Both girls were under weight when we got them and do look better now. Donkeys, like horses, tend to be creatures of flight that might run from sudden movement or movement above eye level as that is movement that would be consistent with a predator such as a cougar. Goats and donkeys have different nutritional needs, and goat feed contains too much protein, iron, and other nutrients that, in high amounts, can affect your donkeys health. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your information/observation on red maple leaves and sorry to read that you learned about this the hard way if you lost an animal. A safer way to add calories for weight gain might be to consider a high fat supplement or adjusting the feeding rate of the Senior product. Hello Katie, Thanks for the question, and thank you for trying to help the donkey! She recommended a sweet feed or complete ration in addition to his free choice hay. For catching him, you will need to use your best judgement on that, but please stay safe! If your donkey does not maintain hair coat, hoof quality and muscle mass, forage may not be providing adequate essential amino acids. Chocolate milk is made by adding chocolate to milk, not by any special cows. If youve adopted a donkey or one was given to you on your farm or homestead, you may have no earthly clue what to feed them. This is problematic, however, since we can't realistically expect a goat to consume 5 ounces of a loose mineral supplement. We use to feed our miniature donkeys with a scoop of sweet 10. Ability to digest forages may be impacted by the gut microflora that have developed in an individual. 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. He was abandoned in a pasture and the people we are getting him from have been nursing him back to health as he was underweight and full of open sores. It's rich in nutrients and helps improve soil structure. Is this harmful for my donkey. Fresh clean water needs to be available as well. This past few days we heard that the owner left the donkey there and he needs a home! We are adopting 3 mini longhorns and a full sized Holstein heifer. Thanks for reaching out! Ive had donkeys in the past out on our lush, green, pastures here in southern Mississippi and theyve done fine. Not sure when it stopped. We walked and walked. Feeding grains will also make them bray every time they see you. Donkeys (descendants of the wild ass)originated as desert animals and are adapted to foraging on coarse plants and grasses. The answer, unfortunately, is that even though donkeys will gladly eat goat food, they shouldnt because goat feed isnt healthy for them. Another problem caused by a diet too high in protein is that your donkeys body will start to take minerals from other parts of its body to offset the high acidity. I have 2 donkeys that usually just graze. As long as the donkey is maintaining body condition and has normal bowel movements and is eating hay/pasture, drinking and has salt available free choice, I would just avoid the grain for a while or try a different type of product and observe behavior. We still have lots of goat feed. Just give a little hay. Goats do not have all the nutrition a donkey needs and as such it can lead to growth stunts if they keep up the behavior. I feed mine together but with a 12 foot divider across one section of the paddock corner so they are together but the sink can only eat her much smaller ration than my big mule. In fact, cows milk is recommended as a main drink for babies from around 6 months old, as it contains nutrients that are, Cheese is one of the most popular foods in the world and there are thousands of different types. Vitamins are only required in trace amounts by the body. So were planning on going out there in the next couple of days to try and catch him. Any advice would be appreciated! Over-acidity can also cause the breakdown of the hard and soft tissue of a donkeys body, including its bones and organs. Feeding your donkeys a lot of foreign grass and lush can lead to one disease. While they are related to horses and considered an equid, the way their digestive system functions is much different donkeys have actually been compared to small ruminants in their capabilities to digest and utilize fiber. Thank you ~ Gina T. My miniature donkey is obese. The saying "you're, Yes, you can milk mini cows! Selenium would be a possible nutrient to keep an eye on, and also some goat minerals can be medicated, which you would not want to feed to a donkey. How do you catch a cheetah? Its been about a week and is working wonderfully so far and the donks do not mind wearing the collars at all. She has been eating a small bit of coastal hay here, barley straw and a carrot or two each day. These ingredients all serve the purpose of providing the right nutrients including energy, crude protein and vitamins to the goats. I am taking in my first two donkeys this weekend, a rescue mini and a medium, and would like some feedback on what is the best hay to give them. The donkey gets 1 carrot plus 1/4 cup or less of Omolene. Hello Larry, Thanks for the question. Ever since he had a taste of the dog food we cant keep him out of it. I wont be getting any grain, as I do believe from all I have read you can just give them the pasture to eat off of and barley straw or hay in evenings to feed them and this is fine? Perhaps more interesting is why the dog food is attractive. Some, According to the website Heifer International, cows can eat squash. I went to that location. Goat feed provides goats with their daily requirements and nutrients including energy, vitamins and minerals. My rescue donks are going to have green pasture for the first time this spring. If it is an intact jack, then gelding might be useful. 5. Additionally, some other equine companion suggestions are goats or chickens. The Main Benefits Of Owning A Creep Feeder On Your Farm, Other Ways To Stop Donkeys Eating Goat Feed. A typical goat pellet can consist of roughages, rice straw, soybean meal, maize crush, salt and other ingredients depending on the type of goat being fed. on the hoof (dressed weight)., A cow skull can cost anywhere from $5 to $500. The donkey continues to have regular bowel movements, urination, eating hay, and pasture with no problem. Due to their typical desert diet, their digestive system is much more efficient than that of a horse, and therefore donkeys require a different feeding strategy. Since they digest their food differently, a donkey may feel full after eating goat feed but still not have received the nutrients it requires to stay healthy. Your donkeys will be too wide to gain access. Goats require much iron and hay which donkeys dont need. Unfortunately, they have pretty much eaten the pasture down to the dirt. The pasture/enclosure needs to have safe fencing and be large enough so that the animals can establish appropriate distance between them and get out of each others way. It is important to monitor body condition and make sure the donkeys do not get overweight. This donkey needed his hooves trimmed and being new to the area we had a hard time finding someone. They need to introduce to one another first. But the donkey shows no signs of any health issues. The other has what looks like reverse string hault but no one knows what it is. Hi Dean, Many donkey owners who happen to also have goats on their farm have reported that their donkeys regularly love to go after their goat feed. He loves being right with my horse . Your donkey would be able to eat barley pellets, but that might not be the best recommendation. If you are not sure which, Today we're going to learn how to make a cow banner in Minecraft! Also, in regards to hoof issues such as laminitis, limiting access to the early hours of the day when the sugar content of the pasture is lower can be beneficial as well. Hes really bad. For feeding him, yes, he can absolutely eat the same feeds generally donkeys just need less than horses do. we have been facing problems with our donkeys especially the foals. Good luck ~ Gayle R. Hi, Thanks for the question! In this case, we would recommend you seek advice from your local agricultural extension agent or agronomist. Is it safe to feed them sorghum bales? Thank you so much for the information! To get the vitamins and minerals they need, you can also feed a ration balancer, such as Empower Boost. Hello Steffi, Thank you for your question. I just set up an electric invisible dog fence across my horses open stalls and adorned the donks with the associated shock collars. Donkeys will take every opportunity they can get to eat whatever they can. Theyve never seen a donkey before so we would definitely have to slowly introduce him. The tendency is to underestimate how much feed it takes to restore weight after it is lost due to neglect. No where near coming on heat. If you are not getting another mule, you might consider another companion animal such as a goat or animal that fits your situation. After two months we purchased a Jack. Thank you. I recommend you either check with your veterinarian or go on line and order Progressive Nutrition Milk Replacer. She got a taste of it while I was feeding the goats and she devoured it. These need to be limited to one a day, in winter, for working animals. It can be a cheaper alternative to a creep feeder.Heres how they look. early next year. Willow (limited quantities). One has skin issues and is definitely overweight. Congratulations on rescuing this family of donkeys. Introducing a jenny and her foal to another horse or group of horses can present some challenges. Milk comes out of her nose sometimes and she act like she chokes and licks a lot. The most common form of abuse of donkeys is allowing them to be overweight. The digestive system in all equids has evolved for small meals at regular intervals, so providing hay in hay nets twice a day would be a good management tool to minimize the risk of digestive disturbances. There is, Yes, a cow ant bite can kill you. As weve seen, too much protein causes a donkeys body to become acidic. Hello everyone and welcome to the blog. It is important to monitor body condition as it is easy for donkeys to get overweight. Horses are herd animals and establish the herd order fairly quickly and the ease of introduction may depend on the individuals. Feed made for animals like chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and others is designed for the nutrition needs of that particular animal. The typical carcass weights between 280 350 lbs. If you cant separate him, then try a grazing muzzle to limit his access to pasture. If there does not seem to be any hostile reaction, you could then consider putting them together. I will be putting 2 donkeys on a 1-acre pasture that has always been lawn up to now. Feed and monitor weight gain with grass hay and pasture time. We would recommend you find an equine-specific mineral for your donkey, or if the animals are living together, then find an all stock type mineral that is labelled for both equines and goats. Allow all donkeys in a herd access to feed, regardless of age or activity level. I pretty much treat him as my own. Donkeys are typically more efficient (easier keepers) than horses, so close monitoring of body condition is recommended. Many donkeys will not eat or drink while in harness1 . You may also want to use a small quantity of a ration balancer, like Nutrena Empower Topline Balance, to provide some amino acids, trace minerals and vitamins. If youve adopted a donkey or one was given to you on your farm or homestead, you may have no earthly clue what to feed them. But she had been pooping prior. Phosphorus is an essential mineral which functions with calcium and others to improve bone and teeth health and boost immune system functions. I would not recommend over about 2 pounds of corn gradually added to the diet and would split that up into two feedings along with other feed. I continued the same but instead of round bale each animal got 2 slices of a square bale. The milk is produced in small sacs within the gland called alveoli., Most gladiolus plants are safe for cows and horses to eat. There are several things you can do to prevent this. Avoid feeding potatoes, anything from the brassica family, onions, leeks, garlic, stoned fruit and anything which is old, fermented or mouldy as these are toxic to donkeys. Both can be very unhealthy and dangerous for your donkey. But I am not sure what to feed him, currently he is getting horse feed pellets, sure I be giving him rolled oats or some gains? Hi Kellie, There are other healthy treats and snacks you can offer to your foals to supplement their feed but you should totally avoid feeding tomatoes and others from the nightshade family. This acidity can kill the good bacteria in their intestines or force them into dormancy. He is on pasture with my horse and Im trying to figure out if I should separate him and put him in a smaller area to put him on a diet but not sure what to do to get that weight down. The question is, however, why is protein bad for donkeys? A donkey could serve as a good companion for Leo. Hi Martha, She is too thin. Milk is cows', There's nothing quite like the crack of a Florida cow whip, and if you're lucky enough to live in the Sunshine State, you can make your own! Follow feeding rate as directed, typically 1 lb per 100 lbs bwt (for foals) with nursing, or possibly higher consumption especially if nursing isnt going well and compensatory gain in needed. Hes lucky to have you! We would suggest introducing them slowly, for short periods of time to start, gradually allowing them to graze for longer and longer periods. It's a common question that arises when discussing livestock. Even though horses and donkeys are equines, horses have specific nutritional needs that donkeys dont, and vice versa. Generally, your donkey should be able to drink normally with the muzzle on. As goat feed is usually fortified with vitamins and minerals specific to goats, it's not suitable for donkeys. Hi Randy, We just tested her for 2 abscesses on her neck and they have healed well. 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