Donkeys need to live with their own species to be the most happy. Chicken food is toxic for a donkey, horse or mule any equine. Donkeys enjoy grabbing the neck, playing tug and tag. Donkeys evolved from the desert, never feed alfalfa or hay that is higher than 10% sugar content to the insulin resistant donkey. Regular hoof trims are mandatory every six weeks in the spring and summer and seven in the fall and winter as the hoof growth slows down in cooler seasons. Clean water is a must as they can colic just like a horse and die. Donkeys are stoic “Meaning they will not tell you they are sick until it is too late” so never forget this. Vet check ups at least once a year, depending on the domesticated donkeys goals for you the owner. Please do not throw a donkey out in a field all alone as they are smart and will bray and cry all day and all night. Learn all you can to care for the smart, self-preservation equine, the donkey. Donkeys are very intelligent they can read us humans in a few seconds as to if we are a treat dispenser or a leader who is fair. I train you the owner to train, care and provide the best life possible for your domesticated donkey.
Donkeys can live 30 to 40 years! Please make sure they are in your living will!
Dental care at least once a year. Fecal samples are a must as resistant parasites (worms) are now very common. We brought home two new mini donkeys last year and they brought this parasite into our farm. Cheaper to do fecal sample and a tape wormer in the fall if no parasites in the poop. Over worming destroys the immune system and hurts your pocket book. Shelter is mandatory and the donkey will choose to use it or not.
CLEAN WATER IS A MUST for a donkey and warm in the winter. Colic is horrific for any equine and the donkey will die from colic if they do not get enough water. Pick up the poop every day, check it for the matter too runny means neighbors are feeding or you have a healthy issue. Compost, learn how to compost and re-use what the donkey has given you from the hay bill.
Best to place your gelding with another gelding donkey or a jenny (female with another female). Also size does matter. If your donkey is too big he/she can kill your smaller donkey grabbing the neck and dragging them. We know as Rio was raised with Rocket Man our mini donkey but Rio was not trying to kill Rocket Man he was still playing as he had years and years before. Rio grew up to be 16’2 hands tall and Rocket Man stayed a 28 inch tall donkey.
Common sense is most important as donkeys can kill a dog, cat, chicken, goat, sheep, baby cows and more. Please never think donkeys have a dark side they are simply a donkey. 🙂
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm, LLC
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Source: The Dark Side of the Donkey
I do have only one donkey, but she stays with my four horses. Three are mares and one is a gelding. One mare is a mustang that I adopted from the BLM with the donkey. I was supposed to only get the donkey, as a yearling the mustang was just too irresistible. They are pretty much buds. The donkey was about 5 or 6 when I adopted her. But she loves me now. At least most times. 🙂 She does have to be sedated when the farrier comes. She does not like any of them. I can pick up her feet most times, but she can be picky about that too. She is good most times. She has her moments just like I do. Thanks for this post.
Hello,
Nice to meet you. I can help you to learn how to train and not sedate for the farrier. I so appreciate my readers leaving a message, enjoy meeting everone. Select https://donkeywhispererfarm.com/our-store/ to sign up for 1, 5 or 10 lessons. I give you detailed home work, we meet once a week via Skype and I do not charge you to review your video of your homework with your donkey. Teaching how to pick up the hoof is easy. I train you to train your donkey. Melody
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