Donkey doesn't want sweet feed

This is a good place to ask this.

A few days ago my donkey decided he didn't want to eat all of his feed. Now this is very odd because he usually can't wait to get to it. In fact, he will almost knock me down trying to get to his feed.

Should I be worried?

What should I do?

Was it a one day thing or is it still going on. I do not have donkeys but with all animals they will sometimes go off their food for a day or two and there is noting wrong but if they continue to not eat then you have problems.

It might be his teeth. I'd have them checked.. if he has a sharp point or an impaction, he can't eat.
Good luck.. I hope it's nothing.

You may also ask on the Equine forum

This has been two days only. He doesn't look or act sick. He just doesn't care to eat his grain now for some reason.

It is not the feed, because it was from two different bags.

Maybe he is preferring to eat his grass hay. ??

I've never had a donkey before and in the year I've had him, he's never refused his grain.

Thanks for your help.

The equine forum will proble have people who know more. Hope they can help you

Check for mold in the feed....

Aside from your concern regarding the change of appetite...Donkeys do not require grain and if you give it to them it should be no more than a handful a day, like a treat.
Donkeys and Mules convert food much better than horses and
if given a diet too rich they can founder easily or have other problems.
If I were you I would do an online search on caring for Donkeys.

I did a lot of online reading when I first bought him. I talked to the men at both feed stores, and at Gebo's. The man that sold him to me and another man in this area that has raised donkeys. They all said to give him half a gallon of sweet feed or horse and mule every day.

After he was gelded he was doing very poorly so I wormed him and upped his feed a bit. He started looking and acting like he felt a lot better.

Maybe I'll just give him hay for awhile and see how that goes. I did read that they could survive on hay alone.

Thanks for the input Rose. That's what I wanted to know, I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something that might hurt him.

What is he...a mini, standard or mammoth?
Oh dear... a half gallon of sweet feed?!?
I would cut him back to a quart especially if you feed good quality hay.
I've even heard too much alfalfa hay is bad for them.
Is he on pasture?
Does he have a mineral salt lick and plenty of fresh water daily?
Is he acting okay now?

LFJ,
I've raised and trained mammoth and standard donkeys for 13 years and unless you're working that donkey hard, he doesn't need any grain at all. Clean grass hay (it doesn't need to be fine, coarse late-season cutting will do) or 3rd cutting alfalfa is all a donkey needs. They are much more efficient in their feed conversion, as Cottage Rose said.

The biggest threat to a donkey in the US is obesity. Obese donkeys can suffer from lipidosis, a potentially fatal disease due to fatty livers. In order to get my standard to loose weight, I ended up having to feed him oat straw for bulk and only 8 pounds of balanced alfalfa/grass pellets a day. It took a year to get him down to a healthy weight.

Donkeys are known to avoid foods that are too rich for them. Now that your donkey is looking better, I'm guessing that he's avoiding rich foods so he doesn't founder. Trust him, not the feed store.

I've also had my mammoth's skip a meal or two when a new molar was growing in.

For our WORKING donkeys, we now use a low carb pelleted feed to boost their nutrition, rather than grain. But they have to work up a sweat to earn a quart! Like the old timers told me... grain after the work, not before.

I've fed 3rd cutting alfalfa with no problems, but the early fine cuttings tend to make them fat. I've fed clean striped hay with no problems. I've fed sudan/sudex and they love it, and maintain weight and condition well on it. I've fed weedy meadow mix with good results.... but you've got to know your weeds.

In any case, get rid of the grain, your long ear doesn't need it. Remember, these are animals that evolved in deserts, get fat in Death Valley, and survive in barren third world countries. They are tough little suckers!

And horrible beggars... one of my donkeys eats hot dogs, one begs for beer, another will eat your shirt tail. Only one is a picky gourmet... she actually smells what's in your hand before eating it. =)

Well there ya go...some very good advise from someone in the know.
I miss my donkeys. :(
I had 2 BLM standards and enjoyed them immensely but had to sell due to health probs/surgery.

Ah Rose, that's a bummer.

I don't mess with my donkeys as much as I'd like, but I sure love hearing their braying at mealtimes. And their personalities can't be beat. I've got ornery, sweet, and a couple in between.

Did your donkeys come from Death Valley?

Jay

I bought them from somebody who got them from the BLM and I don't recall where they came from.
They were black and had VERY pretty heads.
Really fine looking for wild burros.
I too really enjoyed their personalities and I found them much more personable and intelligent than horses.

Well thanks Jay, and everyone for your good advice. Looks like I was led astray on the feed.

This paint donkey of mine was very thin when I bought him, so I was trying to take extra good care of him. The halter that fits him is for a yearling colt, if that gives you an indication of his size. He's not a miniature.

His name is Sir Lawrence and he loves to tease. He will move his head real fast like he's going to bite me, but he never does. I can see him laughing to himself.

He is very very smart. Smarter than any horse or cow or bull I've ever known. The democratic party are donkeys for a reason. Back in the days when 80% of the people in America lived on farms, their donkeys were very valued. Today people seem to scoff and make fun of donkeys, but I have found him to be a very loving kind creature, with an excellent sense of humor.

I'm really happy to have him. He makes my day.

Sir Lawrence and I thank you for your help.

LFJ...
Hey, that's an AMERICAN SPOTTED ASS you've got there! Really, no joke. My first donkey was a spotted ass, and I taught him how to pull a cart. Google American Spotted Ass, I think you can even register him. =) Also, check out American Donkey and Mule Society.

It sounds like he's a standard size.

You've got it, they are way smarter than any other animal I have worked with. They'll not only open gates, they'll close them after walking through. Oh, get together with some donkey folks and you will hear stories....

That little head jerk is a stud move, it's a sort of test. It's a subtle dominance thing. I just give my jack a jerk on the lead line to say, Nah, I'm the boss. My jack is 14 hands tall (a hand is 4", in case you don't know). I think it's just his way of seeing if I'm paying attention and am on the ball on any given day.

Another little dominance thing donkeys do is rest their head on your shoulder... be careful with that. Sometimes it is just affection, but if they start to push down, that's a dominance play. A jenny will discipline her baby by forcing it to its knees by pushing down with her head. One jack will dominate another by trying to get its head over the other one's neck and forcing its head down. I do the same with my gang when they get uppity, get them to put their head down while I stand over them.

A lot of people I know think the head on the shoulder is very cute, but then they wonder why they have so much trouble with their donk. I just don't even go there with my gang, they can't put their heads on my shoulder, as much as I might like it sometimes. Instead, they are trained to put their heads down and I run my scratching fingers all up and down their manes.

Enjoy Sir Lawrence! He sounds like a great fellow, and so do you! Not many men truly appreciate a donkey's considerable intelligence. I think you'll find him much easier to train than anything you've ever worked with. I sure did.

Blessings,
Jay

WOW, you are absolutely right !!!

The second page I pulled up was this one, http://www.spottedass.com/Photos/photos.htm That third picture on the left is almost identical to my Lawrence, it could honestly be him, even to the beige color around his eyes. I am astounded :)

Sir Lawrence was sold at auction in Nacogdoches, Texas and brought up here to the panhandle. He's three years old now, and that was really all I knew.

I had no idea what he was. I'm so please. :D TYSVM

That donkey in that third pictures lives in Omaha, Texas, at the Diamond B Ranch, which is also in east Texas. I would not be surprised to know that that donkey and my donkey are related.

Just for the record...
Pringles Select Szechuan Barbeque chips are a big hit with the donkeys. Our 'gourmet' donkey barely sniffed before inhaling and tried to steal the bag.

And here's what a donkey will do... walk away from a feeder full of nice grass hay to eat old dead corn stalks, then leave those to eat the bark slabs thrown in. Then make a tour of the whole smorgasbord-- a bite of hay, a bite of corn stalk, a bite of bark. LOL

And that reminded me to tell you LFJ, that donkeys eat wood. It's normal, if annoying. Not like horses where it's neurotic. I've had my donks walk past a lovely bunch of indian rice grass to munch on dead sage brush.

So I routinely throw tree limbs and old boards in for them to gnaw on. They adore wafer board; though I doubt it's very good for them, I've never had any problems with it. But for sure try not to build anything a donkey can get to out of wafer board... they'll eat it in a week (how do you think I found out? >groan

The glue in wafer board can also cause them to colic. It's even worse for a horse. We boarded 2 donks for a friend so our farrier could get their feet into shape. She had rescued them when they were skin and bones and she was killing them with kindness thinking she was helping them. She was feeding them each 2 3# coffee cans of sweet feed a day plus hay twice a day. They were both foundered very badly but my farrier is also a smith and he works wonders with such cases. They both had to be sedated to be worked on because of their sheer strength but they did well and when they left our barn 2 months ago they were both sound and happy. They were both galloping around the lot and bucking and jumping. They could barely stand when they came to us. It brought tears of joy to my eyes to see them doing so well.

Those are just the cutest ass's i have ever seen!LOL

I had no idea there were different kinds i have always wanted one but we don't have room for a donkey here are they the same donkey and ass's?

In my experience, a donkey is the same as a jax ass, as my DGS used to say.

Yes, a donkey and an ass and a burro are all the same, just different nationalities. LOL

One of the best parts about owning donkeys is all the ass jokes you get to make... Like 'I'm too busy scratching my ass to take your call, so leave a message.' We use that one on our answering machine and oddly enough, not many strangers bother us. LOL

I'm not surprised to hear you got a colic from the wafer board. I've always told the gang it wasn't good for them. I'm not sure they hear me over the crunching. LOL

That is a very nice pair of donkeys. I'm so glad you were able to get their feet healed up!

What I like the best about donks is they will buddy up with you from the get go. I've raised horses and donks, and the first time a newborn donk walked up to me, still wet, and stood to be scratched, it just blew me away. I mean, he had just stood up and his first steps were to come over to see who I was! Even with our best mares, the foals never took to us like that.

But then you look at how a donkey came into human company and it makes sense. A working donkey in most countries is the prized possession, the most important thing some of the poorest of the peasants own. He is around people day in and day out, and must accept the same squalid and extreme, noisy, crowded conditions that his humans do. Over thousands of years, he has been as important to the peasant as the dog, and so he has been chosen for his companionable disposition.

The horse, on the other hand, was early utilized for war, so spirit and speed were valued, which suits the horse's disposition better.

Lunchtime...
Jay

try giving him an all natural creep feed like used for cattle. it will give him plenty of protien . i think when they get too much sweet feed they cant sweat it off fast enough and yeah they can founder. we give ours a blend of creep and 2-3 times a week a quart of sweet feed at best. we have rice bran pellets from oneals feed in louisiana that are a good treat too for donkeys just not too much because it is very rich. a trace mineral salt block for your donkey wouldnt hurt either

Thanks Dave and Jay, I'll look into the creep feed. I was just looking at a site that had a lady with miniature donkeys. She mentioned she fed them creep feed.

Right now he is on grass hay and water and seems to be in a good humor. He does need to have his feet trimmed again. I'll try to get that taken care of asap.

Maybe you could advise me in the direction of a good book on donkeys.

Karen

Karen,
I'd recommend you get in touch with the American Donkey and Mule Society for info. There's a few books, but the ones I've read haven't been all that great, certainly not worth the money.

If your donk is doing well on grass and water, with a mineral block, why would you want to spend more money on creep feeds and grain? Now that he's being wormed, he'll probably start to get fat lumps soon enough, and you'll be hard put to keep him trim. Save the money for cart and harness, so you'll be able to work him and keep him fit.

Donkeys don't put on weight like a horse, smooth fat layer all over, they put it on in lumps called 'pons'. The best looking donkeys I've seen come off the desert, not pasture. The desert donks are sleek, trim, and fit. I think we're best off staying simple with these guys, a lot fewer health and orthopedic problems.

IMHO.
Jay

I have a question about your donkey ( I could not bring myself to say ass.)
If you have donkeys and chickens in the same pasture. Will the donkeys stomp the chickens like they do foxes and coyotes?

Which brings me to another question. Where in the world can I find a cart and harness?

Also, once I get his feet trimmed and I know he is healthy, can I ride him? I'm not a small woman, I am 5'10" and weigh probably 165 lbs. I have been on his back a few times, but just for a few seconds.

So my first question is, am I too big to ride him. My second question would be do they make saddles for donkeys? bridles? Do I get one with a bit?

Cart and harness would be fine too.

I looked for a book online, and like you said, people didn't give them great reviews, so I never bought one.

I have land on the Texas Oklahoma border that came down to me through my family. It's pretty rugged terrain, no roads, mostly sandy with small hills. Do you think it's possible I could get a cart and let him pull me around there? I would love that. I've been wanting to take him there, but I blew the head gasket on my van trying to haul water to it. Haven't fixed that yet.

Oh well, life goes on. Thanks for your help. The donkey thanks you too.

Light, I figured you would know the answer to my question since you are the donkey owner lady.

Innbetween, I made the mistake of leaving the chicken pen I was working on where the donkey could get to it. He tore it up, and it didn't even have chickens in it yet. It wasn't too difficult to fix, but yes, it is an issue. I don't know if he kills chickens, but he did charge one of the roosters. Ran at it with his head down. lol

I really didn't think he would tear up my chicken tractor, but he did. So I will have to fence off an area just for them.

On the plus side, he is probably good at keeping out other animals from around their pen.

This donkey is really a blast.

I don't know why he charged the rooster, but it could have been because he was afraid of it. He didn't make contact of course. Good thing the roosters are fast runners.

One funny thing I've noticed about him is how he is easily "startled" just like a human would be. If I am in the lot and he doesn't know it, and he turns around and sees me, he gets this really scared look on his face and he jumps. Then he looks as if to say "Oh, whew, it's only you". It even seems like he is embarrassed and feels silly for jumping. Just like you and I would do if we were in a room by ourselves, or so we thought, and we turned and someone is standing there. It's a very human reaction. I try not to laugh at him, or startle him, but when it happens, I can't help but smile. Then I say "Lawrence it's only me", and then he comes over to me like "Aww shucks, I wasn't really scared, I was only pretending to be scared".

I've never seen another animal do that in that way. I've also never seen an animal purposely tease and aggravate me just to see me scold him. He's laughing to himself, he honestly is. I can see it on his face. It's in his eyes. He's kind of like a child, a little boy that loves to tease and aggravate just to see you get frustrated. Then he giggles and you fuss at him and then you hug. It's his way of having some fun.

I read that the gold prospectors loved their donkeys because they had such sweet dispositions, were intelligent and could climb .They were alone for long stretches of time, and the donkey was a good companion. Remember Festus, in "Gunsmoke", had a donkey he always talked to. I'm beginning to understand that. This donkey is a good friend.

There is definitely something going on behind those big brown eyes. He always acts like he's got a delightful secret and he won't share it.

Please keep me and Sir Lawrence in your prayers. I have so many things I need to do, and sometimes feel overwhelmed. One of them is cleaning and fixing up the lot where he is.

Thanks again for all your good advice.

Here is a site for carts www.gscart.com

I have a dog (belgian tervuren) that is just like that. Laughs at me all the time.

Festus actually had a mule named Ruth. A mule is the product of a cross bewtween a male jackass and a mare, or female, horse. And to beat all, Ruth was a gelding. (an altered male) I think Festus had a sense of humor. LOL

I had my donkeys corral around my chicken run to keep dogs out; I'd lost several chickens to neighborhood dogs before that. Never lost a one after that. I let the chickens free range during the day and the donkeys would play 'chicken bowling', stalking and charging through the chickens, but they never managed to tag one in 5 years, so I wouldn't worry about it. And the chickens do a nice job of rototilling the manure for fly eggs.

A donkey will tear apart anything they can get to, especially if it's made of wood. Never park your truck where they can get to it, they will pry off any loose piece. It's just pure curiosity... well, and watching our reactions, as you've discovered. LOL Donkeys have a great sense of humor. Especially in public! It won't matter how well trained your donkey is at home, they won't be if you're in front of a crowd. Hope you have a good sense of humor!

Karen, there's lots of places to get good used pony carts. Watch the classifieds, and there are horse equipment auctions that have really good selections (there's a good one near Denver next spring). (I think we've determined your donkey is a standard, which is roughly pony sized). Used pony harness will usually work, too, but I'd get a leather one, not nylon or biothane as it's hard to punch good holes in synthetics. Donkeys aren't proportioned the same as ponies or horses, so adjustments will need to be made. And you may need to order a custom-made headstall.

There's lots to know about carts before you buy one... balance, height. Donkeys do very well to cart, if it fits them. I think better than riding, in many cases.

When you sit on your donkey, how far off the ground are your feet?

As for bits, I use a curved bar or low port, such as a kimberwick or uxeter. A little leverage, such as these bits provide, can be useful. But if a donkey ignores that, then a lot of leverage will just make things worse. Don't be tempted by long shanks and a lot of leverage. Donkeys will usually stop when asked (whoa is not the problem, go is!), and when they don't it's usually because they're frightened. Hurting their mouth just adds to the fear. I don't use snaffles, because my donkeys automatically open their mouth and try to avoid its action; I don't think they like the broken mouthpiece. They'll carry a solid piece much more comfortably and willingly. I know other folks who swear by snaffles, so there you go. =)

Your donkey can help you clean up that property... in fact, it's a good way to train him for cart! There's something called a stone boat that you can build out of lumber and pipe that he can pull. You can load it up with junk, wood, rocks, etc, and he can pull it to where it needs to go. You can lead or drive him (start with leading). Drop me an email if you want to know more about training and building and harness.

Lynn Miller has a couple of excellent books about training working horses and teamsters that I'd recommend. Much of it isn't applicable, but the plans for the stone boat are there, and how to properly fit harness and hitch a load.

I've got a half-sister in Pampa, I think. You're up in the panhandle of TX, right?
Jay

Looking in the most recent issue of Rural Heritage, I see a couple of auctions that might be of interest. They're a ways, but you didn't have any vacation plans, now did you? LOL

First, the one near Denver was Oct. 5-6, so it's already past. They'll have another in spring, and I hear this is a good one, lots of carts, buggies, wagons, and gear. Check out www.troyerauctions.com I'm hoping to get to the spring one next year.

Oct. 31-Nov. 1 there's the OK 'Select' Draft Horse and Mule sale in Stillwater, OK. The ad says tack, harness, wagons and buggies will be sold on Friday. Who needs to go to work, anyway? LOL My advice.... don't take your checkbook to this one, just go and watch and meet some folks and learn. Find out how to tell good leather from bad, etc. Check out www.nicholsauctionservice.com

Another one I've heard good things about is the AZ Draft Horse & Equipment Auction, in Cottonwood, AZ. I've got friends that have picked up cultivators, carts and harness for their donkeys there. Check out www.grumpydavesauctionservice.com

I've had several friends that have the easy entry carts and they are pretty pleased with them, especially as a first cart. There's plenty of them out there, so it shouldn't be too hard to come up with one used of the correct size for your fellow.

Amarillo's big enough it might have a driving club or a couple of folks who train driving animals that could help you with locating equipment, fitting harness, and other things that may come up. Just remember, donkeys are not horses, so not all advice applies!

I'd recommend a breast-collar style harness to start, easy to come by. Whatever you hitch to (stone boat or cart), make sure it has a single tree (swingletree) to move with the donkey's shoulders. If what the traces (tugs) attach to doesn't move, the donkey will not be as willing to pull, because it will be rubbing and hitting his shoulder. A single tree moves with the donkeys' movement as they step forward.

Boy, I wish I could show you all this. It's hard to explain in type!

Rural Heritage mag is a good resource, as is the Small Farmer's Journal. If you're interested in fancy (show) driving, Driver's Digest used to be excellent. I don't know if it's still around. There are several good driving books, too. I just learned through old timers and trial and error, besides the mags. The Brayer (official publication of the ADMS) has lots of ads and some good articles particularly for donkeys, though mostly miniatures.

Welcome to the world of chasing your ass around...
Jay =o)

This message was edited Oct 26, 2008 8:38 PM

This message was edited Oct 27, 2008 11:25 AM

Wow, Light, I think you have convinced me not to get a donkey. and Jay, the chicken bowling is too funny. I think I have enough on my plate for now and with the price of feed, I dont' think I need to take on any more mouths to feed.

I understand that InnBetween, the thought of getting new chickens scares me. lol When I take an animal, it's for life as far as I'm concerned. I take the responsibility very seriously.

If, or should I say when, I get my van fixed, which is first on my list after the chicken coops are finished, I can buy one of those big bales of hay for $45. That should last him a long time.

Right now, the grass hay here cost $7 for a small bale. I took him one on friday and he has easily eaten half of it in 3 days. I guess that shows he has a good appetite. He doesn't seem sick, and I'm so grateful for that, after learning what I might have done to him by overfeeding, or feeding him the wrong things.

I think a donkey needs some kind of shelter too. His needs some reinforcing.

Thanks Jay for the links. When my ship comes in, I will go! It looks like SO MUCH FUN. I loved those old water barrels and antiques. I was thinking "wouldn't it be great to get one of those old plows and let the donkey pull it" just like in "Little House on the Prairie". I could grow my own food. :)

Until next time... same time... same station.

Yep, donks can be cheap to keep, just basic hay and hoof trimming. But boy, those prices do keep going up.

We're going to try plowing with our donkeys, but we're not sure it's going to work. There's something about the speed of the animal, the type of dirt you're plowing, and how well it comes off the plowshare. Physics, in other words. Not my best subject. LOL

But a donkey can pull things like harrows, stone boats, and garden cultivators, so your little house on the prairie dream isn't as far off as you think. A lot of stuff can be picked up cheap if you watch and wait and finagle. While you're waiting to gather enough funds, find out how to tell good stuff from lawn ornament... and that's why I go to those auctions even when I'm broke (especially when I'm broke), to practice and meet folks who can educate my sorry little self. I have learned so much from old timers, men and women both.

I'll keep you posted about our donkey adventures in farming, when we get to them. Right now, I haven't been outside for almost a week, just trying to get caught up with putting all the food up from stripping the garden. Canned another 5 Qts. of tomato juice today, 7 1/2 pints of salsa yesterday, drying 20# of apples, too. And the weather has been nice, wouldn't you know. =0(

A donkey does appreciate a shelter, but down around here it's not strictly necessary. Shade is probably most appreciated. And that's another area where folks just get too carried away... I've worked in high-dollar horse stables--insulated, heated, and decorated--and I really do think those animals are no where near as healthy as those out in the pasture. Just a nice simple run-in shed works for nearly every kind of animal, so they can get out of wind and wet.

Probably more important to build a shelter for that big bale of hay! Keep it up off the ground and dry. Make it drive through for ease of unloading. =)

Do you get high winds where you are? We sure do, and nothing has scared me quite so bad as to see sheet metal flying out by my donks. We got 70 mph winds one spring and things were just screwed together, not welded or strapped down. The 12' x 24' metal roof flew 50' and the rest of the stalls just fell down like a house of cards. From this I learned... put the back of the shed to the prevailing wind and cinch the roof down TIGHT! Fortunately the donks had fled to a far corner of the large corral they're in, so were unharmed. And being donkeys, as soon as the stalls came down, they got out and ran around like wild things, kicking up their heels and taking bites, BIG bites, out of my pretty garden fence. Four acres of grass, weeds, and shrubs and they have to eat the stained picket fence. And laughing at me!

Ah, the joys of donkeys. LOL
Jay