What Horse Feed Can Donkeys Eat?

How should I feed my donkey?

• Give your donkey free access to good-quality feeding straw (barley and wheat are best), with small quantities of hay, haylage, or grazing.
• Feed a vitamin and mineral supplement or a low energy forage balancer that does not promote weight gain.

Can donkeys have horse grain?

Donkeys do not need to be fed regular grain if they are given enough straw along with grass or hay to maintain their normal diet. If basic horse grain is offered, keep it at a minimum as it has been known to cause gastric ulcers in some donkeys.

What is the best feed to feed a donkey?

The donkey diet should consist of mainly good quality barley straw or oat straw (barley straw is best) and carefully restricted access to grass. Donkeys may require supplemental hay if they are not maintaining good body condition with the straw and restricted grass diet (for e.g. during the winter months).

Do donkeys and horses have the same diet?

Both horse and donkey diets should primarily come from forage (typically in the form of hay or pasture). Horses should be fed 1.5-2% of their body weight each day in forage. Donkeys require about the same, 1.5% of their body weight. Specific forages will depend on what is available in your region.

What should you not feed donkeys?

It is best not to feed straw or hay to a donkey with dental problems. This is because these feeds require significant chewing, which may be difficult for a donkey with teeth problems. Instead feed them chaff, chop or grass pellets. These require less chewing and make choking less likely.

Is horse feed good for donkeys?

Donkeys require specialist feeding, they are not a small horse and should not be fed as such. They require fewer calories to maintain weight than a pony of the same size, and enjoy trickle feeding on highly fibrous feeds.

What is poisonous to donkeys?

As little as 20% of black walnut in the shavings can cause toxicity in horses or donkey. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) ingestion can cause destruction of the red blood cells when ingested by horses or donkeys. This can cause secondary kidney damage as well. Red or dark colored urine is typically the first sign seen.

Is alfalfa good for donkeys?

Most donkeys will do well on a plain diet of timothy or grass hay, with access to clean water and a salt block. The American Donkey and Mule Society warns against feeding donkey rich hays, such as alfalfa. While pasture can supply all of your donkey’s needs in warm weather, keep him off lush grass.

What can donkeys eat and not eat?

Donkeys, however, are both grazers and browsers. This means that in addition to grass, they can eat shrubs and woody vegetation; their digestive systems can handle low-quality forage that a pony may not be able to digest efficiently.

Are Oats good for donkeys?

You should feed your 7-month-old donkey no more than 2 cups of crimped oats mixed with an ounce of Mazola corn oil and about an ounce of a low protein vitamin supplement such as Sho Glo once a day. Feed and monitor weight gain with grass hay and pasture time.

Is corn good for donkeys?

Corn is a plentiful vegetable and is safe for donkeys. However, corn is also a grain and a high source of starch; so this is one vegetable that should be given only as a source of additional energy if needed. What is this? In addition, corn cobs are hard to digest and may cause colic.

What do you feed a starving donkey?

Good quality hay or high fibre haylage (e.g. Horsehage High Fibre) should be all that is fed initially, fed in small quantities (up to ¼ Kg) every 4-6 hours. If teeth are poor a low energy and low non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) hay replacement product (e.g. Happy Hoof) can be fed instead.

What kind of hay is best for donkeys?

Wheat straw is more fibrous and difficult to chew, making it less suitable for very young donkeys or donkeys with poor dentition. Oat straw is more digestible and can cause weight gain. Depending on the donkey, straw might make up 100% of the diet or be fed in combination with other forage sources such as pasture.

What is safe to feed donkeys?

Carrots, apples, bananas, pears, turnips and swedes are all safe and usually very popular with donkeys. Ensure that chopped fruit and vegetables are cut in a way that minimises the risk of choking, such as in sticks.

What are a donkeys favorite snack?

We would recommend feeding only 1-2 leaves or one small handful-sized portion maximum per day.

• Swede.
• Turnips.
• Bananas (including skin)
• Pears.
• Parsnips.
• Fresh carrots – chopped (not into rounds) or freshly grated, not dried.
• Fresh apples – chopped (depending on size) or freshly grated, not dried or cooking apples.

Can you feed donkeys carrots?

Donkeys can eat carrots. They are chock full of vitamins and low in calories, an important fact considering donkeys tend to overeat. Moderation is key when you feed any snacks to your beloved animal, and carrots are no different.

Do donkeys need horse hay?

Thus, it is highly recommended to feed what we would consider a lower quality “horse” hay at about 1.5% of their body weight per day. In addition to forage, all donkeys need further nutrient support. Generally, most donkeys do well when fed a ration balancer, like Essential K^®.

What can I feed my donkey to gain weight?

Fibre pellets, unmolassed beet pulp and/or unmolassed chopped fibre (chaff) products can all be fed to encourage weight gain. Alfalfa, in short chop or pellet form, can be a useful addition to the diet as long as the donkey has good teeth and is not suffering from liver or kidney problems.

Can a donkey love you?

If donkeys have a warm and welcoming home, are handled correctly and experience the kindness of humans from an early age they will reciprocate and show their affection to us. Donkeys are very good at avoiding people that are bad for them.

What are donkeys afraid of?

Donkeys also have a natural dislike of foxes, coyotes, wild dogs, and other members of the canid family. They can be taught to tolerate them, but their instincts will never really go away.

Will a donkey protect you?

Donkeys are naturally territorial animals that alert farmers of intruders with their noisy “HeeHaw!” They challenge intruders by charging, kicking and biting. Last year a fellow goat farmer boasted his guard donkey for fighting off a pack of wild dogs and saving his herd. A single donkey can protect up to 300 head.