You will need to feed your donkey hay grain and water. How Much Is The Donkey Sanctuary According to The Donkey Sanctuary donkeys and mules are working animals worldwide. They are used as beasts of burden in many different ways including agriculture transportation and even tourism.
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!
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 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 do you raise a donkey?
There were 600 spectators in the bleachers and Tecumseh basketball players cheering from the sidelines at the Tecumseh Middle School gymnasium on Sat., Nov. 6. It might have been a normal basketball game—except for the donkeys. During two elimination ...
Can you feed the donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary?
During the spring and summer the donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary have access to restricted grazing. In addition to the restricted grazing our donkeys always have access to barley straw to ensure they are getting plenty of fibre to meet their nutritional needs.
What is the best feed for donkeys?
The 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 are donkeys favorite food?
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.
What kind of hay do you feed donkeys?
Good grass hay is adequate for donkeys. Legume hay such as alfalfa is not recommended for the same reason that lush pasture is not good for donkeys. The digestibility is very high as is the energy and nutrient content.
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 need salt blocks?
A block of salt is better than nothing at all. The best is loose (granular) salt. Donkeys, mules and horses have smoother tongues than a cow and may not actually get their needed amount of salt from a block. They may end up biting the block in an attempt to get more, which can lead to teeth and jaw or tooth problems.
Is celery good for donkeys?
Full of water and fiber, celery is a great treat for donkeys. Celery is a good source of potassium and very low in calories; a 110 gram portion has only 15 calories, so this is a particularly healthy vegetable for donkeys to eat (source).
What are donkeys afraid of?
Donkeys also have a natural dislike of foxes, coyotes, wild dogs and other members of the canid family. They can be taught to tolerate them, but their instincts will never really go away.
How do you feed a donkey a carrot?
Feeding Carrots As A Donkey TreatChopping raw carrots and placing it in their feeders.Feeding them pieces of carrot by hand.Cooking or boiling carrots and mixing it in with other treats.
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 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 have 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.
Is alfalfa good for donkeys?
Straw is also far lower in protein than a typical grass hay and, certainly, donkeys should not be fed alfalfa due to its significantly higher protein content .
How much hay should a donkey eat per day?
We know, from research conducted here at The Donkey Sanctuary, that donkeys need to eat approximately 1.5% of their own bodyweight per day in dry food. Straw contains very little water and is approximately 90% dry matter. For most average-sized donkeys this equates to roughly 2-3 kg of fibre per day.
How do I get my donkey to gain weight?
Fibre pellets, unmolassed beet pulp and/or unmolassed chopped fibre (chaff) products can all be fed to encourage weight gain. Alfalfa, in short chop or pellet form, can be a useful addition to the diet as long as the donkey has good teeth and is not suffering from liver or kidney problems.
What pellets to feed donkeys?
You may choose to feed mineral balancer pellets, which is a concentrated and economical pellet shaped feed that provides the donkey with daily minerals that it needs but also balances the ratio of minerals which are needed for most diets.
What should I feed my donkey?
In the majority of cases this should be solely provided by straw, hay/haylage or restricted grazing plus a vitamin and mineral balancer. If your donkey has no dental problems, feed a diet of 75% straw in summer and 50% straw in winter. Make up the remainder of their diet with hay or haylage, or restricted grazing.
What to feed a donkey with dental problems?
If your donkey has dental problems, replace long fibres (such as straw, haylage, and hay) with a shortchop die t instead. See our guide on feeding the donkey with dental problems for more information. Body condition score your donkey regularly. Donkeys are prone to weight gain, which can predispose them to laminitis and hyperlipaemia.
What to do if donkey is not getting mineral licks?
Always ensure that donkeys have access to fresh clean water and an equine specific mineral lick if not being fed a vitamin and mineral supplement/balancer. Continually assess your donkey’s body condition and make changes to their diet accordingly. If in doubt, consult your vet or contact our feeding and nutrition team.
How to help a donkey lose weight?
Do not restrict your donkey’s total food intake to encourage weight loss. If your donkey needs to lose weight, feed low-calorie products in combination with exercise. Extreme dieting can put donkeys at risk of developing hyperlipaemia, a potentially fatal condition.
What to feed a donkey when it's overweight?
Restrict intake of energy-rich feeds (such as hay, haylage, or grass) if your donkey is overweight. Make sure a source of fibre (such as straw) is always available to satisfy your donkey’s need to trickle feed. See our fact sheet on feeding an overweight donkey for more information.
What to feed a person who does not gain weight?
Feed a vitamin and mineral supplement or a low energy forage balancer that does not promote weight gain
How to help a donkey with salt?
Provide free access to salt. Lick blocks are ideal as donkeys can help themselves as and when needed. Provide safe logs and branches to help satisfy your donkey’s natural browsing behaviour. See Safe Trees and Shrubs for advice on which species are suitable.
What to feed an elderly donkey?
It is important to only offer treats that elderly donkeys can manage. To tempt fussy donkeys, carrots, bananas and apples are invaluable; however, donkeys with poor teeth may struggle with them. Grated carrots and apples are ideal, however if this is not practical mashed, tinned carrots may be used or small amounts of unsweetened apple sauce may be helpful.
What do donkeys eat?
Donkeys have evolved to eat fibrous plant materials in small quantities throughout the day. This is known as trickle feeding and helps to keep the donkey’s digestive system healthy and to keep the donkey occupied. When donkeys have poor teeth and are finding long fibres difficult to chew, it is important to provide them with an alternative source of fibre. There are a number of hay replacement short chop products on the market for example Mollichaff Donkey, Dengie Hi Fi Lite, Hi Fi Senior and Happy Hoof.
How long do donkeys live?
Many donkeys live until 30 years and beyond. Get up to speed on your ageing donkey's dietary needs and health issues. Many donkeys live until 30 years and the accepted classification for a ‘geriatric’ donkey is one that is over 20 years old. This is more the case in donkeys kept as companions rather than as working donkeys, ...
What to do if you don't feed a forage balancer?
If you are not feeding a forage balancer, ensure that the donkeys have access to an equine specific non-molassed mineral lick.
What does it mean when a donkey is stoic?
The thick coat of the donkey and its stoic nature often means that problems go unnoticed and a drop in body condition or even a loss of appetite may not be easily visible.
Why is it important to use your hands on a donkey?
Carry out donkey specific body condition scoring regularly. It is important to use your hands because the thick coat can hide any loss of condition.
Do donkeys need more calories?
Some donkeys may require more calories than those that can be provided by a fibrous diet alone and may need additional feeds. There are a number of high energy alfalfa based chop products such as Alfa A, that may be used to supplement part of the fibre ration.
What do donkeys eat?
Most healthy, adult donkeys only really need to eat straw plus a little hay/haylage or grass and a vitamin and mineral supplement . Straw should make up the majority of the diet, approx. 75% in the summer and 50% in the winter. Vitamin and mineral supplements may take the form of a forage balancer, or an unmolassed equine specific mineral lick.
Where can I buy donkey safe feeds?
Most horse feed merchants and agricultural suppliers will be able to source our recommended feeds for you. They may not carry them in their normal stock depending on your area but will be able to order them directly from the manufacturers or distributors.
How many feeds should my donkey get a day?
If your donkey is elderly, underweight or in foal they may need some additional feed in which case we recommend splitting the total amount per day over at least 2 feed s, and ideally more. It is important to remember that donkeys are trickle feeders and do not tolerate well large ‘bucket’ feeds and subsequent periods of no food intake. For an average donkey we don’t recommend giving more than 1 kg of supplementary feed at a time.
What size paddock does my donkey need?
Donkeys don’t need as much grazing as you might imagine, and depending on the type of pasture you have a one acre pad dock should be sufficient for two donkeys to provide year round exercise and limited grass. Grazing should be considered an addition to straw, with straw making up the bulk of the diet. Donkeys given unrestricted access to grass are highly likely to become overweight and are at an increased risk of developing laminitis due to the relatively high level of sugars in grass. If you are in any doubt about the suitability of your grazing please contact us for further advice. We can also offer free home visits all over the UK for any donkey owners or carers requiring on-site advice, which is often the best way of giving pasture management guidance .
Why are donkeys overweight?
Donkeys given unrestricted access to grass are highly likely to become overweight and are at an increased risk of developing laminitis due to the relatively high level of sugars in grass . If you are in any doubt about the suitability of your grazing please contact us for further advice.
How to keep a record of a donkey's weight?
Body condition scoring (BCS) or condition scoring (CS) is a way of assessing body fat coverage both visually and ‘hands on’. Taking heart girth measurements involves measuring the donkey’s circumference around the area where a girth would go (just behind the front legs), this measurement can be recorded and repeated to look for any change in size around the middle. Heart girth measurements can be particularly useful when used in conjunction with a height measurement as you can calculate an approximate weight from the two measurements. Keeping an objective record of your donkey’s body condition, heart girth and approximate weight every month is useful if you are monitoring their weight, or once or twice a year if their weight is stable. For more information on how to do this please see see our Monitoring your donkey's weight page.
Can a donkey graze muzzles?
Grazing muzzles also interfere with behaviours other than eating including social interactions such as grooming. There is also the potential risk of permanent damage to the teeth occurring with the use of some grazing muzzles, due to the abnormal abrasion caused from the muzzle itself. Due to these overwhelming factors we strongly advise against the use of grazing muzzles in all donkeys.
What to feed a sick donkey?
Peppermint cordial - a capful added to normal feed may encourage eating. Bramble/wild strawberry/hedgerow - grazing on these will often tempt a sick donkey as the natural behaviour of foraging stimulates the appetite.
Do you introduce new feeds gradually?
Always introduce new feeds gradually; if you are at all unsure please check with our nutrition team.
Can you feed a donkey from the hand?
Generally as a rule we do not recommend feeding treats from the hand unless for training purposes as it can encourage your donkeys to bite. Always introduce new feeds gradually and caution must be given when feeding donkeys with dental problems.
How much do donkeys eat?
Straw contains very little water and is approximately 90% dry matter. For most average-sized donkeys this equates to roughly 2-3 kg of fibre per day. It isn’t necessary to get too hung up on the numbers and start making complicated calculations as providing an ad-lib fibre-based diet will ensure your donkeys are getting enough to eat in terms of bulk. The amount can be adjusted according to the time of year. Donkeys burn more energy trying to stay warm in the winter and often end up losing a bit of weight. During the summer there are more nutrients in the grass and without monitoring your donkeys' weight can often end up putting on a bit of weight.
Why do donkeys eat at floor level?
Most donkeys need to eat at floor level as this is healthier for their digestion, respiratory system and eyes. The exception to this would be some older donkeys who have trouble bending their necks and reaching the floor.
Why feed straw?
As donkeys have a very high fibre, low sugar dietary requirement, straw makes a good basic feeding product. Donkeys are generally able to eat as much straw as they like to fill their bellies and keep their digestive systems moving without consuming too much energy (although testing straw before feeding is recommended as some modern strains can be higher in energy than expected). Consuming too much moderate to high energy food (particularly products containing cereal grains) causes weight gain and has been associated with development of gastric ulcers and laminitis among other things.
How much to feed?
In terms of how much to feed, there is no single answer to this question. Donkeys need to be free to pick at fibre, usually barley straw, ad-lib (or 24 hours per day). So that means having a straw feeder available at all times, be that in the shelter, stable, barn, paddock, turn out yard or wherever your donkeys spend time. This straw needs to be replaced every day as they only like to eat fresh straw. Put yesterday’s feeding straw into today’s bed. Most donkeys need to eat at floor level as this is healthier for their digestion, respiratory system and eyes. The exception to this would be some older donkeys who have trouble bending their necks and reaching the floor. In which case, a raised feeder should be supplied where they can reach the straw easily enough without compressing the windpipe to get to the bottom of the trough. Small hole haynets can be used with donkeys, but should be tied at a comfortable height to avoid lifting the head too high, but also not so low that the donkey is at risk of getting tangled up in it.
How many teeth do donkeys have?
Donkeys have a large set of teeth (up to 44 teeth depending on age), the majority of which are grinding teeth at the back of the mouth (molars and premolars).
Do donkeys lose weight in the winter?
The amount can be adjusted according to the time of year. Donkeys burn more energy trying to stay warm in the winter and often end up losing a bit of weight. During the summer there are more nutrients in the grass and without monitoring your donkeys' weight can often end up putting on a bit of weight.
Is wheat straw good for donkeys?
Wheat straw doesn’t perform very well as a bedding material so is not generally a first choice. Oat straw is higher in calories than barley or wheat straw, it needs to be fed with caution to avoid weight gain so may be a good option for slimmer donkeys.
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Long Fibre Replacement
Other Supplementary Feeds
- Some donkeys may require more calories than those that can be provided by a fibrous diet alone and may need additional feeds. There are a number of high energy alfalfa based chop products such as Alfa A, that may be used to supplement part of the fibre ration. Alfalfa products are not suitable for older donkeys with poor liver function; a vet can take blood samples to check liver fu…
Appetizing Additions
- Although donkeys are generally good eaters and enjoy most feeds given to them some elderly donkeys may need the addition of some extra ‘goodies’ to tempt them. It is important to only offer treats that elderly donkeys can manage. To tempt fussy donkeys, carrots, bananas and apples are invaluable; however, donkeys with poor teeth may struggle with them. Grated carrots and apple…
Feeding Hints and Tips
- The following hints and tips are important to remember when feeding your donkey: 1. Continually assess your donkey’s body condition, using the donkey specific body condition scoring chart, and make changes to their diet accordingly. 2. Make sure that fresh, clean water is available at all times. It is important to ensure your donkey is drinking enough, sometimes in the winter donkey…