Winter has returned to the farm. We are having a wicked freezing snowy, deep snow storm in the Pacific Northwest. All the donkeys and horses have the choice to go in or out of the stall. All eight equine are standing in their stalls out of the wicked wind chill. Its snowing tiny flakes, the beginning of the storm hit around 8:00 am this morning. Looks like this winter storm will run at least five days or more.
A blanket is like a fire extinguisher we are prepared. We only use the blanket when it is needed. A donkey has arthritis, a donkey is sick, a donkey has vet rest. Planning ahead makes the emergency or trauma a bit easier.
Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys do not do well in the cold weather we must do our best to help them stay warm and healthy. Our weather is in the teens with the wind chill and this is dangerous for a donkey.
Take a look at Donkey 101 & Donkey 102 Video On Demand Training Series. Melody Johnson is a donkey behavior expert and a trainer of humans. Training the owner or caretaker to train the donkey using resistance free methods. Never abuse, or old cowboy techniques. Donkeys are smart not stubborn. Donkeys have photographic memories. If you are going to work with a donkey you must have a plan. Donkeys are game players.
Did you know donkeys die every winter from the cold? Yes. Donkeys are stoic and do not show pain until it is too late. Preparation is the key. Learning how to be a fair leader. Learning how to train the donkey to trust us to introduce new objects, places, things and people.
Donkeys evolved from the desert. Donkeys must live on a dry paddock just like the desert with limited time out on the grass. Donkeys cannot eat hay too high in sugar or protein without getting sick. Donkeys cannot stand and eat brush all day and night without getting sick. Donkeys are seriously easy keepers. If we do not pay attention to the diet the donkey will get fat, obese and develop insulin resistance, fat deposits on their neck and tummy. Once the fat roll breaks on the neck we can never fix this. All of this is preventable. Please read, research and learn how to care for the magnificent and brilliant desert equine the donkey.
Shelter is important for Donkeys
Clean water is a must. Some donkeys do not like a bucket color. Yes donkeys can see in color. Donkeys prefer clean warm water in the winter. Clean is very important. Make sure to keep a little extra hay in the slow feeder. Salt is imperative to drinking water. We chose free lose salt. No selenium in the salt if the hay has selenium. Never feed alfalfa hay to a donkey. No oats, sweet feed, breads, etc., A safe treat is 1 or 2 bites of a one carrot. Thats it. I never give a bite of a carrot for standing and looking cute. I am not a treat dispenser. I give a bite of a carrot for doing something I asked the donkey to do i.e., come to me on 10 acres when I call.
To learn more visit our store at WWW.DONKEYWHISPERER.COM
