GENERAL INFORMATION SHEET - For Owning / Breeding Miniature Donkeys
WHAT IS THE DISPOSITION OF A MINIATURE DONKEY:
- - Nicer than horses
- - Very friendly
CAN I HAVE JUST ONE DONKEY:
- - To begin with, you need to appreciate that donkeys are herd animals, so you need to have at least two.
- - We will not sell single animals unless you can prove you have another for it to join.
WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF A MINIATURE DONKEY:
- - Your donkeys will live 25-30 years, but can live up to 50 years.
HOW MUCH ROOM WILL MY MINIATURE DONKEY NEED:
- - 1 acre per Donkey.
WHAT ARE THE SIZES OF DONKEYS:
- - Miniatures Donkeys are 36inches (91cm) or lower. Average is 24-30inches (76-86cm).
- - Standard Donkeys are in between miniatures and mammoths at 36-56” (91-142cm).
- - Mammoth Donkeys are 56” and above.
WHAT DO THESE DONKEY TERMS MEAN:
- - Jenny/Jennet - female Donkey 3 year of age
- - Jack – male intact Donkey 2 years+
- - Foal - new born donkey up to 6 months of age
- - Weanling - weaned from Jenny
- - Yearling – 1 year to 3 years
- - Gelding - castrated male
WHAT COLOURS DO DONKEYS COME IN:
- - Black
- - Grey
- - Brown
- - Chestnut
- - Red / Sorrel
- - Cream
- - White (rare)
- - Spotted
WHAT CARE NEEDS DO MINIATURE DONKEYS HAVE:
- - Annual Vaccine/Hendra, feet trimming, dentist check-up
- - Donkey pellets, mineral block in their paddock, clean water, shelter from heat/cold (trees are sufficient)
WHAT DO I FEED MY DONKEY:
- - Donkeys can’t have anything too rich. Donkey Supreme pellets, can be mixed with a little Oaten/Lucerne chaff, and low-quality hay.
- - My pregnant Jenny will need 6 weeks out from birth - Breeda ½ cup daily.
- - They will need a mineral block in their paddock if breeding.
- - Treats: apple, banana, beetroot, blackberries, cantaloupe, carrot, celery, coconut, corn, cucumber, grapes, grapefruit, green beans, honeydew, lettuce, mango, orange, peanut butter, pear, peas, pineapple, pretzel, pumpkin, radish, raisins, snow pea, strawberry, sunflower seed, sweet potato, turnips, watermelon, zucchini
- - Do not feed: aubergines, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cake, cereals, chocolate, cauliflower, garlic, kale, leak, onions, oils, potato, pepper, stone fruits, sugar, tomato, other animal feed.
HOW DO I KEEP BOTH MALE AND FEMALE DONKEYS ON MY FARM:
- - Keep intact male and female Donkeys separate.
- - Jacks can be aggressive and hurt your pregnant Jenny/foals and other animals on your farm.
WHEN WILL MY DONKEY REACH SEXUAL MATURITY:
- - Females 3years.
- - Males at 2years.
- - Jennies breed up to 20 years.
WHAT IS THE GESTATION PERIOD FOR A DONKEY:
- - 12mths, plus or minus a week, but can be 11-14 months.
HOW DO I CHOOSE A JACK FOR MY JENNY:
- - When selecting a Jack to breed to your Jenny, it is best to select one that is the same size or smaller than your Jennies.
WHEN SHOULD I REMATE MY JENNY AFTER BIRTH:
- - Wait 4-6 weeks after birth to re-mate.
- - They cycle every 3 weeks.
- - The first cycle after birth is called foal heat. If mated at this time there is a high chance of miscarriage.
- - Do not re-mate on first cycle after birth, but on 2nd or 3rd. Remove foal, but have near-by so that dam and foal are not fretting.
- - If your Jenny comes back into season after mating, re-mate.
- - Give a 12 month break every two years.
WHEN WILL MY DONKEY CYCLE:
- - Your Jenny will start to cycle from 6-18mths age, every 3weeks but less in winter.
- - She will be in Season for 4-6 days.
WHEN SHOULD I ULTRASOUND MY DONKEY TO CHECK SHE IS PREGNANT:
- - At 3-6 weeks post mating.
WHAT SHOULD MY DONKEY WEIGH:
- - Birth: 6.8 to 12.7kg
- - Mature: 100 to 150kg
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AT BIRTH:
- - Most births take place between 11pm and 3am.
- - Birth can take 20-40mins.
- - Placenta comes out around 1hr after birth. If not, within 6-8hours, call vet for assistance if it doesn’t come out.
- - Foal should be up 1 hour after birth, and feeding from 30 mins thereafter.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY FOAL IS THE RIGHT HEIGHT:
- - How tall will my foal grow? Your foals birth height, plus 11inches is generally the adult height at 3 years.
HOW DO I BOTTLE FEEDING FOAL:
- - Day 1 & 2: Feed 100-120 ml every two hours (10-15% of body weight) - 10-12 feeds per day.
- - Days 3 to 7: Increase the volume of each feed to 150-200 ml (25% of body weight).
- - Day 8: Reduce the number of feeds, feeding every 2-3 hours.
WHEN WILL MY FOAL NEED VACCINATIONS:
- - 2in1 Vaccine at 1 month and 2mths, then annually thereafter.
- - Hendra with the rest of the Donkeys.
WHEN DO I WEAN MY FOAL:
- - 6 months.
- - Jennys can do it themselves too.
HOW DO I REGISTER MY FOALS: Donkey All Breeds Society of Australia Inc
- - Microchip (vet will do for you).
- - NLIS tagging is not required for this breed.
HOW DO I HALTER TRAIN MY DONKEY:
- - Easy to do.
- - Patience first!
- - Do after weaning.
- - Day 1: put halter on and get them use to it for 10 minutes whilst you play with them.
- - Day 2: put halter/lead on and start to get them to walk with you.
- - Day 3 Onwards. Spend 10 minutes repeating the above touching and walking until your little foal will walk with you with no struggle.
- - Generally takes 10 x 10min lessons.
WHEN SHOULD I GELD MY MALE DONKEYS:
- - If you are not going to breed from your male Donkey, it needs to be gelded.
- - From 6 months of age is appropriate, by a vet.
WHAT IS THE NORMAL TEMPERATURE OF A DONKEY:
- - Adults 36.2 to 37.8 degrees.
- - Young Donkeys 36.6 to 37.8 degrees.
WHAT ILLNESS ARE MOST COMMON TO MINIATURE DONKEYS & HOW DO I PREVENT THEM:
- - Obesity: need a very limited diet, as can gain weight easily and this will cause health problems as a result.
- - Rain Scald: In warmer wet climates, this can occur after rain periods. Treat with topical creams to heal the skin and allow fibre to grow back through and protect the skin.
- - Parasites: internal and external parasites can affect them. Either faecal test or as a pre-caution drench to manage.
OTHER RESOURCES:
DONKEY - Breeds
DONKEY - Bodyscore
DONKEY - Obessity
Donkeys can and do put on weight very easily. An overweight Donkey can develop very large “cresty” necks, and when the neck gets too fat, it will flop over to one side. The reason it does this is that the nuchal ligament that runs along the top of their neckline gets stretched and can no longer support the weight of the fat neck.
See chart for what you should be aiming for in terms of a health weight on your Donkey. An example of donkeys classified following the fatty neck score (FNS):
- A: FNS - 0
- B: FNS - 1
- C: FNS - 2
- D: FNS - 3
- E: FNS - 4
- F: FNS - 5
The red line indicates measurement of the neck thickness (NT), from one side of the neck to the other at 0.50 of the neck length, taken from the point of the estimated differentiation between the crest and the neck musculature. NT values for individuals are given in cm.
