Donkey what do they eat

It should also contain between 7 to 9 kilograms of digestible energy source. Straw consumption allows donkeys to graze throughout the day without consuming large amounts of calories. This helps them avoid gaining too much weight or getting laminitis, a debilitating disease than can lead to lameness. Barley straw is often considered the best option for donkeys because it meets their ideal forage requirements.

It has ample amounts of fiber and low levels of sugar. Oat straw is another acceptable option, but it is recommended mainly for older or malnourished donkeys. It contains more calories and nutrients than barley straw. Donkeys can eat grass, but it should be consumed in limited quantities.

Donkeys have adapted to live on small amounts of grass in nature. Winter months and drought can often cause grass to be scarce, so hay can be used as a replacement. Keep in mind, hay is not a supplement for straw. Rye, timothy, Bermuda and meadow grass hay are all acceptable types of hay to feed donkeys. Hay should be of horse quality, meaning it should be kept indoors out of bad weather and it should not be moldy or dusty when cut open.

Avoid feeding donkeys freshly cut hay, instead, wait to feed until 3 months after it was initially cut. 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. If basic horse grain is offered, keep it at a minimum as it has been known to cause gastric ulcers in some donkeys. Horse-quality or donkey-specific complete feeds that are in grain or pellet form contain hay-replacing forage.

Senior horses that have difficulty eating normal donkey-safe forage can benefit tremendously from complete feeds source. Although it seems counterproductive, donkeys should not be put on pastures with lush, nutrient-rich grass.

When left to free range on pastures full of rich grass, donkeys can develop laminitis and possibly end up becoming lame as a result. They are also more likely to become obese and suffer from hoof-related issues source. Many donkey owners limit grass access to a half an hour or less every day, or every other day. They keep donkeys in a grassless area during the summer months when grass is abundant.

In the winter, they may let them free range for longer periods of time since grass is more scarce source. It is recommended to provide donkeys with access to a horse-quality salt block or horse-quality mineral lick. You should not give a donkey any foods or minerals created for other livestock such as cows or goats.

Minerals made for other farm animals may not contain donkey-safe mineral levels. Mineral licks should include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and sulfur source. Too much more can lead to unnecessary weight gain and potentially cause health issues. Talk with your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist about what is best for your donkey residents. While donkeys produce some of the vitamins they need during the digestive process, most others are accessible in forage.

However, as the nutritional content of grass, hay, and straw can vary, a donkey resident would generally do well with a forage balancer to ensure they get what they need for a healthy body.

As long as residents have access to the outdoors where they can soak up the sun, their Vitamin D needs are usually met. Forage also contains some amounts of Vitamin D. Donkeys get Vitamin A from eating fresh grass and some hay. Donkeys synthesize B and K 2 vitamins. As for Vitamin C , donkeys can produce this in their liver from glucose. Vitamin E is also found in grass and fresher hay, though there are also Vitamin E supplements available.

A lot of concentrated grain products provide these necessary vitamins as well, but can be a potential health hazard for aforementioned reasons. As mentioned above, there are also forage balancer supplements available, which have these vitamins and minerals but with a lower calorie content.

These are most often recommended by veterinarians to ensure a healthy donkey. Other populations growing or pregnant residents may need more Phosphorus and Calcium to maintain good health.

Like vitamins, many minerals can be found in grass and hay, though the content can vary, resulting in residents with mineral deficiencies. Based on those findings, you can discuss with your veterinarian or equine nutritionist whether you should consider using an aforementioned forage balancer to meet the needs of your residents. Absolutely DO NOT give donkey residents mineral blocks intended for other species as they may contain toxic levels of certain minerals. If not using mineral blocks, salt licks can be provided for them to seek out as they see fit.

The amount and ratio of minerals consumed is also important. A ratio is recommended for healthy adult donkeys. Special populations may require more or less of certain minerals. This should be discussed with your veterinarian. Water is an important part of keeping resident donkeys healthy.

However, unlike horses, healthy donkeys can go longer without water than their equine cousins before ill effects may be seen. However, donkey residents should have continuous access to clean water sources. It is advisable to have water heaters during freezing temperatures, as it allows continuous access to water and also encourages them to drink more.

Donkeys may refuse to drink if the water is very cold. This can cause a number of health issues, in spite of their evolutionary adaptation to manage periods of dehydration better than horses. Donkeys are trickle feeders and should ideally have access to forage throughout the day. Straw can generally be provided throughout the day. For these reasons, donkey residents should always have access to ample forage. It is generally recommended that a donkey consume around 1.

Forage that is lacking in certain nutrients can be supplemented with a good forage balancer recommended by your veterinarian. When referring to forage, we are including both plant material a resident may search for and consume on pasture, in addition to hay and straw offered by care staff.

Forage promotes a healthy digestive tract and a good gut flora balance. Donkeys With Dental Issues If a resident has dental issues , feeding straw or hay may not work for them at all. Chaff is just pre-chopped forage a mix of straw and hay. It will be easier for them to chew and help them consume the nutrients they need. There are many types of straw out there, depending on where you live in the world.

Straw should be available 24 hours a day so donkey residents can trickle feed, which is best for their physical and psychological health. Barley straw is generally considered the best straw to offer to donkey residents. It makes good bedding too! Wheat straw is generally only acceptable forage for younger donkeys with good teeth due to its more fibrous nature. It can be difficult to chew, which could cause poor intake for donkeys with dental issues. Oat straw can be fed to donkeys, but its use needs to be more carefully monitored and is not ideal due to the expense and higher calories.

You may find yourself in an area or time without straw, and while this would be unfortunate, you can talk to a nutritionist or vet about the best hay to feed them that would allow them to trickle feed as much as possible without causing levels of protein and sugar that are unhealthy to your residents.

Since donkeys are so efficient at pulling nutrients from even dry, coarse plants, it is a good to limit lush grass intake to the mornings or at dusk when the sugar content is lower in the grass. You may need to prevent access entirely, depending on the health and advice of your veterinarian. Haylage is chopped forage that has been cut, chopped, baled, and wrapped in plastic while the moisture content is higher.

Sometimes this can result in high energy content and may not be suitable for residents. You can have locally-available products analyzed. Once a package of haylage is open, you must use it within a few days, as it will mold fairly quickly. There are different categories of grass hay depending on where you live. You may have access to some but not others. And they can vary in terms of nutritional value, making some less ideal than others for donkey residents.

This is why it is useful to have hay tested to obtain an analysis of the nutritional content, as it can affect your diet plan for residents. Legume hays , such as alfalfa and clover , are too high in protein to feed to healthy adult donkeys, though you may be able to offer as a treat or mix a small amount with grass hay, if recommended by a veterinarian or equine nutritionist.

Sometimes this is fed in place of long-stemmed hay and straw. Products can come with added oils and molasses- these should be avoided. Chaff products can also contain varying types of hays, so it is important look for products suitable for equines with laminitis.

Signs Of Concern With Forage If forage is damp, yellow, brown or gray or black, musty smelling, full of weeds, poisonous plants, blister beetles, inedible objects, or has fully matured hay or straw seeds, do not feed it to residents! Donkeys are browsers as well as grazers. Providing donkey-safe browse in the form of leafy branches and shrubs and hanging them or placing them around their living space can encourage those natural browsing behaviors. Low sugar treats such as hay pellets and broken hay cubes work well as do Mini Wheats, Cheerios, animal cracker pieces and carrot sticks.

Gingersnaps, peppermints and crimped oats make great high value rewards but use them sparingly. You can also try using verbal praise or scratching your donkey in his favourite spot instead.

This often works surprisingly well. Safe Plants for Donkeys. Feeding Donkeys A Donkey Diary. Equine Enrichment Facebook Page. Please note: The information on this page should only be used in conjunction with professional advice. For matters relating to the health and wellbeing of your donkey, you should always consult a qualified vet. A very interesting and important article from this wonderful page full of excellent Donkey links.

Thank you Amy. It seems Love always work! Like Liked by 1 person. Like Like. We try to provide enrichment with fallen branches or small trees to gnaw on. Hi Nic, that sounds great, your donkeys must be very happy. Yes, ginger biscuits are great for those big moments! It seems to be great and really interesting. Yes, I do a bit of copy writing.

Would you like to send me an email with a bit more information about your idea for an article? You can write to me at: amy donkeytime. We are taking care of our friends donkeys while she is out of town. We gave them each a Milk Bone Dog biscuit — are they safe for donkeys? Hi Joanne, thanks for your question. Milk Bone Dog Biscuits are not safe to feed donkeys. Treats, biscuits and most food made for dogs or cats contains meat products and is therefore not suitable for donkeys.

Hopefully the article has some helpful suggestions for you. Best wishes and enjoy the donkeys! I know this was posted a while ago. I am new to mini Donkeys and was curious if its safe to offer them pumpkin with or without seeds and if organic canned pumpkin is ok. They have had a lick from when i have given it to our pigs. The only other treats we have offered is baby carrots and some apple wedges but in moderation about of each 2xs a week.

Would really like to know if the pumpkin is ok. Thank you for the well writte article. Lots of good ideas, especially the peppermint. Hi Melanie, thank you for posting. Likewise, fresh or dried herbs in water is fine too, as long as they are safe herbs. With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? Do you know any solutions to help stop content from being stolen?

Hi Angie, thank you for your comment. Have you marked your pages with a copyright note? And perhaps you could add an extra note on your pages, asking people to contact you if they would like to share your content, or instructing them how to credit you if they do such as your name or website link.

Best of luck, Amy. Jack the donkey loves bamboo.