Donkey question!

Are donkeys bred for the UK weather though? I thought they were more of an Equator dwelling breed, where a waterproof coat isn't necessary...
 
My fewspot appy isn't waterproof either! Grows big coat but its fluffy as if designed for low but dry temps! Each drop of water pretty much goes straight through to skin whereas it runs straight off my mare.

Only diff between him and a donkey is that his ears arnt big enough to keep him dry!
 
sally87 said:
Because they use their ears as umbrellas
Click to expand...

So true!! And, they can protect their handlers and friends from the wet, as well:



Because donkeys have no protective oil in their coats, they don't have an odour. You can spend hours running your hands through their coats and come away with clean-smelling, non-greasy fingers. Donkeys MUST have shelter from the rain, especially in cold conditions.
 
RutlandH2O said:
So true!! And, they can protect their handlers and friends from the wet, as well:





Because donkeys have no protective oil in their coats, they don't have an odour. You can spend hours running your hands through their coats and come away with clean-smelling, non-greasy fingers. Donkeys MUST have shelter from the rain, especially in cold conditions.
Click to expand...

I don't know why the second photo I posted isn't showing. One more time: it's showing now.
 
Oh wow Rutland H2O that second picture is great - ears to die for - and the one of the zebra horse in the first link is brilliant. There were loads of lovely photos on that. Thank you.
 
Can I hijack the thread and ask Rutlandh2o a question?
We've always wanted a donkey and have been thinking about it. We have perfect grazing, nice warm stable etc but can they be kept just with horses as companions? I read somewhere they should always be with another donkey?
 
Cormorants aren't waterproof and they are sea-diving birds! In extremely basic evolutionary terms, organisms need only survive to reproduce to make them successful. Not being waterproof has not affected the donkey or cormorant's ability to reproduce, so there is no evolutionary advantage to being waterproof, even if it would be handy!

There are other ways in which characteristics can appear in organisms but the above is most relevant to OP's question.
 
cambrica said:
Can I hijack the thread and ask Rutlandh2o a question?
We've always wanted a donkey and have been thinking about it. We have perfect grazing, nice warm stable etc but can they be kept just with horses as companions? I read somewhere they should always be with another donkey?
Click to expand...

Donkeys do really need to have a companion...ideally another donkey. If you have a horse that won't panic at the sight of a donkey, it could work. When I had my late standard donks, my late Clyde gelding wanted desperately to be their friend. The donkeys wanted nothing to do with him. My Clyde always had a mare as a companion, but he wanted to include the donks, as well, but it never happened.

Now that we have the Poitou donkeys, they, and my Shire geldings, always groom each other over the fence. My friend's show cob and foal are very taken with the Poitous and vice versa. However, my Shire mares think all donkeys are revolting and won't have anything to do with them.

Regarding your grazing: if you have miniature or standard donkeys, grazing mustn't be too rich. You could strip graze an area within your fields and keep that for the donks. If you have a horse with a donkey, the grazing situation could be a problem...what is good for the horse, will probably be bad for the donk, and, again, vice versa. A pony and a donkey might be a better match. The idea is to restrict the availability of too much lush grass for both. Years ago, we had the standards in the same field as my Clyde gelding and Shire mare. The donks had too much grazing and were getting chubby. We fenced off two small areas that became our donkey runs. Something to consider.

Mini and standard donkeys live very nicely on barley or oat straw in winter(they are very much creatures of the desert). Poitous come from the salt marshes of the Charente Maritime in western France, where the weather is more like ours here in the UK. They are fed hay in winter. Having said that, the Poitou's have the same medical parameters as "regular" donkeys.

If you have any other queries, I'm more than happy to help and point you in the right direction.
 
limestonelil said:
Oh wow Rutland H2O that second picture is great - ears to die for - and the one of the zebra horse in the first link is brilliant. There were loads of lovely photos on that. Thank you.
Click to expand...

When Poitou donkeys are very relaxed they will drop their ears into a horizontal position, which the French hold in high esteem.

Glad you liked the photos. The zebra-horse is actually one of my Shire mares standing in the right place at the right time, many years ago...the sun was shining through the Yorkshire slats of our pole barn.
 
Thanks so much for that R.H20. We do have a pony paddocks for the Sec A's where it is restrictive grazing and one of them is such a friendly little pony. They all have large barley straw beds. The Poitou's are adorable! but are quite large so I think it would have to be one of the smaller breeds. I would hate to make the mistake of taking a donkey on for it to be unhappy without a companion but if I knew it would settle with our Sec a then its a real possibility.
 
Our donkey lives with our Cushings pony , the regime of restricted grazing seems to suit him although as he is now an old man (35 ish) he does have a little time each day out on the longer grass. He has always had access to a shelter as if he gets wet he stays water logged for days, but now he is getting on he feels the cold so also has a wardrobe of rugs.
Rutland H20 love your Poitous. :)
 
I have two small donkeys who have been companions for many years to various horses I have owned. They do stay to together all the time and are totally bonded but the horse is 'allowed' to be the herd leader (he thinks!).

They do need coats and I keep them so the donkeys can come into a stable with a chain across the door so the horse can't bother them at night. They do like to come in and lie down most nights. The horse is totally dependent on them and gets beside himself if they escape. He will leave them to go out but they are not allowed to leave.

They make excellent companions for a horse IMO and are very easy to keep.
 
Last edited:
cambrica said:
Thanks so much for that R.H20. We do have a pony paddocks for the Sec A's where it is restrictive grazing and one of them is such a friendly little pony. They all have large barley straw beds. The Poitou's are adorable! but are quite large so I think it would have to be one of the smaller breeds. I would hate to make the mistake of taking a donkey on for it to be unhappy without a companion but if I knew it would settle with our Sec a then its a real possibility.
Click to expand...

Sec. A ponies with a standard donkey would work very well. The Poitous would tower above your ponies. Seeing as you have a particularly friendly little ponio, it could be a match made in heaven.

Sixteen years ago, when my late Clyde, Thunder, met my late donkey, Dave, he was terrified beyond words. He wouldn't come anywhere near the field gate for four days. Two weeks later, Thunder was attempting to groom Dave.

Dave was one of three rescue donks I've had over the years. Two others were well into their thirties when I acquired them. We were told Dave was about six or seven years old when we got him in 1998. Over the years I felt he was quite a bit older. When he became seriously ill in August, 2012, the general consensus was that he was well into his thirties. The common thread concerning the death of all three of my rescues was liver damage, probably from ragwort poisoning. We don't have a ragwort problem (maybe the odd rosette, which is quickly dispatched) and none of my horses have ever had liver complaints. My point being that you might be better off acquiring a donkey from a reputable breeder. You could contact (or become a member of) the Donkey Breed Society. I don't mean to put you off rescuing a donk, heaven knows there are so many that need safe, loving homes. There are just so many variables of unknown quantity when taking on a rescue. There are no health guarantees on any animals we acquire, but purchasing from a known quantity helps you hedge your bets, at least a little bit.

Having your Section A ponies, you already know the importance of restricted grazing. Just remember, when it comes to the health of your donkey, the norms for equine health, ie: temperature, blood work, heart rate, are DIFFERENT for donkeys. That is, what might be normal for your ponies is not applicable to your donkey. Having said that, go for it! You sound like the perfect person to make a little donkey very happy, indeed!
 
MurphysMinder said:
Our donkey lives with our Cushings pony , the regime of restricted grazing seems to suit him although as he is now an old man (35 ish) he does have a little time each day out on the longer grass. He has always had access to a shelter as if he gets wet he stays water logged for days, but now he is getting on he feels the cold so also has a wardrobe of rugs.
Rutland H20 love your Poitous. :)
Click to expand...

A donkey with a Cushings pony probably is the closest you could get to having a donkey with a donkey. Basically, they have the same food and shelter requirements.

As much as I miss my standard donks, having the Poitous is such a treat! It's a dream come true, seeing as I wanted to acquire a couple back in 1995, but, because of their rarity (they were a critically endangered breed, with only 44 purebreds as of 1977) France wasn't exporting any at the time. Their studbook with the Haras Nationaux, shows approximately 600+ Livre A (registered purebreds) worldwide now. Livre B (pure Poitou sire crossed with non-Poitou dam) are a bit more widespread. The Poitous I own, and have met, are lovely, gentle, biddable creatures, if not very clumsy and goofy! Thank you for your kind words.
 
My rescue donkey went in with my broodmare when he came. When the foal was born last year, they were in together and are the best of pals. I have yet to find a horse that doesnt like my donk! I have him in with my other 3 and there are 8 liveries in the field next to him and they are all fine. He does have his little rug on and he is stabled at night.
 
Flora, What a wonderful photo! Your donk is such an adorable, patient, little man!! Your foal is so lovely and is going to tower over the donk...talk about nine yards (metres) of leg!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top