Mini mules need to be wormed and vaccinated, and provided with shelter, good hay or graze, fresh water and small grain rations. They fatten easily, however, so they usually do well on less feed than horses and donkeys.
What do you feed your mules?
Mules have very few feeding problems :they do not get colic and laminitis as easily as horses and require very little grain feed, subsisting beautifully just on forage. Their hay does not need to be top range, often second cut or older hay is fine.
How do you take care of a miniature mule?
Mini mules need to be wormed and vaccinated, and provided with shelter, good hay or graze, fresh water and small grain rations. They fatten easily, however, so they usually do well on less feed than horses and donkeys.
What do we feed our miniature horses?
WHAT DO WE FEED OUR MINIATURES? We feed good clean, mold free, grass hay and (here is my plug for Purina) Omolene 200, a 14% sweet feed, grain. Keep in mind to make any changes to your minis diet slowly! Abrupt changes in diet can cause a variety of health problems like colic, founder and hyperlipemia. PASTURED MINIATURES HORSES:
What is a miniature mule?
Mules that are less than 50 in. tall are considered miniature, and were once fairly common because they were used to pull carts in coal mines. There was a severe decline in numbers for a while, but since miniature horses and donkeys have become popular again, mini mule numbers have also increased.
Do mules Need grain?
If the animal is not fed enough grain, he will first burn body fat for energy and then burn muscular tissue and this will result in a thin and less effective riding mule. Mules are very easy keepers. I have told people for years that you can feed two mules for the same amount of money it takes to feed one horse.
Can mules eat straw?
We feed straw to the vast majority of donkeys, mules, ponies and horses kept at The Donkey Sanctuary.
Do mules need salt?
The only thing that is lacking in the diet is salt, so if you do not already have salt available, I would recommend that you at least have a white salt block for your mule to use when he chooses.
Can you feed mules sweet feed?
You should never feed longears (donkeys or mules) any premixed sweet feeds or alfalfa products.
Can mules eat corn?
They can get hyper just like kids who eat TOO MUCH sugar. Corn is good feed to be fed along with good hay and/or grass. It is also more economical usually. Most of the negative stories you hear are due to the way corn is fed NOT due to it just being fed period.
What kind of hay do you feed mules?
Hay. Most mules do well on ordinary timothy or grass hays. They don't need the richer legume hays, such as alfalfa. While mules might consume lesser quality hays without incident, it's not a good idea to feed any equine poor quality hay.
How much hay should a mule eat?
They seem to stay fit and not overweight. I do pull them out a few hours a day to ride or just stand tied, if the weather isn't too bad. Mules can and will get fat from grain and too much of most anything. My work mules and saddle mules are getting about 2 pads of hay per day per animal.
What do you feed a miniature horse?
An average miniature horse weighs 200 pounds and should receive at least 2 to 4 pounds of forage a day. Look for a fine, soft, leafy hay rather than a coarse, mature hay. Feed at least one-third to one-half of a flake of a good quality grass or alfalfa- grass mixed hay twice a day.
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About The Author
Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games.
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What Are You Feeding Your Mule?
First, I chewed her out real good for not calling me after that first ride. Folks, I’m here to help ya and I want to make sure that you enjoy your animal and that the animal enjoys his companionship with you!
What You Need to Know About Pellet Feed
Pellets are high in fiber and useable nutrients. Some pellets include grains, corn, wheat bran, cottonseed meal, etc. These types of pellets are necessary for hard working animals.
Creating A Mule Nutrition Program that Is Right for You
Most mules and horses stand around five days a week. They eat, drink, and sleep — and get ready for the next meal (just like most Americans these days).
Final Thoughts On Mule Feed
One thing you need to be cautioned on is not to feed grass clippings in any form. I’ll say it again…
Forage
Studies have shown that donkeys voluntarily consume much less forage compared to horses; 1.5% of body weight (BW) for donkeys compared to 3.1% of BW for horses. The donkeys heightened ability to digest low quality forage has been likened to that of a goat. It is important not to provide pasture that is lush and nutrient dense.
Concentrates
While grass and hay is most often sufficient to supply the maintenance requirements for most donkeys and mules, additional supplementation in the form of concentrate feeds may be needed when donkeys cannot eat sufficient forage to meet nutrient requirements.
Water
The donkey has the ability to continue eating for several days when deprived of drinking water. It has been suggested that donkeys have the ability to conserve internal water stores and avoid thirst by reducing sweating for temperature control and reducing the amount of water lost in manure.
Nutritional Disorders
Obesity is the biggest challenge facing most non-working donkeys and mules kept in areas of the world where food sources are abundant and of good quality. Emaciation is very common in most areas where donkeys are used heavily for work and food is scarce and of poor quality.
Practical feeding Strategies
Donkeys and mules that are not doing any work should be able to meet all of their nutrient requirements from good grass hay fed at a rate of 1.5% of BW and a low intake ration balancer pellet. If the donkey or mule is overweight then this amount should be decreased to 1.2% of BW.
