat meat?
Donkey Diet These animals are herbivores, meaning they eat no meat. They enjoy a variety of foods, including hay, oats, grains, and grasses, but they will also eat shrubs and desert plants in certain areas.
Can you feed donkeys meat?
Donkeys Digestive Systems Are Unsuitable for Meat It's designed for slow food passage and to extract all the key nutrients from plants and hay that the animals need to survive and thrive. Whether this gives donkeys an inclination to avoid meat, knowing it's likely to give them gastrointestinal problems, is hard to say.
Can donkeys live off grass?
Because food availability in their native settings is sparse donkeys in such environments don't only eat grass. They happily eat browse (woody shrubs, trees, and broadleaf plants) and forbs (flowing plants) as well.
Can donkeys eat bread?
What do donkeys eat & drink – can I feed them? Donkeys usually eat barley straw, hay, grass (pasture) and various other things like bread, molasses & sugar beet which are mixed in with their feed, as well as carrots, apples, pears, turnip & swede.
What is concentrate feed for horses?
Concentrate feeds contain carbohydrates mainly in the simple form whereas roughages are high in fibre, the complex carbohydrates. Concentrate feed usually provides the donkey with the more readily accessible form of energy, which can be readily digested and absorbed in the small intestine. A donkey fed mainly on the complex carbohydrates in roughage relies mainly on the micro-organisms in the large intestine to produce the energy giving substrates in a form it can use. Donkeys and horses cannot be fed on concentrates alone. They must have some fibre in the diet to stimulate muscle contractions in the digestive tract, and to dilute the more readily fermentable simple carbohydrates. This reduces chances of colic or other digestive problems, which can occur when equids are fed high levels of concentrate feed.
How to meet water requirements for donkeys?
The best advice that can be given on how to meet water requirements is - offer water to the donkey at every opportunity and at least 4 times a day, more if it is working in the heat. Contrary to popular belief a donkey, and a horse, does not suffer from water toxicity. Both species can drink large amounts of water in one go without suffering any ill effects. A donkey deprived of water is very good at drinking to its requirements. In a study in Zimbabwe donkeys drinking only every 48 hours, drank the same amount over a three-week period as donkeys allowed to drink as much as they wanted daily. Working donkeys can also be watered during work in the day with no harm. In any short rest periods it is important to make sure the donkey is in the shade and to offer it water. It may not drink straight away so let the donkey spend some time at the trough or with the water bucket (at least 5 minutes) to see if it will drink. When it starts drinking it may pause in drinking and look about, make sure it is allowed to continue until it has finished and turns away of its own accord.
How much time do donkeys spend feeding?
In natural conditions a donkey would spend 14 - 16 hours a day in feeding. It is important that donkeys kept on grazing land have time to eat. Work in particular takes the donkey away from feeding. The more work it does the less time there is for feeding, but the more food is needed to meet the increased energy requirement. A working donkey therefore needs more concentrated feeds than one that is not working. Donkeys are more susceptible to the time available for eating than cattle. Cattle increase rate of eating if they have been working, donkeys do not, since the initial chewing is more important in processing the food in the donkey than in the ox (a ruminant).
What is the digestive system of a donkey?
It consists of the mouth (lips and teeth), the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine (cecum and colon) and the rectum.
What does a donkey eat?
The donkey is a herbivore. This means that it eats plants as food. The food provides the energy, protein, minerals and vitamins which the donkey needs for maintenance, for work, for growth, and when appropriate for pregnancy and lactation.
How long does it take for a donkey to change its diet?
The type of food fed determines the types and proportions of the micro-organisms in the hind-gut. It can take up to two weeks for the micro-organisms to adapt to a change in diet, and so it is very important not to change a diet too quickly. Sudden changes in diet can result in colic, diarrhea or laminitis. It is better to change a diet gradually, so as not to upset the micro-organisms and hence upset the donkey. A common time for problems in some countries is at the start of the wet season when new grass suddenly becomes available and people switch their donkeys from a crop residue based diet to a grazing regimen.
Why do donkeys need to be fed?
There are many reasons to feed a donkey well. Good feeding keeps a donkey in good body condition. This makes it less prone to harness and saddle sores when working. Good nutrition can reduce the occurrence of disease, reduce the effects of disease on the donkey and help increase the rate of recovery from a disease.
What do pony feeds need?
Depending on a pony’s condition, size, and workload, he may need to consume a feed to ensure he gets the nutrients he needs for optimal health. This could include something like Fibrenergy, a textured feed with the kind of protein, vitamins, and minerals vital to a working pony.
Do donkeys need salt?
In addition, both ponies and donkeys need plenty of fresh, clean water and access to a free-choice, equine salt block.
Can a donkey have a ration balancer?
A product like Hallway Feeds Pure & Simple Balancer can support a healthy digestive tract and has the protein, vitamins, and minerals that many equines need to ensure overall health. Note , though, that a donkey would be fed a balancer at a much lower rate than a pony. Consult your vet for appropriate advice.
Is a donkey a pet?
Donkeys are growing in popularity as pets, even here in Kentucky, home of the Horse Capital of the World! Because donkeys look so similar to ponies, their owners may think Hallway Feeds is a good option to ensure they get all the nutrition they need. However, donkeys and ponies are very different—with different digestive systems, ...
Is a donkey a browser?
For example, ponies are grazers, and they can meet a lot of their nutritional needs out in the pasture. Donkeys, however, are both grazers and browsers.
Can donkeys get laminitis?
It also means that if a donkey is let loose in a lush pasture, he’s more likely to put on too much weight. (And yes, overweight donkeys can develop laminitis.) Ideally, a donkey’s year-round diet should include more mature hay than grass, to help keep his condition in check.
Can donkeys eat cereal?
Donkeys, on the other hand, don’t need this kind of supplementation. In fact, cereal grains should never be fed to a donkey; a donkey’s increased metabolism of energy and protein makes cereal grains completely off-limits.
What is the best hay for horses?
Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) are measures of structural carbohydrates. If I were to select forages for horses, I would look for hays with an NDF range of 40% to 65% and an ADF of 30% to 40%. Horses typically will not eat forages with an NDF over 65% or an ADF over 45%. However, these are the forages that are ideal for donkeys. Therefore, a very stemmy, mature timothy hay (assuming the sugar content is not too high) might be a good option. Try to find forages with an NDF content in the low 70% range.
How much sugar should I feed my donkey?
Nonstructural carbohydrates (e.g., sugar and starch) should be less than 12%, similar to forages for horses and ponies with metabolic issues. Donkeys can develop insulin dysregulation, and often the higher the sugar, the higher the calorie content. Once donkeys get fat, it can be very difficult to remove weight, and they are not only at risk of laminitis but also hyperlipidemia—both of which can lead to death. Therefore, I can’t stressed enough the importance of careful weight management for donkey well-being.
What do you feed a donkey?
Feed donkeys lower-quality forages, such as barley straw or stemmy, mature grass hay, than you would feed a horse.
Can you feed a donkey straw?
Wheat straw is best suited to donkeys with good dental health, as it is very fibrous and lower in calories. Any straw fed to donkeys should be clean and dust- and mold-free, which can be challenging to find in the United States where straw is rarely grown with feeding in mind.
Do donkeys need hay?
In fact, donkeys given access to pasture most of the year will not need much hay, even in the winter. And pastures should be grazed very carefully. Ideally, most of your donkey’s diet should be made up of straw, with grazing as a supplemental nutrient source. The Donkey Sanctuary, a world-leading authority in donkey care and management, recommends barley straw as the preferred type of straw, as it is high in fiber and low in sugar. It also most closely resembles the type of food a donkey would consume in the wild.
Can you feed hay to donkeys?
If feeding hay to donkeys, ensure it is grass hay (no alfalfa) and as mature as possible. Late-cut grass hay that horse owners might not desire can be ideal for donkeys when straw is not an option. If looking at an analysis to determine whether a specific hay would be good for a donkey, look at the levels of fiber, sugars, protein, and calories.
Do donkeys have nutritional needs?
A. Donkeys can be such a joy to own, and while like horses they are part of the genus Equus, they have unique nutritional needs. Donkeys evolved in the hot, arid climates of Africa and Asia, where forage options are poor most of the year. Thus, they survived browsing highly fibrous plant materials. Much of the forage grown for horses is, therefore, too lush to safely make up the majority of the donkey’s diet.
WHAT DO DONKEYS EAT?
They are natural browsers and enjoy grass, bushes, berries, and fallen fruit that they may find in their natural habitat.
Why do donkeys need a friend?
Donkeys need a friend. It is vital to their health and well-being. They will often pair up for life with one donkey or other equines such as horses, mules, and goats. They can get very stressed when removed from their companion or even when the companion has died.
Why is my donkey not moving?
Check their hooves daily for muck and stones that need to be removed. And remember, when your donkey does not want to move, it might not be stubbornness but rather a sign of pain.
How many donkeys do you need to get a happy dog?
So keep this in mind when getting one. You might need two donkeys for them to be happy.
Why are donkeys used as guard animals?
8.) Donkeys are used as guard animals for cattle, sheep, and goats since they have a natural aversion to canines and will keep them away from a flock. ( However, since miniature donkeys are smaller, they don't offer the same protection. So keep this in mind when getting them if you want them for protection) They can help protect against a single canine attack, or 1 fox, etc. They cannot handle a large heard.
How to introduce new chicks to a flock?
When introducing new chicks to a flock, I would have them in the same area but divided by a fence, so they can see and get used to each other . I use this same practice for our other animals.
What are male jacks called?
3.) Males are called Jacks, and females are called Jennets. Castrated males are called geldings. (It's usually recommended you keep 2 Jennies or a gelding and a Jennie.
How long do donkeys live in New Zealand?
Buying A Donkey In New Zealand. Donkeys often live into their 30s so they are a fairly long term commitment. We have several breeds of donkeys in NZ and the people who own them absolutely love them.
Can jacks be a good pet?
They will often cost more especially if they are of breeding age. Jacks (entire male) do not make a good pet however they can be trained for riding and harness but are unpredictable and therefore unsafe in the wrong hands. A jack is driven by his hormones and can become dangerous in the blink of an eye.
Do donkeys love people?
Usually donkeys love people and will love to come you looking for pats and food treats in the paddock. If the donkey being viewed does not do this, they often have not been well handled so walk away unless you are experienced and love a challenge.
Can you buy a donkey sight unseen?
Never ever buy it sight unseen. If possible, take someone with you who knows donkeys and is experienced with them. When you meet the donkey it should be easy to catch and you should be able to pick up all four feet. It should be able to be haltered, groomed, happy to be lead and also walk onto a float nicely.
Who pays for the transfer of ownership of a donkey?
The seller pays for the transfer of ownership. If this paperwork is not forthcoming do not hand over any money until you have checked out the details of the donkey with the Donkey and Mule registrar. This could save you quite a bit of money. A donkey must also be as described.
Introduction
Feeding Strategy of The Donkey
- To feed a donkey well does not require a large amount of money or feed, it is easier to feed a working donkey well than for example a working ox. The donkey is smaller and so needs less actual feed than most cattle. However, the way in which the donkey processes the food and what it gets from it are different from an ox. It is important to remember this when feeding donkeys - t…
The Digestive Tract
- The anatomy of the digestive system of the donkey is similar to that of the horse (Figure 1). It consists of the mouth (lips and teeth), the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine (cecum and colon) and the rectum.
Foods Available
- Most donkeys are fed on roughages for most of their life, supplemented with grazing of natural grassland, roadsides, bush and scrubland if they are kept in the rural areas. Many working donkeys are found in urban and peri-urban areas of the world where opportunities for grazing are few and people feed their animals entirely on purchased feeds. In t...
Guidelines to Feeding Donkeys For Different Activities
- These are guidelines, since the exact amounts and proportions will be affected by how much production is expected from the donkey, its body condition and the food available. A thin donkey has few body reserves of energy, whereas a donkey in good condition does have something in reserve for a short period. Table 1shows how to assess the feeding value of roughage in terms …
Conclusions
- The final test of a ration is to try feeding it to some donkeys and see if it is palatable, maintains weight and keeps the animals healthy. Feed a range of feedstuffs - if possible a mixture of dry forage, green forage and some concentrate - and then you can rarely go wrong. Feed the young donkey on the best possible feeds available, good quality roughage and high protein, energy con…
General Textbooks on Equine Nutrition
- 1. Allison K, Day C. A Guide to Equine Nutrition. UK: JA Allen Ltd, 1995. 2. Cuddeford D. Equine Nutrition. UK: The Crowood Press, 1997. - Available from amazon.com- 3. Frape D. Equine Nutrition and Feeding. UK: Blackwell Sciences, 1998. - Available from amazon.com- 4. Kohnke J, Kelleher F and Trevor-Jones P. Feeding Horses in Australia. A Guide for Horse Owners and Man…