Mini Donkey and a Nervous New Mom at Dinnertime

[tiffanyh]

Hi all....my first post here. Im a regular at BYC but came across this lately and being new to my donkey, I appreciate the wealth of knowledge you all have to share.

My question is I have a 9yr old mini gelding donkey. He was a bit "worn" when he came to me. He has been wormed, trimmed and groomed. Now I am completely confused on how much he should eat!!

I want to be careful as I "like to feed" so I dont want to overfeed him especially since his feet are in pretty poor condition. He yells to me and I think "oh, he must be hungry" and then I want to feed him! I know--he is training me!

SO, one flake of hay twice a day? One half? BTW, he does not have access to pasture, he is in a large paddock area so he eats grass hay and steals a bit of grain each day.

 

[HeatherM]

Oh, my mini donkeys bray just because they know you are there and have the capacity to feed them more. Depending on the quality of your hay, I would say a slice of good hay twice a day would be plenty. Maybe even a little less than that.

 

[tiffanyh]

Thanks for replying Heather. I am feeding that now (he is with 5 mini goats so I do 2 flakes total for them all). I was thinking of doing abit less and seeing how he does......it is a good quality grass hay.

....lots of mixed messages out there in this regards. I've read from 1/4 flake to 1/2 flake to a full flake. He does have a fat roll on his neck, so I was thinking of back off a bit.

So how will I know if he is really hungry or just yelling at me? Better off looking at his build rather than listening to him?

 

[ducks4you]

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I BELIEVE that donkeys are supposed to eat very low protein, so NO alfalfa hay.

 

[fadetopurple]

Definitely feed him based on his condition, not his behavior.

 

[Bunnylady]

He does have a fat roll on his neck, so I was thinking of back off a bit.

I am far from an expert on mini donkeys (the closest I have is a mini mule) but the people that I know who have them tell me that once that cresty neck happens, you are pretty much stuck with it. You can starve him down to the point that he gets "ribby," and he'll still have a ridge of fat on his neck (and probably fat pads on his backside, too.) You don't want to let it get any worse, of course; excess fat isn't good for any animal, and those crests can break over, which really looks dreadful!

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I BELIEVE that donkeys are supposed to eat very low protein, so NO alfalfa hay.

This is what I've been told, too. Donkeys have very efficient digestive systems; they can get fat on next to nothing.

I'd think that 2 flakes, between him and the goats, should be about right. Goats can eat much faster than he can; with 5 of them, he may be getting less than you think. Maybe you could feed him more times per day, but less at each feeding? Although that might just reinforce his notion that "there she is, it's time to eat!"

 

[HeatherM]

Just keep an eye on his condition. They need very low protein, so stick to good quality grass hay. If he has a roll on his neck, definately feed less (and no, you can't get rid of 'em, once you get a fat roll, it's there for good!).

 

[ducks4you]

Bunnylady wrote:
Maybe you could feed him more times per day, but less at each feeding? Although that might just reinforce his notion that "there she is, it's time to eat!

IMHO, I'd rather have my (horses) equine-types running to me to get fed, instead of turning their backsides towards me because they don't NEED me for anything.

 

[Henrietta23]

HI Tiffany.
I don't have any advice since my "herd" still consists of chickens
and ducks. I just wanted to welcome you. We've crossed paths (and possibly met?) on BYC. I'm in CT too.

 

[tiffanyh]

Thanks everyone!
I did know about alfalfa hay and I know the fat roll is here to stay!

Ive only had him 8 weeks or so now. I am going down to 1.5 flakes morning and night and seeing how that goes. He definitely has not LOST any weight since being here, and I think he is a bit on the heavier side so I think Ill back off a bit for a month or two and see how he does.....

Thanks again!
Oh henrietta, same tiffanyh from BYC--we've met!