Some of the major ingredients in goat feed include whole cottonseed, soybean, corn, wheat middling, dead pasture, acorns to mention a few. If eaten in their raw form, they are potentially toxic, even to humans, who have thyroid problems or an iodine deficiency. They can be left to feed unsupervised, and theyll still provide well. Updated on March 28, 2023. Donkeys love branches. Even worse, you might believe everything is fine until your donkey suddenly starts fracturing bones, having trouble walking, and having other health concerns. Donkeys are stoic and dont show pain, so early intervention is critical to helping your donkey through any health issue. The difference comes from how the feed is made. You should also check to be sure that your donkey cant reach any of these trees and shrubs from wherever they are being kept outside. Donkeys don't need the extra iron, copper, protein, and other vitamins and minerals usually added to goat feed. Highlighted in yellow is my base feeding plan for ALL donkeys. However, here in the United States, straws for feed can be hard to find. Feeding a herd of goats can be tricky. Always consult your equine veterinarian for advice and any questions about your individual donkey. Goat feed provides goats with their daily requirements and nutrients including energy, vitamins and minerals. Horses are herbivores just like goat. The fact thatdonkeyscan adapt to any environment and are okay with whatever you feed them doesnt mean you shouldnt watch out for things they shouldnt eat. Goats and sheep also have some radically different feed needs that can prove hugely problematic - so their feeding stations may need to be kept separate. Depends on each goat and their preference each day. Therefore, their metabolisms are not designed for processing rich food, hence there are few food groups that are suitable for donkeys. Donkeys are primarily used as guard animals to goats and sheep. If they are eating it, it hasn't been much. Most people think you can feed them a diet similar to horses, but in lower quantity. If your donkey has gone off their feed, you can also use grated apples, carrots, celery, squash, and green vegetables to help peak their interest. The question is, however, why is protein bad for donkeys? You can also add soaked beet pulp to the mash. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. There are often two cuttings of hay in the agricultural year. Anything containing molasses or sugar, such as cookies, bread, and doughnuts. If youre interested in finding out more about donkeys and how best to care for them as well as what they should and shouldnt eat check out our guides. That goes for horse feed, too. This article will discuss what goat feed is made of, the health benefits of goat feed to donkeys, how often you should feed them goat feed and other questions you might have. Usually these are more natural and not fortified by additional vitamins and minerals in a lab or factory. A healthier option, for donkeys, is to give them access to meadow fields that have gone to seed and have less nutritional value, or to allow them into grass fields during the winter months. Domesticated donkeys can be found just about everywhere in the world. As weve seen, too much protein causes a donkeys body to become acidic. 2022 okaypetproducts.com. Fresh, clean water needs to be always available. How To Prevent your Donkey from Eating Goat Feed, Good Bacteria in Your Donkeys Gut Will Be Destroyed. The symptoms will usually start as restlessness, incoordination, and heavy sweating. If you notice that yourdonkeyis going through this condition, please contact a veterinarian. Ripe tomatoes in moderate amounts are not poisonous to goats. Now, let's take a closer look at . In nature, goats . Yes, they sure can. Other foods eaten by donkeys include threats (such as bananas, swedes, apples, squash, pears, sweet potatoes, turnips, and carrots), shrubs, and silage. The consequences of overfeeding corn to goats can be quite severe, but so long as you . It can make them very sick and possibly cause death. Also, don't feed the donkey with moldy meals. These signs and symptoms usually start at 7 to 9 years of age. Mules and donkeys are members of the equine family, along with horses, ponies and zebras. You are using an out of date browser. JavaScript is disabled. My Cat Is Shaking When They Purr Is that Normal? Donkeys dont need the extra iron, copper, protein, and other vitamins and minerals usually added to goat feed. Donkeys are desert animals, and their bodies are not designed for rich pasture or grains. Use pellets made for horses with laminitis so that youre not giving your donkey too much protein or starch. Vegetables: Carrots, parsnips, and celery. They will eat the leaves and chew off the bark. 1-3 donkeys spawn in plains and only 1 in savannas. One reason goat feed is unsuitable for donkeys is that it usually contains much more protein than donkeys need in their diet. Silage has a high nutritional value and, you guessed it, is unsuitable for donkeys. Also,donkeysshould not be fed horse food as it can harm their health. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates. Horses, donkeys and ruminants like sheep and goats frequently get swollen, edematous heads and necks. Well adjusted, content donkeys love their people just as much as a single donkey would. with out waiting for hours it is amazing .God as created every animal in wisdom. Note that chaffs that are laminitis free are highly recommended. Another method is to put up fences that separate your donkeys from your goats and other livestock. These need to be limited to one a day, in winter, for working animals. It's the nature of both animals. Many prefer this because the donkeys tongue is not as rough as a horses to easily lick enough salt off the block. Mount these on a wall thats a comfortable height for your goat to reach but not your donkey. Now maybe you're thinking about getting dairy goats to round out your backyard homestead and start raising goats for milk.. A lot of people, including me, keep both chickens and goats as a significant . OkayPetProducts is an online store where you can find the best Amazon pet products. Diet changes should be effected gradually within 7-12 days. They're much better off with hay. The feed for pigs can be toxic to goats. It needs a more balanced diet. Goat feed is typically infused with several vitamins and minerals that donkeys dont need, including copper and iron. Remember that a treat should not be a large part of your donkeys diet. In the wild, donkeys browse on shrubs and even eat the bark off trees. Trees/Shrubs Pine, ash, beech, and mesquite (leaves only, not the beans) trees. Although a small amount of unmedicated goat feed wont hurt your donkey, a goat feed diet can be harmful, and its best to use healthier alternatives. This occurs whendonkeysare fed with concentrates that are high in cereal. . Once again, the nutritional value and moisture content are too high for its dietary requirements. If your donkey eats medicated goat feed, the results could be deadly, especially if they eat a lot of medicated feed. Donkeys, despite being part of the equine family, evolved in a way close to ruminants like goats. As social creatures, chickens can comingle among larger farm animals such as horses, donkeys, llamas, cows, sheep, and goats. Hand-made feed is a good example of that. (Even those of us who, like myself, were English majors can easily calculate that the mule, which is a donkey-horse hybrid, has 63.) Their popularity soon spread to the coastal climes of the Mediterranean. Theyre better suited for roughage. Stone fruits: Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, cherries, mangoes, and dates. My parents have a cockatiel who is 36 years old this year. Pet Keen is reader-supported. The amount of time adonkeyspends on eating can be based on various factors such as the overall health of thedonkey, amount of fiber on the diet, level of intake, size, and form of the feed. You can buy a salt block, but make sure its not for cattle and get one without molasses in it. The foods closest to their natural diet are straw and hay. Often theyre too rich or fortified for donkeys to digest well. This changes to 50% straw and 25% hay or haylage in winter. (Shell Structure & Purpose), How Much Does A Turtle Cost? You may have other questions about their food and what donkeys can and cant eat. All these are effectively provided for in the feed. Treats should be limited to winter when the cold weather might warrant the consumption of a few extra calories. Why Do Horses Roll in the Dirt, Mud, & Ground? Corn isn't very good for them, and they could develop acidosis. Alfalfa pellets, one of the ingredients, would be fine for donkeys on their own. The answer, unfortunately, is that even though donkeys will gladly eat goat food, they shouldn't because goat feed isn't healthy for them. Babydonkeysshould be provided with dental care at least twice a year to address signs of dental diseases such as bad breath, dropping feed, drooling, and slow or reluctant feeding. Donkeys can eat goat pellets but it would not probably not give them all the nutrition they need. Dogs are the most commonly used guard animals but they need special feeding. Sweet Feed For Donkeys. Donkeys are not like horses; they differ physically, mentally and emotionally. Donkeys dont need the extra iron, copper, protein, and other vitamins and minerals usually added to goat feed. Which Shrubs and Trees Are Poisonous to a Donkey? I bought what seemed like good looking coastal hay (not dusty or moldly) from TSC and the goats don't seem to be eating it and have it in a hanging hay bag for them (off the ground). Donkeys will very happily eat grass in a pasture or field, but this must be limited, especially in spring, when the grass is young and very green. Apart from some types of straw and hay, and the occasional apple or underground vegetable, most foods are off limits for donkeys, especially those made for human consumption. Left to their own devices, donkeys will forage for berries. Sugar cubes: These are pure sugar; therefore, not recommended. Water is essential to thedonkeyand should be available at all times. The first is to feed your donkeys in a different place away from your other animals. A balance between science and art is essential when feeding donkeys and horses. Before your donkeys graze any new pasture, check it thoroughly for the presence of toxic plants. You must keep these trees and shrubs far from your donkey. 10 Best Natural Livestock Dewormers. Donkeys, however, have unique evolutionary traits that make them anatomically and behaviorally distinct. Depending how its made, and what ingredients its comprised of, it could be fine for both species to eat. You would be ill advised to give your donkey vegetables in the onion, potato or broccoli families. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Donkeys should eat like birds, little but often, in order to give their food time to digest. These animals are capable of surviving in any environment, including harsh environments. If youre thinking about owning a donkey, or perhaps there are wild donkeys near you, its imperative you know what they can and cant eat. Even raspberries, blackberries, and mulberries are stone fruits; they are clusters of mini drupes. How to Tell the Age of a Cockatiel (Age Chart Included!). They will also use them to scratch against and drag them around. Goats are natural grazers; their systems are meant to digest shrubs, weeds, small tree branches, bark, leaves and some grasses. Handy Hint: Donkeys can run faster than you might think. Donkeys should only eat hay that has been made from grasses, not legumes. Pasture grasses are not always available all year round though and they are sometimes fed commercially manufactured goat feed. (+ The Cruel Factor). Most American donkeys eat grass hay, such as Bermuda or Timothy hay. There is now a necessity to keep certain animals like donkeys and mares inside a penned area to stop them from leaving your colony. As an indulgence, donkeys can be fed vegetables such as carrots, turnips, swedes and squash. How much and how often do monkeys eat? This seems to be giving him the boost he needs. . . Their digestive systems arent used to processed animal or goat feeds. I like your, I found it interesting when you explained how you'd bond with your pet snake and improve recognition. One reason donkeys shouldnt be fed goat feed is that donkeys have far different nutritional needs than goats. Protein-rich feed grains include whole cottonseed, soybean meal, wheat middlings, and corn gluten feed. Here are a few ideas for some acceptable snacks: 1. The difference comes from how the feed is made. At first, they may have difficulty eating grass, hay, and straw due to poor dentition. On my way to the yard we pass 2 lovely donkeys who seem happy and healthy. Feeding elderly donkeys. Overall, the larger an animal is, the more food it will require. If a donkey has this condition, he must be dealt with immediately. You should feed your 7-month-old donkey no more than 2 cups of crimped oats mixed with an ounce of Mazola corn . Stone fruits are drupes. Donkeys Have Two Fewer Chromosomes Than Horses. Feed made for animals like chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and others is designed for the nutrition needs of that particular animal. Donkeys don't want the additional iron, copper, protein, and different nutritional vitamins and minerals normally added to goat feed. Laminitis is an inflammation of the tissue inside the hoof which causes lameness. After all, donkeys arent traditional pet animals, and they dont sell donkey kibble at the pet store. Horses need high quality, dry, and mold-free hay. If they do the goats would either get diarrhea, bloating, or several other digestive issues. 6. Donkeys also need trace mineral salt, not the white salt eaten by sheep or goat. One of the biggest challenges when you have a donkey, is to keep them from eating the food you give to your other animals, assuming you have them. You can also ensure your donkeys get plenty of the correct food, so they arent interested in eating goat feed. The vitamins A and D are by far the most probable to be deficient in the natural diet. You can also ensure your donkeys get plenty of the correct food, so they arent interested in eating goat feed. In other words, your donkeys body will start taking minerals from its tendons, ligaments, bones, and other organs to buffer the acid in its body. What we feed ourdonkeycontributes to their overall well-being. Grains and any processed food, such as bread, cake and candy are strictly forbidden. Goats are perfectly fine eating horse quality hay. A typical goat pellet can consist of roughages, rice straw, soybean meal, maize crush, salt and other ingredients depending on the type of goat being fed. It is high in nutritional value and is grown specifically as an animal feed. It also begs repeating that medicated goat food can be deadly for a donkey. Plus, goat feed usually has more protein than donkeys need and doesn't contain enough salt. 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Are more natural and not fortified by additional vitamins and minerals usually added to feed... Questions about your individual donkey before proceeding, donkeysshould not be a large of., especially if they eat a lot of medicated feed in moderate are!