Donkeys eat grass, hay, and grain. Donkeys are suited to grasses not rich in protein. As they are a desert animal, they can gain weight quickly. An overfed donkey will develop a fat pad on the neck and once it’s there, it tends to stay. Only on rare occasions, treats such as an animal cracker, ginger snap, graham cracker or other low-fat cookie can be given. At Red Barn Farm, we prefer to give a nutritious apple as a treat to our donkeys. Treats are best kept to a minimum as a donkey will come to expect a treat and can become quite demanding. Our herd of Jennys love treats and affection, they get excited when they see people and they can be heard braying throughout the entire barnyard.
Typically, a donkey can live to be around 40 years old. Their life span normally falls between 30 to 50 years.
After breeding, a jennet will give birth in 11 months, but a pregnancy can last up to 14 months. Although donkeys generally do not produce twins, it can happen and occurs more frequently in donkeys than in horses.
Farmers use donkeys for work, companionship, guarding sheep or goats, milk, and halter breaking young horses. Donkeys are commonly used in recreational riding and pulling of carts/wagons. As a pack animal, they can carry equipment on its back and walk alongside the farmer. This practice is convenient as a donkey’s walking pace is the same as a human’s.
Donkeys make excellent companion animals for young foals, especially at weaning time. The donkey’s calming influence reduces stress in the young animal during separation from its mother. Additionally, a donkey will readily approach humans and encourage the foal to develop a friendly attitude toward humans. The tranquil disposition also works to steady nervous horses kept in a stable and relaxes those recovering from an injury or surgery.
Once a donkey has been introduced to a sheep or goat and bonded with that animal, it makes for a superb guard while in the pasture. Donkeys are alert, intelligent and cautious animals and will defend its pasture mates from coyotes, and foxes as it would one of its own. A benefit to having a donkey rather than a working dog, is that donkeys eat the same food as its grazing companions.
Donkey’s milk may be considered a valid alternative, for infant nutrition, to powdered milks, soybean milk or other formulas, since its composition in lipids and proteins is very close to human milk.
Red Barn Farm is home to several miniature donkeys. Most of our donkeys stand about 90 cm (9 hands) at the shoulders compared to a mammoth donkey which is over 142 cm (14 hands) tall.
Did you know? When a female horse and a male donkey mate, the resulting offspring is called a ‘mule’. When a male horse and a female donkey mate, the offspring is called a ‘hinny’
