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GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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Donkeys are not horses with long ears. Donkeys evolved from the desert, meaning caring for a donkey can be more difficult than a horse or not. Depending on the part of the world you live in owning donkeys can be easy or difficult. Donkeys diet must be seriously low in sugar/protein. Clean water is a must. Shelter is a must too, and one more thing; make sure if you have more than one donkey you have a big enough shelter and enough of them. The leader or bully will kick all the other equine out. Donkeys will choose a safe shelter in time. Due to the donkeys thick fur staying wet can cause serious health issues.
Donkeys are like potato chips we humans can’t resist bringing home lots of donkeys. Donkeys live a healthier life physically and emotionally with their own species and it is easier to keep the weight off.
Donkeys require a hoof trim every six weeks in the spring and summer and seven weeks in the fall and winter. The hoof growth speeds up in warmer climates. If your donkey is walking and running on 100 acres of Arizona desert, the trim schedule may be longer.
Ask your hay vendor for laminitic hay for horses. This hay will be low in sugar and protein. Hay must be clean and not moldy. A slow feeder will help your donkey with boredom. Slow down the meal process and keep your donkey healthy. Do not feed your donkey free hay in a round bale as the donkey will eat all day and all night. Sadly, many people think this is safe for the donkey. The donkey will become obese and develop life threatening health issues. Donkeys need two meals a day.
Donkeys are picky. Donkeys must have clean water. Donkeys prefer clean warm water in the winter. Remember to give free salt. Donkeys need salt. The color of your water bucket may or may not be an issue. If your donkey refuses to drink from a bucket try another color or texture. Seriously! Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys are seriously into self-preservation.
Resource: Safergrass.org
Make your dry paddock/pasture a full-time living arrangement. Let your donkeys out to graze and get exercise a few times a week in the morning. Before 10:00am the sugar content is lower. Help your donkey get exercise. Take your donkey for walks, train to pull a cart, donkey agility. Both you and your donkey can get fit together.
If you would like to learn how to train your donkey take a look at Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand. Take Melody Johnson, Donkey Behaviorist to the farm with you. Learn how to lead your donkey. Forget trying to bribe your donkey or hurt your donkey. These techniques will never work long-term. Donkeys have unique heads. Take a look at the Donkey Whisperer Farm “DONKEY HALTER/LEAD LINES”. Each halter/lead line is made with quality soft yacht rope to stop mold and frail. Made to fit your donkey’s head not the horse. The Donkey Whisperer Farm Ships Internationally. Ask us for a quote to ship to your farm outside of the U.S.A. at INFO@DONKEYWHISPERER.COM enjoy your life! Enjoy your donkey!
Select Donkey Whisperer Farm to purchase on demand training, donkey tack, stick and string and healthcare. Artwork is coming!
Our Donkeys and horses love to meet people, it’s simply a blessing for all. The Donkey Whisperer Farm is a working farm as we grow and sell hay. 2019 we hope to plant our hay to feed to the donkeys and horses, alfalfa free and low in sugar and protein.
Last week a student of the Donkey Whisperer Farm came to visit the farm. She was taking notes to build her donkey farm. How do I control the diet? How do I keep their hooves dry while living in the damp Pacific Northwest. Keep the water warm, hose warm, fences on the Donkey Whisperer Farm, exterior and interior. We discussed how mini donkeys can escape so easily and well any size donkey. Excellent fences, gates and locks are must when caring for donkeys. Donkeys are visual learners. Less of a flight equine than the horse.
We discussed giving our donkeys a bath each and every summer. This is really important as donkeys have thick fur, the dirt and gunk gets into the skin. Donkey 101 and Donkey 102 E-VIDEO Training Series teaches the owner or caretaker how to train the donkey. Our new stick and string for the mini donkey and standard or Mammoth donkey is a training aide. Never stick your head in the kick zone until your donkey is trained to pick up the foot. I teach my students to teach the donkey to pick up the foot when the word foot is said to the donkey. Its that easy.
All animals know when people love animals or not. Donkeys are skilled in a matter of seconds with humans and predators two and four-legged. Can you see what our donkeys thought of our friend and visitor Jill?
If you are visiting the Pacific Northwest in 2019 let us know. We will do our best to give you a farm tour. We grow our own hay, summers can get a bit busy. A little planning makes everything run smoothly.
Donkeys need their hooves to be trimmed just like a horse.
In the wild the donkey is walking up to 25 to 35 miles a day. On our farm the donkey is most likely not moving this much. A trimmer who is skilled in donkeys hooves is imperative to your domesticated donkeys health. It is best to keep your donkey(s) on a regular trimming schedule.
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Donkeys need the following:
GOD Bless You And Your Family Two And Four-Legged!
Please never feed a horse, donkey or mule without asking the owner for permission. Allergies, health specific diet are real. You can cause laminitis, cushings, abscesses and obesity. Obesity can cause death in equine living in domestication.
What is Laminitis?
Radiograph of a horse hoof showing rotation of the coffin bone and evidence of sinking, a condition often associated with laminitis. The annotation P2 stands for the middle phalanx, or pastern bone, and P3 denotes the distal phalanx, or coffin bone. The yellow lines mark the distance between the top and bottom part of the coffin bone relative to the hoof wall, showing the distal (bottom) of the coffin bone is rotated away from the hoof wall.
Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates, and is found mostly in horses and cattle. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperature in the hooves. Severe cases with outwardly visible clinical signs are known by the colloquial term founder, and progression of the disease may lead to perforation of the coffin bone through the sole of the hoof or being unable to stand up requiring euthanasia.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Trainer/Owner
I AM NOT A HORSE
Donkey’s don’t display pain or illness like horses or mules!
Donkeys are stoic and enduring. Know the signs of your donkey being in pain or ill. CALL YOUR VETERINARIAN.
1. Standing off alone away from his/her companions or herd.
2. Lying down more than normal.
3. Standing out in very cold weather refusing to come in.
4. Off food or water
5. Walking tenderly as if on hot coals.
6. Limping in any way.
7. Listless or withdrawn.
8. Shaking or shivering
Donkey’s don’t roll or thrash like horses when in pain or when they are suffering from colic. Donkey’s don’t tend to complain, they withdraw. Donkey’s hunker down and ride it out, sometimes to their peril. Please know the signs and save a donkey.
Thank you,
donkeywhisperer.com
Why do donkeys need to live with another donkey? Donkeys diet is serious so its important the donkey is living in an environment set up for donkeys. Donkeys are emotional and bond deeply to their own species in many cases they bond for life. Donkeys bond deeply to another donkey and can become book ends. Donkeys play different than other animals, grab the neck, play tug with a toy, sleep together, eat, drink and play leap frog. Making a donkey live in isolation without another donkey is cruel as donkeys are highly intelligent and get bored quickly. Many donkeys stop eating and drinking when forced to live in isolation or become agitated easily due to the isolation and boredom. Can a donkey live with a horse. Yes and no. All animals want to live and can survive with most animals but here is the reason to think about not adding a donkey in with a horse. Donkeys cannot over eat it will slowly kill them, causing laminitis, white line, insulin resistance, fat pockets, and and finally death.
Do you ever find yourself thinking about donkeys? We have had donkeys in our life since 2007, it’s hard to remember life without a couple of horses and donkeys, they are indeed part of our family.
Why Donkeys? Perhaps GOD understood before I did the importance of donkeys in our life as our donkeys are part of our family now. I have always been a human that likes to learn, digs for information, steps out of the box to try new things and I am naturally creative. Thank you, Jesus! The human brain is indeed one of the most important organs GOD gave us.
Why are donkeys so special? Donkeys have a cross on their back, this is special.
Well, they are usually not always but usually more relaxed than the horse and well kinda like a black lab they just want to be loved on, they want to eat, they want to snuggle with their human. The donkey loves to play tug with their four-legged donkey buddy. Donkeys love to jump up and grab the neck of their donkey buddy. Donkeys are donkeys!
Donkeys never forget anything they must be treated with a fair and respectful plan. Never abuse your donkey. Rehabilitation of an abused donkey can takes years and some of these donkeys can become violent towards people they associate with the past abuse. Triggers are a smell, man or woman (former abuser), truck, sounds, hat, gloves, cigarette. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is real in animals just like people. Donkeys can see in color.
What Do Donkeys Need To Stay Healthy?
1. Clean water fresh water, diet, low sugar and low protein hay portion control is a must. Never feed donkeys alfalfa hay ever. Hay must be tested to come in no higher than 10% Sugar to keep the exotic desert equine healthy. Exercise is key.
2. Taming – Donkeys need their hooves picked out daily and their feet trimmed at least every 7 weeks
3. Donkeys need the vet to come and see them at least once a year
4. Donkeys need their teeth checked at least once a year
5. Donkeys need us, humans, to check for sores, lice, or a limp – Watch your donkey learn how they move so you can catch problems quickly
6. Donkeys need clean fresh water every day and in the winter warm water, Donkeys need to lose salt in a dry place. A salt lick will do but will not be as effective to prevent colic.
7. Donkeys need their human to be on time with meals – My donkeys hardly ever bray as they can depend on us to bring their meals, they do not need to remind us ever
8. It is a myth to believe all donkeys bray all day long they don’t bray unless they are calling out to a donkey or they are upset about meals or something else like a predator coming into their pasture. Jacks bray more. Very few jacks (stallion horse world) are worthy of reproduction. Owning a Jack is not for the beginner donkey owner or even the novice. Owning a Jack takes having people to help you manage your farm correctly it is not for the beginner.
9. Donkeys do not enjoy a bath, donkeys seem to not enjoy the water even on the warmest weather. Our donkeys get one bath a year and I hand wash their face just like my horse, never spray a donkey with a hose in the face
10. Donkeys ears can be broken and not stand up so be careful when touching them
11. Donkeys can grow lot’s of thick donkey fur for the winter
Rio our Mammoth donkey age 9 months with my hubby Scott.
12. Donkeys are looking for a great human leader who will take the time it takes, donkeys are visual learners
13. Donkeys can hear things way sooner than the horse
14. Pick up the poop every day and compost. Do not drag across your pasture until the poop has composted and killed parasites for at least one year.
15. Last but final tip about donkeys; never ever drill a donkey, less is more and remember Donkeys never forget anything – Be careful what and how you train your donkey 🙂 SELECT E-TRAINING DONKEY 101 VIDEO ON DEMAND.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson
Deuteronomy 3:22 ESV You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’ Deuteronomy 28:7 ESV “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. Joshua 10:25 ESV And […]
via Bible Verses on Spiritual Warfare — Heather C. King – Room to Breathe
A big thank you to our vet Dr. Smith and Dr. Hills, Sound Equine, Poulsbo, Washington.
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GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody
Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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We have been working really hard to finish our home. Mr. Rocket Man age 24 one of our mini donkeys refused to eat his vitamin until he had his love. Donkeys are not stubborn. Donkeys are smart. Donkeys are emotional and analytical at the same time.
Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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Source: Bear kills donkey in Kent
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Apple Season has arrived! As great as they may be for humans this is not great for the domesticated Donkey, Mule or Horse. In fact this may cause DEATH from Colic and/or a huge amount of stress, tears, vet cost or even burying the beloved equine (Donkey, horse or mule).
Never feed grass clippings or bread to your horse, donkey or mule. PLEASE NEVER FEED ANOTHER ANY ANIMAL THAT IS NOT YOUR ANIMAL. Some animals have a form of insulin resistance, most must have a slow change of diet or they can founder, hoof rots out abscess or colic or worse die.
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Donkeys, Horses and Mules get Sick, belly aches and gas from eating too many apples! Eating too much human food can increase their risk for colic.
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Source: Apples and Pears
God Bless You And Your Family Two And Four-Legged!
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“Animals are Gods healers” Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) doesn’t make headlines as often as it once did. But this potentially debilitating neurological disease remains a threat to horses all over the United States. If anything, its range is spreading.
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Therefore, a primary objective in disease prevention should be to minimize stress so a horse’s immune system can operate at maximal capacity. Bill Saville, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and chair in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University, and his colleagues investigated risk factors for development of EPM. In this study they acknowledged the important role of the immune system in fending off disease. “When animals are stressed, suppressive proteins produced by the central nervous system are released and lead to suppression of lymphocyte production and function,” said Saville. This, coupled with elevated cortisol levels related to stress, might increase a horse’s risk of developing EPM.
Control Measures to Reduce Risk Saville’s comprehensive study (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2000) revealed the following findings that tell us how we can more effectively prevent EPM in our horses:
Age The highest risk of infection occurred in horses aged 1-5 years. This could be due to the use of young horses in competitive situations and the associated stress.
Opossums Presence of opossums on a farm poses an increased risk.
Location Horses on farms with previously EPM-infected horses had a higher risk of developing EPM, likely due to the presence of protozoa in the feed or water and increased likelihood of exposure.
Seasonal effects More EPM cases occur in spring, summer, and fall, possibly related to hot weather acting as a stressor, as well as this being a time of increased travel to competitions with accompanying transport stress affecting the immune system.
Stress An association of stressful events (such as injury, accidents, foaling, surgery, transport, and illness) with increased risk might be related to suppression of a horse’s immune system.
Natural water source Presence of water sources (creek or river) on the farm provided a preferred habitat for opossums away from the horse barns, thereby decreasing exposure and risk.
Food storage Securing feed and water sources from opossum fecal contamination is important in limiting exposure and risk. It is important to limit opossum presence since sporocysts (the infective stage of the protozoon) are able to survive for as much as a year in the environment. Additionally, birds feed on insects and plant material in the feces of opossums, thereby serving as a vehicle to disseminate sporocysts in the environment. David Granstrom, DVM, PhD, one of the pioneer researchers of EPM when he worked at the University of Kentucky, emphasizes how environmental management can go a long way toward limiting infection.
“It looks like the only way to clean barns that is effective and will not destroy the barn is by the heat of steam cleaning.” –Dr. David Granstrom
“It’s most important to protect feed and the local environment from contamination with opossum feces,” states Granstrom. “Protect livestock feeds and hay from opossums. Keep the local area free of anything that attracts opossums, such as pet food, garbage, and carrion.”
Saville says it isn’t easy to kill the parasites in the environment, and sporocysts are resistant to even the most intense disinfectants.
Granstrom adds, “It looks like the only way to clean barns that is effective and will not destroy the barn is by the heat of steam cleaning.”
Source: The Horse & Equis links are attached to this blog.
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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FEED STRAW?
Feeding straw is controversial in donkey circles, so we would like to address the pros and cons.
Upfront straw seems like a good feed for donkeys. It appears to imitate the woody, dry, chewy material that donkeys innately browse on in their natural desert environments. It is high in fiber and low in sugar and makes a good ‘nibble all day long’ feed. But, straw can be deceiving!
Straw may be low in sugar, but can test high in sugar and is traditionally HIGH in non-structural carbohydrates. These are the carbohydrates that are converted into sugar through the metabolic process. It also contains a lot of ‘lignin’ a non-digestible fiber that makes the straw shiny. This non-digestible fiber does not pass through your donkey’s digestive system easily.
Straw is also very low in moisture making it difficult for your donkey to digest and pass through the intestinal tract.
Due to these attributes, straw is known for causing chokes and colic impactions in donkeys, mules and horses.
Our experience with straw has not been positive. We realize that many people have good luck with straw, but at Donkey Whisperer Farm ® we don’t feed straw to our donkeys and don’t advocate that others do so. We feed a high quality, low sugar, protein low non-structural carbohydrate orchard grass hay and we test our hay every year to make sure the protein, sugar and NSC levels are in the low range 10% or lower.
If you choose to feed your donkey straw you must also feed hay!! Feeding only straw will not provide your donkey with the nutrition it needs and he/she will eventually suffer from malnutrition! Straw is only a between meal nibble! You must also provide plenty of fresh, clean water and the donkey must have the ability to move and exercise in order to digest the straw.
Lastly, if you choose to feed straw, even a little bit, we highly recommend you have your straw tested! Some straws are extremely high in sugar, carbohydrates and protein and will cause obesity and metabolic disorders.
In the end, you must make the choice, but from our vantage point straw is best left out of your donkey’s diet.
Provide clean water and warm clean water in the winter along with salt to prevent colic. Coic in donkeys is life threatening as donkeys are stoic and will not show pain until in most cases it is to late to call the vet.
Source
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
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