Miniature Donkeys crave your attention! When feeding the former, make sure that give the donkey just a handful eat day, and avoid feeding your donkey just oats as it will be too rich for the donkey to digest. Donkeys range from small to quite large, but you should never need to feed a donkey the same amount of food as a horse or pony of similar size. Plus, my mammoths have jobs. The buckets are much smaller and have a longer shelf life, so there would be no concern about the product going stale. Your equine vet may not be able to do anything, but it’s worth a try. If you have less than 2 acres of land, you will spend more on hay to feed your donkeys. Donkeys become ill with life-threatening diseases when they eat too much protein and other nutrient-rich food. At this time of year, dinner feed for the donkeys has jumped up to 5:30. For more feeding and nutrition advice, please contact us. Twitter. Miniature donkeys aren’t like miniature horses, which have been selectively bred over time to be small. Instead, they’re simply a small breed of donkey, mostly from the island of Sardinia. This feed comes in 10, 12, and 14 percent protein amounts. They are small, easy to manage and healthy. Do not feed … The owners should add supplement with a commercial feed if only use poor quality hay. Ideally your hay selection should be in the range of 10% to 12% protein. Any good quality grass hay, such as Bermuda, Timothy or Orchard would be good choices for miniature donkeys. Additionally, feeding your donkey any kind of grain, such as pellets or oats, can promote obesity. Creep feed of 18% protein is recommended (Foal Mix) WEEK 4 Feed 500 mls each time. That’s the total amount of dry matter in grass, hay, straw and chaff (before soaking), which amounts to a minimum of: 1.5kg per day for a 100kg miniature; 2-3kg per day for a 180kg standard donkey; 5-6kg per day for a 400kg mammoth; Dry Matter If only poor quality hay is available, it should be supplemented with a commercial feed. Your shelter will need to be about 12 x 12 feet space for 1-3 donkeys. Facebook. We feed our donkeys a good quality grass hay twice a day, lactating moms and foals get an equine grain mixture every day. Get your mini donkeys and other farm animals vaccinated for botulism. Keep your donkey happy and content by loving on her daily. For miniature donkeys, all you would need to feed is 10 g (1/3 oz) per day. Miniature donkeys are small donkeys that are commonly bred as pets and show animals. Nothing like the easy keeper standards… certainly not like minis. Fat is stored in the neck and rump. Donkeys can also eat organic freeze dried grass, pre-made pellets that have all the vital nutrients and mixture of oats, oat bran and corn. Hopefully the article has some helpful suggestions for you. Such is the luxury allowed when not working. Rescue donkeys that are underweight will need additional foods, and so do pregnant jennets. Miniature donkeys require good quality hay and fresh, clean water. Managing the diet of any equid can be a challenge, but caretakers of draft horses, donkeys, mules, Miniature Horses, and ponies can simplify the task by … This product does not add a significant amount of protein to the diet. Be careful not to overfeed your donkey. Donkeys evolved in the arid and semi-arid areas of the Middle East and North Africa, and as a result can get all the nutrients they need from high fibre, scrubby pasture. Read more of our frequently asked questions. Treats, biscuits and most food made for dogs or cats contains meat products and is therefore not suitable for donkeys. 9. This Miniature Donkey Shelter House faces south east but is open in the front so the donkeys can come and go as they please. Never feed alfalfa hay; it is much too rich and high in protein. Consider training to bucket feed. Miniature donkeys are fun to breed and a wonderful means of making additional income. Once you have these things, you’re ready to go. Feeding the Mammoth Donkey **Mammoth donkeys are another story. Donkeys aren't horses, and nowhere is that more apparent than in their feed needs. They CANNOT survive without shelter of some sort! Miniature donkeys are natives to the Mediterranean Islands and are sometimes referred to as mediterranean donkeys. Miniature donkeys need shelter in a barn or a 3-sided shelter in order to be able to get in from rain, wind, snow and even extreme sunshine in the summer months. For 11 years Alyce Crompton owned and bred miniature pigs — and it was going well by all accounts, with a year-long waiting list and strict vetting process. In the future, only feed your animals clean, unexpired food. A 12’x12′ horse stall can easily house 1-3 Miniature Donkeys or two standard donkeys. Please do NOT feed any grain. Equine Influenza If another donkey is not available at least provide a pony, lama, goat or cow. Allow access to fresh water and salt. Donkeys and mules that are not doing any work should be able to meet all of their nutrient requirements from good grass hay (such as timothy or orchard grass offered from Standlee Premium Western Forage) fed at a rate of 1.5% of body weight and a low-intake ration balancer pellet. If you decide to change their type of feed for any reason, do it little by little or gradually for more than a couple of weeks. Donkeys eat hay and grains, and will also need fresh water and a salt block to ensure that they stay fit and healthy. 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