how much feed should a large standard donkey be fed

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hi, my name is corky and I am in SW corner of MO. I have a very beautiful chocolate large standard donkey. I got her when she was 8 mo old. She is now 5 years old.I have every donkey book I could find and the only thing I can say about them is they rarely tell you the same thing. I have also checked with 3 vets in the area and they all tell me something different. My donkey if foundered even though the books all agree that donkeys can't. the problem is she can't read! The donkey I mean. she suffers from repeat hoof abcesses. She never gets more than A cup of oats a day now and two flakes of hay. One in morning and one at night. I feel very bad for her. Help!

-- Corky Wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002

Answers

Go to www.google.com and do a search on donkey founder. You may be able to find a source for an answer there.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 04, 2002.

Corky, groups.yahoo.com has a great donkey list. http://www.donkeys.com

Or perhaps Rogo will answer this. We grained very sparingly our two jennies when they were young (they were Mojave rescues and very thin, we just kept up with what the rescures were doing), keep loose minerals out for them and the two of them eat 1/3 of an 80 pound bale of grass hay a day. But other than when growing, when the browse is questionable or they are nursing foals, you don't grain them. And is this a real cup or a measuring scoop? I know different folks think a cup means different things :) Of course cut out the oats if you have already foundered her, make sure your hay isn't too high in protein, and get the vet out to deal with this. Banamine for fever in the feet and pain, Dex for the swelling, and of course all vets deal with founder in different ways, a good farrier will help also. With abscess also, you may be dealing with other nutritional problems. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.


Check the archives under answers posted on 4 May 2001 to Donkey, help with foot care. Perhaps the answers there will help you.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

A donkey CAN founder. I've always been told that mules and hinnys won't founder. Are you using your donkey, or is she a pet? If she is not being used, cut WAY back on the grain, unless she is actually skinny. Hay is fine, as long as it's something like 1st crop timothy, not alfalfa or clover. You need to find out for sure what she foundered from (usually feed or grass) so you can prevent her from foundering again. If she keeps foundering, you'll never get ahead and she'll get much worse. Regular farrier care is extremely important. She should be trimmed at least every eight weeks. The best thing you can do for a foundered animal is use them. That gets the blood flow back in the foot and helps to heal it. She will never be 100% again, but almost always a foundered animal can be servicably sound.

-- Malinda (teneniel_80@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

The thread on Donkey, help with foot care is under the Exotic Animals category. To find it quickly, once in the category press Control and the letter F at the same time. Once the pop-up box appears, search on donkey.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 04, 2002.


Howdy, Corky. I've raised horses, mules and donkeys. I've had miniature, standard and Mammoth donkeys. My trail riding partner is a Mammoth. I have never grained. They get Coastal or Bermuda grass hay or Coastal grass pasture, depending where I've lived. I've also lived where I fed Bermuda grass pellets (nothing else in them). They also have a trace mineral salt block and plenty of fresh water. That's it!

The equine has a small stomach and is not built to be fed twice a day. Out in the wild, they will graze 18 hours a day. I have always had feed available to the stock whenever they want it ~ free feeding. Where I'm at now, my stock is on pasture 24/7. During the drought, I have the large (1,000-1500 pound) round bales of Coastal hay delivered. You will also find the critters easier to handle when they're free fed.

Donks CAN founder ~ The donk should never have alfalfa; they'll founder. Having only one donk, you can put out the smaller square bales of Coastal or Bermuda hay. Stop giving oats. They don't need it and can founder from the grain. They will also be healthier if given as much space as possible.

A good farrier can clear up the abcesses. If there's many, it will take him some time to clean up the hoof (hooves).

If you don't have a competent farrier, click the link for

Certified Farriers

Click the 'farrier directory' at the top of the screen and then click your state.

I've had healthy equine for 30 years. If you would like to write to me privately, please do.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 05, 2002.

Hey Corkey, it looks like all you have to do is click your state on that farrier's link!!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2222@hotmail.com), February 05, 2002.

We have a donkey from the BLM. We noticed him getting the big fat roll on his neck, but no one suggested he was on his way to foundering. That's just what he did. Now he gets NO grain and he has grass hay only, free choice. We also rescued another foundered donk. He was fed shell corn, free choice, for 10 years!!! He's quite old and lame, but still enjoys life. Donkeys can eat a sparser diet than horses. Watch that fat roll on the neck. If it becomes pronounced, you have a problem developing. Also, what everyone said about regular farrier visits is absolutely true. My donkeys are virtually pain-free because of my farrier's skill.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), February 05, 2002.

Your donkey needs to be put on grass hay only. No grains or alfalfa at all. They are too rich and are whats causing the problem. Also, if she is overweight that makes the problem worse and can cause more pain. She needs to be kept at no more than a 5 on the 1-10 horse weight scale. Dropping her down till you can see just a hint of ribs wouldn't be a bad thing either (thats about 4.5 on the scale).

Also, she needs to have cold applied to her hoof area. The easiest way to do this is feed her little bits several times a day and make a mud hole she has to stand in while she eats. This lowers the temperature in her hooves which will lesson the bad effects of the founder condition.

-- Stacia in OK (OneClassyCowgirl@aol.com), February 05, 2002.


My hinny is in with my horses! She is wild and I cannot catch her. I feed sweet feed and regular hay. Are hinnies different from donkeys? Or am I on my way to killing her?

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), February 08, 2002.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ