How to raise a donkey

Table of Contents Part 1: Selection and Raising of Donkeys 1. Select donkeys that meet the requirements in terms of size, gender and personality. 2. Donkeys must receive basic training. 3. If conditions permit, it is best to raise more donkeys. 4. Be gentle with donkeys. 5. Let the donkey exercise every day. Part 2: Providing food and shelter for donkeys 1. The main food for donkeys is plants with low sugar and high fiber. 2. Like other equids, donkeys also need to eat small meals frequently. 3. The main activities of donkeys every day are eating and walking. If you can provide them with enough space to carry out these activities, they will be very happy. 4. Pastures with lush pastures are best equipped with a sand paddock, a non-eating area, such as a cement field, or a small sandbag. 5. Choose snacks suitable for donkeys. 6. Donkeys are herbivores, so do not feed them fish or meat products. 7. Consult your veterinarian about the use of supplements. 8. High fiber blocks are suitable for donkeys who need to gain weight. 9. Provide fresh and clean drinking water for donkeys. 10. Build a dry donkey house with a hard floor. 11. If you want donkeys to go out in winter (severe cold weather, or if they are old or weak), it is best to put a blanket on them. 12. The food trough should be kept clean. 13. Build a strong fence. Part 3: Keep your donkey healthy 1. Brush your donkey frequently. 2. Keep donkey hooves dry and trim them in time. 3. Check whether the teeth have sharp points. 4. Keep in touch with your veterinarian at all times. 5. Like horses, donkeys can be affected by intestinal parasites. 6. Keeping barns and pastures clean and removing feces in a timely manner can reduce the harm of parasites. Donkeys are cute and naive, and have a smart and gentle personality. They are very good pets. To say that donkeys are stubborn is really unfair to them. In fact, donkeys are very smart and calm animals. Raising donkeys requires a large space, dry shelter and high-fiber food. Donkeys can live up to thirty years if well cared for. Please refer to the instructions below to learn how to keep your donkey healthy and long.

Part 1: Selection and breeding of donkeys

1. Select donkeys that meet the requirements in terms of size, gender and personality. These conditions are very important when choosing a donkey. The personalities of male and female donkeys are very different, and the sizes of donkeys can also be divided into small, standard and large. When choosing a donkey, you should consider your own needs. If you want to keep a donkey as a pet, choose a gelding or a female.

If you want to breed donkeys, you need a breeding donkey and one or more female donkeys.

If you just want to keep a pet, don’t choose a breeding donkey. Breeding donkeys will fight if put together with other male donkeys.

If you want to ride a donkey, make sure the donkey is strong enough to bear your weight. It is safest for a donkey to carry up to 20 percent of its own body weight.

If you want to keep a donkey as a defense against wild beasts (such as wolves and dogs), then choose a large donkey. It is important that the donkey is larger than the predator.

2. Donkeys must receive basic training. When raising a donkey for the first time, it is best to choose a donkey that can obey instructions and will not object to people patting it around or lifting its hooves. Donkeys are not easy to train. Unless you have experience training donkeys, it is best to choose an obedient donkey.

3. If conditions permit, it is best to raise more donkeys. Donkeys are social animals and living alone can make them depressed. A donkey is much happier if he has company. Two young female donkeys, two gelding donkeys or one female donkey and one gelding are all good combinations. Donkeys have a deep bond with their partners and will always travel together. Donkeys can bond with horses. If you can't make them inseparable, don't let them develop deep feelings. The donkey would be very sad if the horse was taken away. It’s best to keep them in separate enclosures.

Donkeys have a special diet. If they are kept mixed with other species, they may become overweight or sick.

Donkeys are not suitable for mixing with dogs, except for donkeys and dogs that have grown up together.

4. Be gentle with donkeys. Don't punish them harshly. Be gentle and patient when guiding or teaching them new things. Donkeys are not stubborn, they just need to take time to think before making a decision. Donkeys don't like people pushing them. Pat your donkey gently and speak softly to them; don't yell or force them.

5. Let the donkey exercise every day. To stay healthy and strong, donkeys need daily exercise. If the pasture is large enough, they will wander off on their own. You can also walk it on a leash. If the donkey can't bear your weight, don't ride it. Give donkeys more exercise in the winter. If you keep a donkey in captivity in winter, remember to take it out for a walk every few days. It's a good idea to let your donkey walk between the barn and the outdoors. If your donkey doesn't like snow, don't force it to go outside and try some indoor exercise instead. If you want your donkey to exercise outside in the winter, put a coat on it to keep it from getting cold. In rainy days or cold winter, donkeys are prone to pneumonia or bronchitis due to cold.

Part 2: Provide food and shelter for donkeys

1. The main food for donkeys is plants with low sugar and high fiber. Barley straws are great for donkeys, they allow them to feast without gaining weight.

2. Like other equids, donkeys also need to eat small meals frequently. Eating too much at one time can affect their health. Avoid feeding donkeys grains such as oats, barley, wheat or corn. Excessive amounts of starch and sugar in these plants can promote laminitis and lead to obesity.

3. The main activities of donkeys every day are eating and walking. If you can provide them with enough space to carry out these activities, they will be very happy. Because there are individual differences in how much donkeys eat, it is difficult to estimate how much grass a pair of donkeys will eat each day. Grass should be used as a supplement to wheat straw, rather than replacing wheat straw as the staple food.

4. A pasture with lush pastures is best equipped with a sand paddock and a non-eating area, such as a cement field or a small sand bag. Donkeys like to chew slowly, so please prepare enough wheat straw for them to enjoy. In winter, when the pasture dries up or there is insufficient fodder, you can feed your donkeys hay. Sun-dried grass should be clean and of high quality and free of pests. Freshly cut grass is low in sugar and high in fiber, making it more suitable for donkeys to eat. Alfalfa should only be used on pregnant or lactating female donkeys, or other livestock with special needs. The pasture must be fresh and not rotten, otherwise it will be detrimental to the health of the donkey. Grain bran containing special additives (good for the health of donkey hooves and skin) is beneficial to the growth of donkeys, so try to buy some if possible. Grain bran is very beneficial to old donkeys with diseased teeth, donkeys recovering from serious illness or lactating.

Don’t over-nourish your donkey. Excessive intake of protein and nutrient-rich foods can cause disease and even death in donkeys. Donkeys grow in arid and semi-arid areas of the Middle East and North America. The barren environment has honed their ability to absorb the nutrients they need from high fiber sources. If the forage is too rich (such as pasture or horse pasture), you'd better limit their range of movement to prevent them from getting greedy and getting fat. A simple removable grid with high safety performance can help you divide the pasture and limit the donkey's food intake. Move the grid frequently so the donkeys have access to small amounts of fresh forage.

5. Choose snacks suitable for donkeys. To sum up, donkeys can easily become fat, so be careful when feeding them snacks. A small handful at a time is enough. Donkeys love apples, carrots and peeled bananas, while brassicas (such as cauliflower, broccoli), potatoes, onions, etc. can cause indigestion in donkeys, so don't feed them your kitchen scraps. The donkey's diet is light and healthy, don't feed them toast, biscuits and cakes. Don't feed them overly sweet, pickled human food, and don't feed them equine treats.

6. Donkeys are herbivores, so never feed them fish or meat products.

7. Consult your veterinarian about the use of supplements. Your veterinarian may be able to give you recommendations based on your specific area or local soil conditions. Here are some things your veterinarian may mention: Special equine salt or mineral lick tablets may be helpful for your donkey's growth. Please consult your veterinarian before using. Choose supplements that are sugar-free, otherwise the donkey will lick the medicine just for the sweet taste.

8. High fiber blocks are suitable for donkeys who need to gain weight. Please choose donkey-specific fiber blocks (which may not be available in your area). If this is not possible, you can also use pony-specific fiber blocks instead. Freeze-dried fodder can help sick or underweight donkeys recover. Please pay attention to deworming before use. Certain grasses are harmful to donkeys, so don't feed them grass clippings. Hay is rich in sugar, which in any dose can cause damage to a healthy donkey and promote laminitis, which makes the donkey's hooves excruciatingly painful.

Protein balls or cubes are rich in essential nutrients and are effective for lactating or winter donkeys. However, this medicine is overly nutritious and is not suitable for feeding donkeys every day. Do not feed donkeys pellets intended for other animals (such as poultry pellets). Some pills contain meat, which can have toxic side effects on donkeys.

Carrots are the best choice. There’s no ungulate that doesn’t like carrots.

9. Provide fresh and clean drinking water for donkeys. Keep a sink or bucket filled with non-freezing drinking water at all times. Beware of leaking buckets and getting the floor wet, and beware of donkeys getting their hooves wet. Remember to check if the water is frozen in winter. If it freezes, remove the ice immediately or install a heater in the sink. Old donkeys need warm drinking water more in winter.

10. Build a dry donkey house with a hard floor. Donkeys grow in desert climates and like to be warm in nature, so a comfortable home can ensure their health. Donkeys don't like wind and rain, and will hide in a shed when encountering such weather. A horse's mane is waterproof, but a donkey's is not. The donkey house does not need to be elaborate, as long as it is suitable for the donkeys and allows them to shelter from wind and rain. A shed, shed or barn with hardwood floors are all great options. Pay attention to keeping the floor of the donkey house dry. Donkeys' hooves are sparse and porous, and they will get sick if they stand in a wet place for a long time. Donkey houses in temperate areas should have at least three walls and enough space for the donkey to shelter from wind and rain. Stables, sheds and small barns are all good options. Cover the barn with straw to keep it warm and comfortable, especially during the colder months.

In areas with harsh winters (where the temperature is often below zero, with snow, cold wind and freezing), a barn-style donkey house is the best choice. The barn must be warm and free of cracks so the donkeys don't get cold. Donkeys may be reluctant to go out in the snow, so the donkey house must have enough room for movement.

11. If you want donkeys to go out in winter (severe cold weather, or if they are old or weak), it is best to put a blanket on them. Remember to take off the blanket afterward and check for scratches, and change the blanket frequently every day.

12. The food trough should be kept clean. Clean the food trough promptly to prevent insect infestation or contamination. The buckets containing fodder should be cleaned every day to remove sludge, and the fodder should be placed in hanging buckets on the wall away from the ground; food residues and donkey feces should be cleaned up every day.

Clean walls and floors and wipe away excess moisture promptly.

13. Build a strong fence. In order to prevent donkeys from escaping or being attacked by wild animals, the best way is to build strong fences to surround their daily activity areas. Donkeys are very smart animals and will try to escape if the fences in pastures and barns are not strong enough. Fence height should be at least as high as the donkey's shoulders.

Part 3: Keep your donkey healthy

1. Brush your donkey frequently. Brushing donkeys keeps their bodies clean. Donkeys don't like water, so don't bathe or splash them with water, just brush their fur and clean their hooves every day.

2. Keep the donkey’s hooves dry and trim them in time. Donkey's hooves will continue to grow just like human nails, so they must be trimmed in time to prevent the donkey's hooves from becoming too thick or cracked. Use a special trimmer to trim the donkey's hooves at an angle of 60 to 65 degrees. Donkeys' hooves need to be trimmed every eight weeks or so.

3. Check whether the teeth have tips. A donkey's teeth continue to grow, but they can be worn down by chewing food. No matter how healthy your donkey's teeth appear to you, regular annual dental checkups are a must. A donkey's teeth can grow as deep as a human forearm, and it's impossible to check the health of the back molars without specialized tools. The veterinarian will conduct a comprehensive oral examination of the donkey to prevent diseased teeth from affecting eating or causing pain. Chaff or moist paste can be digested without excessive chewing and is a good feed for donkeys with bad teeth. Please consult your veterinarian before use.

4. Keep in touch with the veterinarian at all times. Donkeys are very healthy animals and rarely get sick, but they still need to be vaccinated against canine distemper, tetanus and influenza. Depending on the situation in your area, vaccinations against rabies, encephalitis, or West Nile virus may be available.

5. Like horses, donkeys can also be infested with intestinal parasites. The widespread use of anthelmintic drugs has made the parasites resistant, making horses and donkeys increasingly vulnerable to them. This situation cannot be avoided, but you should not blindly give deworming drugs to donkeys and make the situation worse. Horses and donkeys need to undergo fecal examination four times a year to detect intestinal parasites. Once the disease is discovered, it can be treated in time. Please consult your veterinarian and follow up with information to ensure successful deworming.

6. Keeping barns and pastures clean and removing feces in a timely manner can reduce the harm of parasites. Keeping donkeys away from larvae is the best way to prevent them. Cleaning donkey manure at least three times a week can effectively reduce the incidence of parasites.

Tips: Donkeys easily bond with children and disabled people. Donkeys are great animals to keep if your farm is large enough. Donkey riding therapy is commonly used in medicine to help disabled people restore their mental health and build relationships with donkeys. If you're willing to open your farm on weekends to help disabled people, that's good for you and the donkey.

Spend more time with donkeys.

Donkeys are not cold-tolerant, but they can occasionally be allowed to walk on the snow to get some fresh air. Some donkeys like snow, while others completely reject it. If your donkey is put out for a walk in the snow, clean the snow off the donkey's skin when you come back to prevent the donkey from getting cold from the snow water. Donkey skin is not waterproof.

Alfalfa is overly nutritious and not suitable for donkeys. Other forages such as timothy grass are better suited for donkeys.

This guide only provides basic information. If you want to know more information, please consult a veterinarian or a well-known donkey breeding website.

Learn more about donkeys. Go online or go to the library to look up donkey types, characteristics, basics and other background information. The more you know, the better.

If your donkey has parasites, consult your veterinarian for appropriate deworming methods. Lice like to hide under donkey hair, so they are difficult to remove. Donkeys that are infested with lice will rub against walls or fences to relieve the itching. Over time, they will develop some inconspicuous bald spots.

If you need to put your donkey on a diet to lose weight, please consult your veterinarian. Donkeys need roughage every day to keep their stomach moving. If this is missing, they will get sick.

The lifespan of a donkey is much longer than that of a horse, generally up to thirty or forty years, so it can be used as a lifelong companion.

The female donkey is generally called Jenny, or Janet, and the male donkey is generally called Jack. A young donkey is called a foal.

In the past, donkeys often accompanied grumpy racehorses to help stabilize their moods; or they accompanied newly weaned foals through their infancy to prevent them from being lonely. The donkey's gentleness, patience and selfless dedication are very worthy of respect. When the horse is taken away, the donkey will be miserable and lonely. Donkeys easily form long-term relationships with their companions, so please don’t be cruel to their trust.

Warning People love petting donkeys. If you are concerned about people feeding donkeys the wrong food, put up a prominent sign warning people not to feed the donkeys.

Train your donkey to stand quietly during shoeing so that it gets used to having its hoof lifted. Do not let the donkey lie down for shoeing, this is unnecessary and can harm the donkey!

Don’t let others abuse your donkey. Donkeys are very docile animals. Do not pull their ears or hurt them. If you rescue a donkey, it may take you a long time to regain its trust; the donkey has usually been abused and is therefore timid and nervous. Donkeys are not naturally like this, so please take good care of them. If you need help, contact your local donkey association.

There are many plants that are toxic to donkeys. Here are some of the most dangerous ones: fresh or dried agarwood

Yew

Acorn or oak Leaves

Figs or red maple leaves

If your donkey is hungry or eats very little, please take the donkey to the doctor immediately to check its health.