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Donkey nutrition

It sure could be allergies to the spring pollen in your area, especially if the donkeys came from another area of the country. Could be their immune system is tanked/stressed from being at the rescue and then transported.

When your vet visits they might prescribe a round of steriods to calm things down internally with the donkeys. There are many treatment options depending on what the exact issue is- bacterial, fungal, environmental and so on.

Keep up the great work!

I just got this in my email. Itā€™s an excellent article about the whyā€™s and wherefores when feeding donkeys and mules.

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Small update on the donkeys. Itā€™s been about two weeks that Iā€™ve had the donkeys. Jefferson has allowed me to halter him, and even though it appears heā€™s never been lead properly or tied, he allowed me to tie him long enough to bathe him. Iā€™ve since done one session of just haltering and working on a little pressure and release since he seems to tolerate being fussed over. Iā€™m going to do more this weekend but itā€™s raining today so I guess Iā€™ll have to wait.

I havenā€™t rushed out to get a separate pen set up, mostly because Iā€™ve noticed some positive changes for both my donkeys. Jefferson who is still pretty skinny in the hips has been on 1.5 cups safechoice senior twice a day. Iā€™m going to start tapering down his evening meal in the next few weeks, heā€™s already got much better coverage over his ribs so I think heā€™s on the right trajectory. Charlie, my chunky paint donkey is getting 1/2 cup pity feed twice a day. They also get 2 flakes coastal Bermuda hay once or twice a day depending on how they finish up the last batch. Iā€™ve noticed Charlieā€™s neck improving, it was thick all the way down when he got here, now the top 5 inches is considerably thinner.

This could be because he has an acre pasture to roam and I see them doing laps pretty frequently (instead of standing in one place eating hay like at the rescue). They also gave them grain I believe, and I think he was one of the ones adept at moving other donkeys out of the way to eat more than he needed. I also did some research on the pasture grass, and my pasture is mostly Bahia grass, which apparently is (generally) lower in sugar and protein than other grasses. Eventually I do want to have a dry lot somewhere on the property but I think Iā€™m safe just watching how they go for now. They love cuddles, and scratches and Charlie will let me pick up his feet so I think weā€™re off to a good start.

Hereā€™s Jefferson after his bath, asking me where Iā€™m going and why Iā€™m not giving him more scritches.

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What kind of pasture is that? With green grass, you must be in the South, which means the grass might be a coastal or bermuda type, which is fine for donkeys, especially if your soil is sandy. If you do winter rye, that is too rich for them. When we lived in Florida, our donkeys had no trouble being on pasture.

Flies are horrible for donkeys. Theyā€™ll be good once you get the masks and fly boots. We sprayed them twice a day during fly season. We use the natural products, though. Itā€™ll probably last longer with the rain resistant, regular sprays. Fly parasites also made a big difference. Iā€™ve had great luck with Shoofly boots here, and the fit is much easier since they arenā€™t a snug fit, but I donā€™t know if they work in the South.

I didnā€™t see it mentionedā€¦.are they gelded?

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Itā€™s a warm season grass, similar to Bermuda. No rye here, just Bahia and native grasses. Luckily weā€™re having a cold snap (for us anyway ~45 degrees) so the flies have disappeared again. But theyā€™ve been taking the fly spray well when we need it. Jefferson letā€™s me do whatever but I can usually get one side of Charlie before he runs away, then I just do the other side the next day :smile:

Edit: And they are gelded.

Disturbing their breakfast for photos

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They look happy. Well done.

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Just a small donkey update.

The boys are doing well, Jefferson has filled out quite a bit, and Charlie does not seem to be packing on the pounds. They had their first vet visit and they behaved like angels, taking their shots like champs. Charlie tried to eat the worming tube, he did not want to let go. So the next adventure is the farrier. I can pick up the front feet on both donkeys, and Iā€™ve watched a few videos about the back feet, but still working up some courage to bite the bullet and test it out.

Hereā€™s the boys enjoying their evening meal:

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They look great!

My tip for picking up back feet is just stay right up against their hip- then their leg canā€™t really get any momentum up to hurt you. If you leave any space, they can nail you in any position or situation.

Most really are fine. My jack was a big kicker but if you stayed right up against his body and committed to it, he was fine.

My Jenny has never offered to kick in her 11 years.

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This is the advice Iā€™m seeing most frequently, I may still get some steel toe boots just in case. Neither has offered to kick at me, even Charlie who is real sensitive to my human antics. I swatted a fly off myself once and he tripped trying to run away from me.

Theyā€™ve also been play fighting:

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I have good luck training donkeys to pick up their back feet using a very soft rope and lots of patience. Itā€™s much safer than putting your head near their back legs. They are fast and agile. The rope gives you a chance to teach them to give into pressure. Just go at their pace. Theyā€™re different from horses. Donā€™t drill them. Once they do the smallest step right, reward, and stop. Donā€™t make them do it again in that session or youā€™re likely to meet resistance.

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Not gaining weight is worrisome. Where did they come from? Have they had their teeth checked and a fecal sample?

Not losing weight in a bad way, Charlie was already pretty round when I got him. His neck was a bit thicker when I got him and itā€™s slimmed up a little and his butt is not as round. Iā€™m just monitoring to see if he levels out or keeps losing weight. Itā€™s been slow, nothing drastic but I can bump up his daily rations if it seems heā€™s going too far the other way. They also just got wormed two weeks ago when the vet came.

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