I have mixed farm animals together.

natyvidal

Songster
5 Years
Mar 1, 2018
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Dade City, Florida
Hi I have a mini donkey. His name is DonQ, and he is the sweetest thing. Here are some pictures. I have an important question regarding him which I am wondering if this is the right place for the question. I will ask anyway and just let me if it’s ok.

Along with DonQ I also have Nigerian dwarf goats. Four, They all get along well but when it’s time to eat I am having problems. Because DonQ wants to eat the goats feed and the goats prefer to eat DonQ’s food.

My concern is that the goats food is not only medicated but also has copper. As I understand copper is not good for donkeys!

I know I could try to feed them separate, but the barn is not finished and I don’t have the different stables for them to eat at. That’s in the future.

If it’s true that the goats feed is not good for DonQ, because of the copper, is there an universal feed that I can buy or mix that will work for all farm animals housed in the same area?

I am already trying very hard to stop them from eating each other’s food, but they are giving me the “evil eye”, (they get annoyed with me,) every time I do that.

Do anyone has a recipe to mix or a feed brand to buy that I can give to both of them, goats and DonQ, that with be complementing their grass and and hay eating? They already have an universal block of minerals.

Thank you for your help!
 

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It works the other way around. Equine feeds are not good for small ruminants like goats and sheep. Also beware that your donkey is not getting fed too rich a diet as they are designed a little differently than horses and handle coarser forage and lower quality feed better. Too “good” a feed can actually cause metabolic issues and things like laminitis. Unless there is some particular reason for him to be getting lots of concentrate, the best diet for him would be decent grass hay.

There are also dietary concerns specific to small ruminants that need to be addressed based on their age and sex as well. If you have a local feed mill you could always check in with them if they have an option that would be safe for the different types of animals you have, based on what’s available in your area. :)

Best to train them to go to certain areas when it’s time for their “special” feeds, even if that’s a temporary pen for the goats or the donkey. I had a horse and a Holstein steer and I just used a panel between and they learned pretty quickly to go into their respective spaces to eat
 
I also run several species together. (Cows, goats, horses, donkeys) Medicated feed is not good for donkeys, and too much copper can kill goats. Many areas lack copper though, or have a high iron content in the water that inhibits the utilization of copper by animals. I actually give my goats copper boluses a couple times of year.

As has been mentioned, you can partition areas to feed separately, or you can go to your local feed store and find an “all stock” feed that is safe for all hoof stock. Offer a loose mineral free choice or top dress.

Certain times of year I set up a creeper system that only my goats can access.... anything ruminant specific is kept in there and the goats are trained to use their own feeders. I actually used a squirt bottle with water to spray the goats that tried to eat from anyone else’s feeders... goats don’t like to get wet. The horses and donkeys usually run the goats off though if they get too persistent.

Forgot to add... grains are not always necessary as long as good quality forage and mineral are offered. I’ve never met a donkey that needed grains.... they get fat on sunshine and scenery! Lol!

I only feed concentrates certain times a year or on an as needed basis for specific animals.

One key thing...Do Not Feed a ruminant specific feed, mineral, supplement, etc. to any type of equine... it is fatal.
 
Hi I have a mini donkey. His name is DonQ, and he is the sweetest thing. Here are some pictures. I have an important question regarding him which I am wondering if this is the right place for the question. I will ask anyway and just let me if it’s ok.

Along with DonQ I also have Nigerian dwarf goats. Four, They all get along well but when it’s time to eat I am having problems. Because DonQ wants to eat the goats feed and the goats prefer to eat DonQ’s food.

My concern is that the goats food is not only medicated but also has copper. As I understand copper is not good for donkeys!

I know I could try to feed them separate, but the barn is not finished and I don’t have the different stables for them to eat at. That’s in the future.

If it’s true that the goats feed is not good for DonQ, because of the copper, is there an universal feed that I can buy or mix that will work for all farm animals housed in the same area?

I am already trying very hard to stop them from eating each other’s food, but they are giving me the “evil eye”, (they get annoyed with me,) every time I do that.

Do anyone has a recipe to mix or a feed brand to buy that I can give to both of them, goats and DonQ, that with be complementing their grass and and hay eating? They already have an universal block of minerals.

Thank you for your help!
I have two horses, one being a twenty two year old Quarter horse and the other is a Welsh pony mix. I feed them grass hay all year around. But, in the winter, it can get very cold - down to -25 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill. They don’t have any pasture to graze on, so obviously they need more hay, grain, minerals. The problem is that in the winter, we’ve always fed our Quarter horse on alfalfa and it’s not good for ponies. When we got our pony over a year ago, we had to make a plan to separate them in the winter for feeding time. We couldn’t let the Welsh get to the alfalfa because she didn’t need it. We gave her more grass hay because alfalfa like I said isn’t good to feed to ponies. So we had to separate them each feeding.

Anyway, enough of the rambling. The moral of the story is that you can either separate them or feed them universal feed. You might just tie them up using a halter and lead rope, put their food there and let them eat it. If you don’t have a halter and lead, you could simply use twine and make a makeshift one and use another piece of twine to tie them off. But if you don’t like separating them for feeding time, you could just feed them a universal feed. I not very experienced with donkeys and goats nutrition, so sorry if I said something that was incorrect or unhelpful. Just telling you my experience of how I can relate to your situation.

You don’t necessarily need to feed them grain either. As long as they are fed good quality hay/forage and fed the proper amount, they can do just fine without grain.

Btw your donkey is ADORABLE and the setup is really nice!
 

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