Donkeyslave
Active Member
I am really impressed with the experience and knowledge on here and hope that someone can give me some advice.
One of my donkeys is a healthy and cheeky chap who has extremely good feet and seems well balanced and happy. Here's the "but"......... He has the most awful coat. It is extremely dull and has a texture like wire wool! I know that this is a bad time of year as he is rubbing and changing to his summer coat but in the 6 years that I've owned him he has never had a shiny coat in winter or summer. He is gelded and lives with his beloved jenny who always looks like a super model and has a good coat considering that they spend a percentage of the day rolling in their dust and ash pit (I live in Spain and it is always dry and dusty). I feed them the following: Barley straw and stemmy faraje (rough meadow type hay), Care4Life herbal mix balancer , ground and roasted linseed and magnesium oxide light as jenny has EMS but gelding has not. He still gets Magnesium as it has changed my jenny's life and I swear by it for their feet and well being. They are fed to equate to 1.5% of bodyweight and are also turned out into a rough paddock containing grass, weeds and herbs for about 4 hours a day. The rest of their day is spent in a large rock and dust paddock with a large open stable. They are in good condition but not overweight.. I just feel fed up when I see his awful coat. I have lots of olive oil as we all make our own here and I give it to the dogs and cats. My friend suggested cod liver oil but I think it's weird to give a herbivore fish oil! I want to try olive oil but have no idea how much I should give and would welcome advice and suggestions. I have tested for lice and he does not have these or other critters! Oh, and I groom him most days (scratch him really with a tough curry comb).
One of my donkeys is a healthy and cheeky chap who has extremely good feet and seems well balanced and happy. Here's the "but"......... He has the most awful coat. It is extremely dull and has a texture like wire wool! I know that this is a bad time of year as he is rubbing and changing to his summer coat but in the 6 years that I've owned him he has never had a shiny coat in winter or summer. He is gelded and lives with his beloved jenny who always looks like a super model and has a good coat considering that they spend a percentage of the day rolling in their dust and ash pit (I live in Spain and it is always dry and dusty). I feed them the following: Barley straw and stemmy faraje (rough meadow type hay), Care4Life herbal mix balancer , ground and roasted linseed and magnesium oxide light as jenny has EMS but gelding has not. He still gets Magnesium as it has changed my jenny's life and I swear by it for their feet and well being. They are fed to equate to 1.5% of bodyweight and are also turned out into a rough paddock containing grass, weeds and herbs for about 4 hours a day. The rest of their day is spent in a large rock and dust paddock with a large open stable. They are in good condition but not overweight.. I just feel fed up when I see his awful coat. I have lots of olive oil as we all make our own here and I give it to the dogs and cats. My friend suggested cod liver oil but I think it's weird to give a herbivore fish oil! I want to try olive oil but have no idea how much I should give and would welcome advice and suggestions. I have tested for lice and he does not have these or other critters! Oh, and I groom him most days (scratch him really with a tough curry comb).
