i have a rescue donkey and want some advice on feeding etc

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stephaniekate

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hi all.
i have got a donkey that we hav e called eugene , he was rescued along with twenty other jack donkeys...all in a bad way..two were dead and one was alive but so badley mutilated by magpies he was put to sleep at the site.....anyway, eugene now has a happy home here with me and all my animals...his main friend is my miniature shetty mare and they absolutely love each other..
so i have a few questions for anyone that knows about donkeys as i have never had one before, although i have had horses for years i know they are different.
firstly, he was extremely thin and wormy when i got him, he has now had all his worm doses and i have been feeding him like the pony..ie, ad lib hay and two small feeds a day of coolmix, but have been told my severel folk that donkeys do better on straw.....i have read all the donkey books and looked on google...as ya do!!!..but i only found a couple of articles that back this up???.
also i have read that donkeys need other donkey company..although he seems happy as larry out with my wee mare and another aged mare pony(who largly ignores him)..they get to go out every day around the lawn and he is always first to the back door for hugs and a carrott...they stay in a well sheltered fielsd at night..
if anyone has any info on donkeys i should know about....please let me know, i want to make sure he has a good life..

(he is going to have a ll the usual horsey treatments....dentist, vaccines, worming etc)

thanks
steph
 
Bless him, I love donkeys :D :D

Well done for giving him a good home. Why not contact one of the donkey santuaries for advice on keeping him.

The only thing I remember that was different about donkeys to horses from our old yard is that they are not waterproof. Apparently they need a shelter as they dont do very well if its wet. Not sure if you have to rug them as well.

Good luck with him.
 
Can we see a photo of him steph, donkeys are great. You Could always email one of the donkey rescues and ask for advice as they would be used to helping donkeys like your chap
 
Aren't donkeys great!:D

Re feeding, donkeys do best on barley straw- they don't need higher calorific hay, they survive and thrive on very little! In the winter my two have it ad lib aswell as a small scoop of donkey mollichaff. A mineral lick needs to be provided too. The Donkey Sanctuary are very helpful if you need advice. Good luck with your boy:D
 
amymay said:
Why not contact the Donkey Sanctuary for some expert advice?

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/
Click to expand...

Echo Amymay. The Donkey Sanctuary will be able to offer any advice that you need. They also have regional welfare officers who will be able to help you. Donkeys do need access to shelter at all times as they are not waterproof and they also need hard standing to allow their feet to dry out. I work for EST, part of the Donkey Sanctuary providing donkey riding therapy to children with special needs. Our donkeys are all fed good quality barley straw, and only the older ones that perhaps have a few less teeth are given additional feed! Donkeys do need company and he sounds as if he is very happy with your pony. Best of luck with your new boy, he sounds as if he has landed on his feet finding you.
 
Hi Stephanie and well done for rescuing the little chap. I also keep four donkeys, 3 of them are rescues that I wouldnt be at all surprised if 2 of them were rescued from the same place as yours but 2 years ago now!

If your hay is typical low quality Cavan hay (as mine is:o) then this will be just great for your donkey as it is usually quite coarse and doesnt have a huge feed value. Whatever you do dont let any of the numptys we suffer from in this area try to talk you into feeding silage. It is NOT a good feed for either donkeys or horses and carrys a high risk of colic in donkeys, particularly if they are already at risk from a poor background and worming programme.

I do not feed mine any coarse mix at all - but they do have constant access to a vitamin and mineral lick and their hay is ad lib. One of ours in particular was very low in copper and we did need to dose him with half a tube once a week for 3 weeks when he first arrived.

The grass will be coming through now, and although it is tempting to just shove them out on some decent Dr. Green do be cautious. If you have any land that isnt too lush and has rough grazing on it this would be more suitable for him.

One of my donkeys was the companion of my elderly horse for 10 years, he never had a donkey companion until my old horse was PTS - but they do bond very, very much with their pals and must have some company even if it isnt another donkey.

Sorry - I have rather rambled on here!:o But rescues of all sort are my passion, but in particular donkeys as they are so badly treated over here.:(
 
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