Hello donkey lovers, May 8th is world donkey day!
What is the meaning of world donkey day?
It was created to bring awareness to the plight of these intelligent, stoic equine animal helpers, including their diet, training, and care.
If you would like to help your local donkey sanctuary simply ask what they need. The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® sells quality tack made to fit a donkey, donkey E-Training Video On Demand, and donkey artwork.
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Melody Johnson, trainer/owner.
Donkeys evolved from the desert their gift is to survive on low sugar, low protein forage:
Equus asinus (Donkey) evolved in the desert regions of our world. Donkeys have been been given the gift to survive in the desert, a part of our world where very few other creatures can survive. Donkeys can survive and thrive on very low sugar, and protein diet. The donkey has one of the most efficient digestive systems seriously better than the horse helping the donkey metabolize low nutritional value shrubs and trees, grasses for survival. Donkeys digest foods much slower than the horse and this gift helps the donkey to absorb more nutrients from lower-quality forage. Drugs in donkeys are not the same as with a horse. Most vets must learn the hard way about giving far fewer drugs to a donkey as their bodies absorb drugs differently from the horse per weight and size.
Please remember donkeys are healthiest emotionally and physically when getting to live with another donkey. Never make a donkey live without another donkey in isolation. Can a horse work out? It depends, most donkeys prefer another donkey over a horse but will take any animal in lieu of being forced to live in isolation. If you decide to place your donkeys into a pasture environment with cows, horses, sheep, lama, etc. you will have to watch the diet of your donkeys as they cant eat foods the other animals eat without becoming obese. Obesity in donkeys is a life-threatening health concern as laminitis, hoof abscesses, insulin resistance, fat in the blood, and kidney failure are all due to a rich diet. Additionally, donkeys grab the neck in play with their pasture donkey buddy, and in battle, they can kill another small animal quickly.
How Do I Keep My Donkeys Happy and Healthy?
Tested low sugar/protein hay with portion control. Test hay at Equine Analytical Lab before purchasing enough hay for the year. Do not feed free-choice hay twenty-four hours a day or your donkey will become obese. No grain, oats, grazing full-time, eating brush as even brush can be high in sugar in the Pacific Northwest. Create a hot wire track (dry) but safe for exercise and enjoyment.
Use The Hay Pillow mesh size 1 1/4 inches works best.
Geld jacks as jacks (stallions) are never a safe option for the farm. Only experienced donkey breeders should be keeping a jack.
Provide excellent fences, gates, and locks. Donkeys are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet they are capable of opening gates and doors that are not secure.
Shelter, donkeys need to get out of the rain, snow, and sun.
Clean Water and warm clean water in the winter.
Salt with minerals, add selenium if your hay does not have it, and remove if hay has selenium.
Vet care is needed for a donkey; spring shots, fecal samples (spring and fall) health checkups, and dental exams once a year.
Farrier visits schedule every six weeks in the spring and summer and seven in the fall and winter to trim and balance the hooves preventing white line disorder, seedy toe, and more.
Check for lice and rain rot in the winter months and spring.
Watch my free youtube video Bringing Your Donkey Home
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson
Spring Sale! Spring is almost here get ready to take your donkeys out for walks this spring and summer. 
Donkey 101, 102, and Trailer Loading Video On Demand Sold with lifetime access. Print out my e-book located in the first video of all of my training to speed up your training time. After you get your donkeys trained move into my Link Line, walk two donkeys using one lead line.
Order https://donkeywhisperer.com/shop/
Training Tip! Quality exercises take 20 minutes per donkey to teach end on a good note put your donkey(s) away. Your donkey will sit and think over and over process everything about the lesson you had with him or her. Do not drill (repeat over and over) until your donkey is panicked or bored) never push or pull on your donkey to teach how to walk. Teach words, walk-on, over, foot, back-up, and whoa. Stay On Donkey Time! Tomorrow your donkey will show you how smart he or she is.
After you study and practice Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand if you need personal coaching sign up in my store at Donkeywhisperer.com under Donkey Trainer. I am here to support all of my students worldwide. I want you to keep your donkeys in their forever home.
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Tips to help your donkey recover after Surgery:
Donkeys make life better. Owning a couple donkeys is a truly wonderful blessed life but with it, we must learn as much as we can to keep our donkeys healthy and happy. Please never make a donkey live without another donkey. Donkeys have thick fur, slanted long eyes pushing back further into their head enabling the donkey to see behind them without turning their head giving the donkey peripheral vision. Donkeys have pointy hooves made to walk on rocks and dry hard ground. Donkeys are born with unique personalities, introverts, and extroverts just like humans. The extrovert donkey can sing, and bray definitely has more go than whoa, the introvert donkey will never bray or sing, never and has more whoa than go. The introvert donkey is a deep, deep thinker. Donkeys are truly the most sensitive and emotional equine as they become deeply attached to their herd buddies and are one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. Meaning a donkey will never forget any experience good or bad and has a memory that is truly comparable to the elephant.
Preparing for any form of haul into the veterinarian’s office that requires more than one afternoon or night at the vet’s office is truly as important as the surgery. Additionally, we must prepare our farm to keep the donkey healthy while recovering from surgery.
Surgery is over, the veterinarian does an outstanding job in surgery and the prognosis is high that your donkey will recover. Day two or three after surgery you will get a call from your vet telling how your donkey is not eating. Most of the time when a donkey stops eating it is directly due to depression and seriously missing his/her heard buddy. Sure sometimes it can be due to the illness and this is a matter the vet can fix but many times the vet is stumped about why the donkey is not eating. After all, the surgery went beautiful and everything looks outstanding.
What does the Donkey Whisperer Farm ® do when a donkey needs surgery that requires more than 24 hours in the vet’s hospital?
I explain to my vet that my donkey needs to go to the vet’s office with his buddy, wake up after surgery and see his donkey buddy in the stall next to his recovery stall. Why? Donkeys will go into surgery less stressed with their buddy in the stall next to them and donkeys will start eating faster and heal faster making the surgery a success. I prepare my farm to have a place for the sick donkey recovering from surgery to be able to see his herd buddies when he arrives home from the vet’s office. Why? Donkeys get depressed when they can’t see their herd buddies and have their life back to the way it was, in fact, they will stop eating and in some cases drinking. It’s truly a form of suicide for the donkey as they simply do not want to live their life like this in insolation. I always put my donkey back into the herd asap as isolation is truly depression for donkeys.
Please feel free to browse in my store Donkey Whisperer Farm ® I sell premium adjustable soft yacht rope halters made to fit a miniature or standard/burro size donkey with a matching lead line, brass, or stainless steel twist-on snap, and a real black leather end. I teach the owner or caretaker worldwide how to tame and train donkeys using words, timing, voice, energy, never pain via my donkey exercises videos and E-book.
Resources:
Donkey Trailer Loading Video On Demand
Donkey Hoof Abscess Video On Demand
Melody Johnson,
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Melody, how can I teach my donkey to walk on the halter and lead and not pull back or refuse to move his feet? I am frustrated. Sherry, AL
Hi Sherry,
Donkeys are not horses with long ears. Donkeys are not flight equine, donkeys have personalities just like people extrovert more go than whoa and introvert more whoa the go. Donkeys need to see a reason for each and everything they do and their safety and self-preservation is number one. Learning how to tame and train a donkey is vital to your success as traditional old cowboy horse training will not work on a donkey. Donkeys will lay down when overwhelmed and not get up or they can fight back but all donkeys can stop walking when scared or not understanding what we want them to do.
Why is the donkey refusing to walk on the halter and lead line pulling back? Taking a donkey out for a walk without doing basic training foundation work in Donkey 101 Video On Demand https://donkeywhisperer.com/product/donkey-training-101/ is like driving a motor vehicle with no breaks, steering, or control of acceleration. Please do not feel like you are the only person to encounter this issue with donkeys. This is a common issue and is easy to fix if you are willing to learn using proven short exercises that work. I train the owner or caretaker how to tame and train donkeys worldwide.
Sadly, people get into a hurry when trying to teach anything new to a donkey. Some people think quick tricks are the best like placing a rope around the butt, or another person pushing while the person with the lead line is pulling and adding a chain to the flat halter. This exercise creates a memory of pain and distrust as there is no relationship its simply being a bully while adding pain. In fact, it makes teaching the donkey to lead more difficult as donkeys store everything good and negative in their memories for life. The next time the person takes the donkey out they will have a hard time catching the donkey as the memory is pain. The donkey does not want to feel this pain again. Never use pain or force to teach a donkey as the donkey is one of the most intelligent animals God created, the donkey will never forget you betrayed him or her. Learn how to be a fair leader with a plan and remember you own a donkey.
Donkeys are born with the gift of self-preservation. Horses are flight equine meaning if I am afraid I had better fart, poop, and run to not be killed or hurt. The mule (mom is a horse and dad is a donkey) is used in the Grand Canyon as the mule will not spook and jump off the wall. Self-preservation from the donkey. The donkey will always check at least three times or more anything new to ensure it is safe before moving a step forward.
The relationship is number one between donkeys and humans. If we do not take the time to build a foundation built on trust, timing, and words (walk-on, whoa, over, back-up, foot) along with good experiences the donkey will keep the memory of refusing to follow you as a fair leader. I highly recommend my courses Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand with my E-books to print out.
Stay On Donkey Time ®
Melody Johnson
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Congratulations you own a donkey! Donkeys evolved from the desert this is why the donkey has pointy hooves to walk on hard ground full-time. Donkeys have been given the gift to survive on low sugar and protein forage. Please understand if you give your donkey the wrong foods or too much food and the opportunity to graze full-time they will become obese get sick and die a slow painful death.
Owning donkeys is truly a beautiful and blessed experience I highly recommend you do your homework before bringing two donkeys into your life. Please watch my free youtube video “Bringing Your Donkey Home.”
Donkeys living in the desert will browse, eating highly fibrous plant material in small quantities throughout the day. Please think about the environment your farm is on. Do you live in the desert part of the world or the wet and green like we do in the Pacific Northwest, Washington?
Living in the green and wet part of the world takes a bit of planning.
How Do I find low-sugar and protein hay or straw for my donkeys?
All forage (hay or straw) must be tested as the brand of hay or straw and color has nothing to do with the sugar content. Ideally, we want 10% or lower in sugar and protein for the donkey and portion control. Test hay in the USA at Equine Analytical Lab I use the slow feeder Hay Pillow to feed my donkeys and horses in tested low sugar and protein hay. Two meals a day is ideal. If you have extremely cold weather you can give a little extra in the slow feeder before bed. Do not feed vitamins, beet pulp, oats, or sweet feed. Donkeys need minerals Salt, clean water, and warm clean water in freezing temperatures.
If you would like to hire Melody Johnson as a personal consultant or coach for your farm select DONKEY TRAINER for a Zoom meeting.
Thank you for investing in your donkeys,
Melody Johnson
Protect your miniature donkey, horse, or shetland pony with this Kensington unique waterproof blanket using velcro on the chest and belly for a secure warm fit, no metal or metal clips to mess with. Order Miniature Donkey Blanket sold with a lifetime warranty from Kensington.
How Can I Order? Follow our measurement instructions, measure your donkey pull the cloth tape measure snug from the center of the chest to the center of the tale, if the measurement is not on the chart choose the next size up. Select the size, the weight of the blanket light, medium, or heavy, and color. Add four inches as blankets are made for horses and ponies. Sold with a lifetime warranty from Kensington. Please measure correctly and choose the color of blanket you want for your donkeys, mules, and horses.
The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® is now a dealer for Kensington Blankets. This is the MSRP price as a dealer I can offer you a lower price a MAP price. I love these miniature donkey and pony blankets with velcro under the belly along with the chest. I am working with Kensington to make these blankets for the standard and burro size donkey in the winter of 2022 and 2023. Maybe I can convince them to give it to the mammoth donkeys, horses, and large draft mules. I love not messing with the metal clips under the belly. Order Donkey Miniature Blanket here. If you are looking for a burro, standard, mammoth, mule, or horse blanket let me know as I can get your order started. E-mail me at melody@donkeywhisperer.com.
If you own a donkey or two you understand how hard it is to find a blanket that fits a donkey and provides quality. Kensington has a lifetime warranty.
“I never blanket a donkey in the rain. Why? I provide shelter for my donkeys and horses to go in and out as they choose. The hay, salt, and clean warm water are in the shelter. No blanket is 100% waterproof without changing in severe wet weather day after day. This is why I always have two blankets for all of our donkeys and horses ready to change out a dry blanket as needed.”
How do I measure my donkey for a blanket?
Pull the cloth tape measure snug at the center of the chest to the center of the tale. If the size is not on the chart choose the next size up.
How do I choose the weight of a blanket?
Medium weight is for weather in the ’20s to 0. Living in the Pacific Northwest the medium-weight blanket is always a perfect fit for my donkeys and horses. As soon as the weather breaks above freezing I take the blankets off in the morning while the sun is out giving my donkeys and horses time to pop their fur out before nighttime. Please never leave a blanket on any equine without checking daily. We must change a wet blanket with a dry blanket. Leaving a blanket on while wet can and does cases laminitis and in some cases severe illness. Leaving a blanket on when it is too warm outside can cause serious health issues too. So please use common sense when blanketing.
Heavyweight is 0 and below consistently.
Do all donkeys need blankets in the cold weather?
No. A blanket is like a fire extinguisher we are prepared and ready to use it. Trying to train a donkey to wear a blanket, measure, and order in an emergency is not recommended. It can be very difficult to get orders delivered to the farm in the winter not to mention making sure they are in stock.
Donkeys are stoic meaning they hide the pain from us, humans. Donkeys get arthritis just like people. Donkeys get sick just like people one day everything is fine on the farm and the next day our donkey needs us to help him/her right now. Donkeys’ immune system is unique from donkey to donkey we must be prepared. Donkeys have thick fur and cannot handle staying wet and having icicles hanging off of them without a bit of help. Sadly way too many donkeys die in the severe winter months due to the owner not being prepared and not being able to catch the donkey even to put it in a shelter. It’s really sad for the donkeys. When the weather is hitting the teens and below 0 most donkeys need a bit of help to survive the freezing life-threatening temperatures. All donkeys need a dry shelter during the life-threatening cold weather especially at night with no sunshine. Ice is a huge problem as donkeys, mules, and horses can slip and fall on it so take care of the ice. Donkeys need a blanket when they are shivering, shaking, or have diarrhea without a diet change in the freezing weather. I do not blanket my donkeys when it is raining. I provide shelter, warm clean water, a slow-feeder hay pillow for my donkeys.
Donkeys are stoic meaning they will not show us they are in pain until it is too late in most cases. Colic is preventable for donkeys. I do not use straw for bedding or feed. Why? Straw has no nutritional value and can run high in sugar it must be tested. Not all donkeys can eat straw they must have the vet check the teeth and gums before attempting straw. I use the pine pellet bedding and I add water to the bedding as donkeys are wood eaters they will eat the pellets and they can expand in their tummy.
Please contact me directly at my e-mail Melody@donkeywhisperer.com to get your order started for your donkey, mule, or horse. All orders are shipped directly from Kensington to your farm via FedEx. Kensington provides a lifetime warranty for its products.
God bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
It’s almost Christmas on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®. Life is really great, all the donkeys, horses and doggies are doing great. God bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Select The Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Mammoth donkeys are a registered breed of donkey, this is not a mule. Read all about the mammoth donkey in the American Jackstock Breed
Here is the history of the American Mammoth Donkey Gifts to President George Washington from the President Of Spain. Enjoy!
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Shop in our store Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Donkeys have photographic memories. Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys are seriously into self-preservation. Perhaps you are new to donkeys and at first your donkey was quiet and nice and then all of a sudden the donkey started getting pushy. Donkeys can canter like a horse, trot, and walk like a horse. But never think a donkey is a horse as they are not a horse a donkey is a donkey.
Donkeys ears can go back, forward, the flying nun or one forward one back. This does not mean the donkey is angry every time. We must learn to read the eyes, body language. Our donkeys come running to say hello with their ears back as they are thinking. When playing or fighting ears are back. Learn to study your donkeys eyes. Learn signs of relaxation and stress and more.
Never give a treat when the equine is pushing you to give it. Give the treat when they are relaxed and have earned the treat, calm and respectfully. My horse must turn her head away from me to get a treat this helps her think before trying to bully the treat out of my hand. Lot’s of ways you can get your timing ready to teach the equine to receive the treat use your creativity to plan ahead and teach them to accept the treat. All of my equine come to me when called without a food treat. Our donkeys and horses get the physical, mental and emotional treat of me loving on them, brushing them, talking to them, picking their hooves and taking them for a walk.
Donkeys cannot kick or bite you if your timing is great, they are looking to see if you are a leader or a follower. Each time you are with your equine you are the human leader, you have the human mind put your cell phone away, job away, kids away and just be in the moment with your equine. I say “You must be plugged into your equine to stay safe and be a great leader.”
Select OUR STORE to order E-VIDEO Training and our custom fit donkey soft yacht rope halter/lead lines, long lines, riding reins.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Are you a treat dispenser? What is it about donkeys that make us want to give them treats? Maybe it is because they are so darn adorable, maybe it is because they are so interpersonal, maybe it is because we want to earn their trust and be loved by them. Maybe it is because we don’t want to put a lot of time into them, so we bribe them when we need them to do something. Whatever the reason, most donkey owners and caretakers fall into the trap of becoming treat dispensers.
Here is what you risk when you give your donkey the desert equine treats:
1. Giving treats regularly to your donkey undermines their health and can be dangerous. Apples have a high concentrate of sugar and acid making them dangerous for colic. Horse cookies and treats sold in farm stores, as well as human foods such as cookies and crackers, are made of processed wheat, sugar, salt, and other nasty additives. All of these put your donkey at risk for metabolic disorders, such as Cushing’s Disease and Laminitis. You are also putting your donkey at risk for a choke and/or colic. A donkey’s digestive system is NOT designed for these foods and feeding such treats can lead to impaction, colic, and/or peritonitis.
2. Giving treats regularly to your donkey undermines your authority. Many owners and caretakers often find themselves in a dilemma: They don’t have a lot of time to spend with their donkey but they expect their donkey to come, lead, go through the gate, get their feet trimmed, and stand for the vet. If you haven’t put in the time and training chances are your donkey is not going to listen to you! Under pressure, or in desperation, you resort to bribing your donkey with treats. This completely undermines your leadership and reduces you to a beggar! If this is happening to you, PLEASE find the time to connect with your donkey and teach him/her basic manners and training. I train the owner or caretaker worldwise how to tame and train the donkey via Donkey 101, 102 Video On Demand sold with my E-book.
3. Fear. Donkey owners and caretakers are often afraid of their donkeys; afraid to get kicked, afraid to get pushed through, afraid to get walked on. These are all signs of a donkey in need of a good leader and that leader is YOU! These are normal donkey behaviors in a herd, but not appropriate when living with humans. Bribing your donkey with treats or food to get them to behave is simply dangerous and creates a more demanding and belligerent donkey. Sooner or later you will lose and so will your donkey. REMEMBER: This is about you, not your donkey! To overcome fear you must learn donkey psychology, learn to join up with your donkey, and teach your donkey boundaries, manners, and basic skills. To learn more go to our website Donkey Whisperer Farm ®. Giving a treat during training as a reward for a job well done is encouraged. There are times it is very appropriate. Giving treats to show your donkey love, get him/her to mind you or because you are afraid of your donkey is simply dangerous. Learn healthy ways to be with your donkey. If you work all day, instead of coming home and giving your donkey a carrot, spend 15 minutes with your donkey; massage his/her ears, brush him/her or hang out and talk with your donkey. More than anything your donkey wants to be with YOU!
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
1. Most important – Please don’t beat me or punish me for being slow and not moving fast enough, unlike the horse I can think all the time. If I overreact understand I am stressed.
2. I enjoy being talked to, brushed, and loved on when I am sure you will not hurt me. I will not eat if stressed. I am a donkey, donkeys are seriously into self-preservation.
3. I learn differently from the horse I am a visual learner. I learn by watching from an honor horse, mule, or another honor donkey or you doing something with me standing and watching at a safe distance. Please walk away from me with scary new things and let me come to you on my time I am scared of new things and need you to slow down.
4. I prefer clean water, warm water in the winter and low sugar, protein hay as I gain weight fast I was created to live in the desert.
5. I am really smart please do not leave me all alone, give me a companion I prefer a donkey but will take a horse or mule.
6. I need my hooves trimmed just like the horse.
7. I need my teeth taken care of just like the horse. I need a vet check once a year.
8. Please feed me at least two small meals a day when I am on a dry pasture and never feed me alfalfa hay or grass clippings.
9. I like to play with toys, orange traffic cone, feed bowl, or jolly ball I am smart and get bored easy just like you.
10. I am special GOD gave me a cross on my back and I am the only animal in the bible GOD gave the ability to talk.
To learn more go to our Donkey Education Center.
Stay On Donkey Time ®
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
ON DONKEY TIME ® STEEL SIGN. ORDER IN OUR STORE.
Thank you for giving this donkey a forever home.
On Donkey Time ® Sign
The Making Of On Donkey Time ® Signs – Handmade In The U.S.A.
Size 11″ x 16″
Weight 3 pounds
Shipping USPS
Packing Is Free
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Here at Donkey Whisperer Farm ® we get more inquiries about hoof abscesses in donkeys than any other healthcare issue. Due to this common, but dreadful hoof ailment, we have decided to share our personal experience here at the farm with you through our new Donkey Healthcare Video ‘Donkey Hoof Abscesses’.
We have over fifteen years of experience treating mild to life-threatening abscesses in donkeys with veterinarian guidance, as well as alone in the field. Over the years Donkey Whisperer Farm ® has developed a strict and successful protocol for preventing, treating, and overcoming hoof abscesses all has been taught to us from our veterinarians.
It is vital that every donkey owner and caretaker understand that hoof abscesses in donkeys can be fatal and should not be considered a routine health problem. In the Donkey Whisperer Farm ‘Donkey Hoof Abscesses’ Video we outline causes, prevention, do’s and don’ts, home care, pain control, and recovery from donkey hoof abscesses.
This is a must-have donkey healthcare video for every donkey owner or caretaker! As we say at Donkey Whisperer Farm: it is not IF your donkey gets a hoof abscess, but WHEN your donkey gets a hoof abscess! The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® teaches you the owner or caretaker how to treat the abscess without cutting a hole out of the foot. If after four days the abscess has not drained out it is time to call the vet. We are not vets. The hoof takes 1 year to grow out. Order Donkey Hoof Abscess.
Farm living is a blessing, a personal choice, and its hard work. Very few vacations, time to travel as the farm is a full-time job. Owning any form of equine (donkey, mule, or horse) is not cheap. The cost for hay, vet, the trimmer is all rising each and every day. We must understand the vet is the team leader for the health of our equine. The trimmer follows the vet’s instructions.
The owner is 100% responsible for each and every step that is being taken to keep the farm healthy.
Anytime I can share information that can get the donkey, mule or horse out of pain and suffering fast I promise to do it.
We have six donkeys and two horses living on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®, out of the six donkeys only one donkey has never had a hoof abscess in the last thirteen years. I teach worldwide the owner of a donkey or mule how to train and care for the equine. E-training is always the best way to learn. Preparation is the key to solving any crisis and keeping our money. Select Donkey 101 E-TRAINING Video On Demand.
If we can be prepared in training the donkey, mule or horse to pick up the feet without a fight. Trust us as a leader it is easy to soak the foot and create the hoof boot. First, we have to learn how to train and stay in the leadership position the entire time we are with our equine.
Select Donkey 102 Video On Demand is problem-solving.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Call the vet asap as your donkey, horse or mule can die from colic!
Intestinal upset, diarrhea, colic and laminitis, lung, liver and heart health issues. Feed intended for chickens may be filled with additives that are very toxic for donkeys, mules and horses.
Donkeys are visual learners, meaning a donkey can watch you do something and repeat it. Excellent gates, fences and locks are needed when owning donkeys or they will get lose.
Yes. Donkeys can grab the neck of the chicken and snap it or stomp, kick the chicken in the head. Please create a place separate from the donkeys for your chickens and donkeys to live.
Chickens that roam the pastures can also cause health issues for your equine partner. Lice is a huge problem for donkeys due to their thick fur coat. Sanitation issues from chicken droppings can pose health problems for horses such as infection from Salmonella, botulism, candidiasis and histoplasmosis (fungal infections) and even streptococcus.
Salmonella usually affects the gut and may cause severe diarrhea in donkeys, horses and mules :
The clinical signs of Salmonellosis in adult donkeys include diarrhea, lethargy, fever, anorexia, and colic. Affected donkeys, horses and mules will be susceptible to infection. Once recovered, these horses may continue to shed the bacteria in their feces, potentially transmitting it to other equine.
Sadly I have received too many e-mails of people who did not call the vet or waited too long and the equine died. If you love your equine call the vet asap!
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Wedding Burro is wearing my adjustable burro standard softy yacht rope White halter lead line.
2021 has become a new year for donkeys and weddings, in fact, more and more couples are bringing a little bit of Jesus into their wedding. Yes, I said Jesus, did you know that donkeys have a cross on their back? Yes, all donkeys have a cross on their back even the black donkeys. Trained donkeys are now carrying the drinks, flowers, food video cameras and are totally bringing a blessing to each wedding.
Resources:
Donkey Halter & Training Video On Demand
Seven Reasons Why You Should Have A Donkey At Your Wedding
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Melody, I have a donkey that refuses to go into the shelter and stands outside he stands out in the rain nonstop. I am worried about my donkey. I am thinking I should lock my donkeys in the shelter during the rain, Should I give him a blanket? Trixy, BC
Hi Trixy,
“Please do not lock your donkeys in the shelter or put a blanket on a donkey during the rain if your donkey is healthy and not shivering or sick as no blanket is 100% waterproof. A blanket is like a fire extinguisher we use it in an emergency”. Just because we are cold does not mean our donkey is cold. If your donkey is shivering, make sure you have followed my advice below and your donkey will go into the shelter. He may choose to stand right outside the shelter in the wind and rain but believe me eventually he will go into the shelter during heavy rain.
How Can I Help My Donkey Trust the Shelter?
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
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