I just bought a baby donkey!

[boykin2010]

I didnt think of ellie mae off the beverly hillbilles! I think we that my sister and i decided on daisy duke. I spent from 3:30 to 6:30 outside with daisy today. I walked her around on her halter fed her a lot and just talked to her. She is exactly what i wanted in a donkey.
I have another question i thought of. Do donkeys quit eating hay when they are full or do they eat until they die like with sweet feed. I was wondering because in the barn there is a huge pile of hay and i dont want her to eat to much and something happen. I saw her eating it today but she didnt seem to too much. She will however eat sweet feed like crazy if we let her. She only gets 1 scoop a day though!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

She should be fine with an unlimited amount of hay. It is actually better for most equines because constant eating keeps their gut moving (ETA: Constant eating of hay I mean). Typically only severely over weight individuals or some with medical problems need to have their hay rationed.

She is really cute! I'm glad things are working out well.

 

[Alabama ee]

A scoop of grain is too much. You should not feed most donkeys any grain.

It is too easy to overfeed them- especially a cute baby one. However, it could be very bad for her. If you want to give her a treat, cut up an apple. It is much better for her teeth.

On the hay, it depends on her and the type of hay. Donkeys are different than horses in that it is much easier for most donkeys to gain weight. Their systems
are almost too good about processing food. That does not mean to feed bad hay. However, you may have to limit her hay based on how much weight she gains,
and what kind of hay it is.

 

[boykin2010]

Im not exactly sure what kind of hay it is. It is what was for sale at my hardware store. It was 8$...

I tried to give her an apple ( cut in little pieces ) and a carrot ( broke in pieces ) and she will not eat it. I also bought some horse treats to feed her and she wont eat it either.
So basically, all she is eating is however much hay she wants a scoop a day of sweet feed. If i dont need to feed her that much sweet feed how much do you reccomend feeding her. We are feeding the sweet feed to her with our hands to make her friendlier and getting her used to us.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Grass hay can *usually* be given freely, but there are a lot of types of hay. Alfalfa, for example, should be given very sparingly, if at all, to most animals. You could probably find out exactly what kind of hay it is by just asking the employees at the store.

 

[Alabama ee]

I have found a lot of horses and donkeys don't like carrots. With apples, some like them right away, and others seem to want to think about it.

I would not feed any sweetfeed. If you want to feed a little as a treat, feed a very small amount. I would say less than 1/4 of a measuring cup. A little in your hand is probably ok as long as you are not doing that several times a day. Think of giving sweetfeed to her as if it is like you were giving candy to a 4 year old child. The child might like it, but it is not good for her. The sweetfeed could make your donkey sick if she gets too much.

With the hay, you might want to find out what kind it is. The one kind of hay you should never feed a donkey is alfalfa hay. It is way to high in calories and protein for a donkey.

Have you tried brushing her? Most of mine love to be brushed. They will help her and you bond...without the extra food.

 

[Alabama ee]

one other thing about the hay or feeding.

Try to feed her the same type of hay. If you have to switch, do it slowly.

 

[boykin2010]

I have brushed her twice but she wont stay still long enough unless she is eating hay or sweet feed. I guess now we will have to cut her back on the sweet feed. The hay has a little greenish color to it if that helps decide what kind it is. She doesnt really like to be brushed because her hair is kind of long and when it is wet is kind of stringy. When we got her there was a couple places where her hair was really thick and hard to brush. she didnt really like me brushing her.

 

[Alabama ee]

A slight green tint to it is a good thing. Hay should not be moldy, dusty, brown, full of sticks, etc. Old or bad hay can make animals sick. it needs to be completey dried out and cured. Make sure you never feed just baled hay. It needs a bit of time to make sure it is dried out. It should have a fresh and sweet smell to it.

I would call tomorrow and ask the feed store what kind of hay. Hopefully, it is a Bermuda or a Bermuda mix.

 

[Baymule]

Try to remember that donkeys are desert animals, made to get by on little to eat. They are very efficient at processing their feed and once they get fat, it is very hard to get it off. Fat deposits form in the crest of the neck, under the mane and can even cause the topline of the neck to "fall" over and once the neck falls, it never stands back up. Fat pones will also form on the back in the saddle area on both sides of the spine. Fat will also deposit on the rump on both sides of the spine. Ask me how I know.......... I fed my donkey too much and when I realized he had fat deposits, I put him on a diet. His neck never fell over, but it took a year of careful monitoring his feed to get my lean, healthy donkey back. Grass hay and a cup of pelleted feed will be fine.

You are getting some good advice here from people who know and care about donkeys. Your donkey is beautiful. Donkeys are extremely intelligent and they are smarter than most people I know. You are going to love having her.