The following "general" tips are provided as a guideline to care. There are many books available for miniature donkey owners that can provide much more detailed care instructions and the tips provided on this webpage simply identify the practices that we have incorporated into and utilize on our farm. That said, one should always be prepared to contact a licensed veterinarian when necessary.

Shelter:
Donkeys need to have access to a 3-sided shed for protection against the cold north winds of the winter and the hot sun of the summer. However, don't be concerned if your donkeys don't use the shelter very often, they will when they need to.

Water:
Donkeys should have access to good, clean water 24 hours a day. We recommend installing a float valve system on a watering trough to insure its availability. Troughs also need to be cleaned periodically, especially in the summer during high heat, to remove bacteria and algae. Although not required as often, troughs should be cleaned periodically in winter as well. Finally, ensure that watering troughs are not too deep as this becomes a drowning hazard for foals should they fall in.

Feed - Hay:
A good quality hay should always be fed to your donkeys whether on pasture or not. However, if you find that your donkeys are starting to get fat after reaching maturity, then discontinue or reduce the amount of hay and/or grain, especially if you have rich pastures...but only in the summer months. Hay should be given at all times in the winter when pasture is unavailable. Coastal Bermuda or Orchard Grass is preferred over Alfalfa due to richness of the Alfalfa hay. To better control your donkey's diet, you may opt to feed hay twice a day, and although it afords you the opportunity to constantly check on your donkeys, in many cases this becomes too labor intensive. In fact, some farms will "free fed" hay, which simply means that hay is always available for the donkeys to eat when they so choose. We feed Coastal Bermuda to our donkeys.

Feed - Grain:
A cup (max) of grain supplement per donkey (such as sweet feed) is recommended for daily feeding during the winter months and every two to three days during the summer. Foals and nursing jennets should get a doubled amount of 14% protein supplement daily during nursing while all the others over one year of age get a 10% protein supplement. DO NOT OVERFEED GRAIN! Historically, donkeys are used to sparce food supplies and should not be overfed. If you do overfeed, you will find that your donkey will begin to develop a "fat roll" on its neck if they are eating too much or too rich a diet...this "fat roll" will NOT go away. If you do see this happening, cut down on the amount of sweet feed, the protein percentage, frequency, or a combination of the three. Do not give anything less than 10% protein. Although some folks feed grain throughout the year and others only feed grain in the winter months, foals are the only ones that should definitely be fed supplemental grain while they are growing.

Feed - Trace Supplement:
A trace mineral supplement (such as 12-12) should be made available to your donkeys at all times and they will eat it only as needed. Some preference is for the granular form rather than the hard mineral blocks due to the ease of eating. Another concern regarding the block is that until the donkey is completely mature at around five, it will not have all of its permanent teeth and they may not be able to use the mineral block very well if they are missing some of their teeth.

Toxic Plants:
There are a few plants that are toxic to equines. Since this varies from location to location, we recommend consulting your vet to determine the toxic plants of your area. However, do not panic if you find that you have toxic plants in your pasture. If you are feeding properly, your donkeys will have no need to eat a toxic plant. Remember, donkeys are smart animals and will selectively eat the non toxic plants if there is enough food available. If you find that your donkeys are eating an abundance of acorns in the fall, you may want to give them some wheat bran to flush their bowels. Again, consult your local vet for advice and help with your donkey's health care needs.

Brushing/Bathing:
Donkeys love attention. Your donkey can be brushed and/or bathed as necessary, but keep in mind that donkeys love to roll in the dirt...espectially after a good bath!

Hoof Care:
In most cases, donkeys need to have their hooves trimmed every two to three months. However, if your donkey lives in a rocky area, trimming may be required less frequently. Although some farms have the experience to do this internally, we would recommend that you consult with a local farrier to ensure that the hooves are trimmed correctly. Hooves trimmed incorrectly over time can cause severe damage and pain to the donkey. Proper farrier technics are critical for the health of your donkey. During exceptionally wet times, it is recommended that you clean your donkey's hooves with a hoof pick to expose bacteria to the air...which kills the bacteria. To further insure the cleanliness of your donkey's hooves, you can apply (squirt) a solution of 4 parts water to 1 part Clorox Bleach (4:1 Water to Bleach ratio) to the sole of the hoof. However, care must be taken so as not to squirt the solution onto the skin (hair area) because it could cause an irritation to the donkey.

Worming:
Donkeys need to be wormed every two to three months with an Equine wormer. It is also recommended that wormers be rotated each time to maximize its effectiveness by insuring the parasites do not develop an immunity to the wormer. We have read that some vets advise staying with an ivermectin product (Zimecterin or Equalan) for a year then changing to a fenbendazole (SafeGuard or Panacur) for one application before resuming treatment with the ivermectin...however, we would recommend consulting your vet on this. Wormers are safe and effective as long as the instructions are followed and the correct dosage(s) are given. Keep in mind that under dosing is the same as not worming at all and will result in poor parasite control. After placing the wormer in the back of your donkey's mouth, we would suggest giving them a bite or two of grain to ensure that the wormer is swallowed and doesn't get spit out. One trick that I've heard of is giving your donkey a "medicine sandwich" that consists of paste wormer spread onto a slice of bread and folded over. Keep in mind though that donkeys are very smart and will likely catch onto this trick after a time or two. Wormers can be purchased (in paste or pellet form) on the internet and mail order catalogs (e.g. Jeffers, etc.), vets and vet supply outlets, co-ops, or at feed stores...we generally buy ours at the local Tractor Supply Company (TSC).

Foal Worming:
Foals should be wormed at two months of age with a fenbendazole product first because of its protection against roundworms...which are more common in foals and younger animals.

Annual Vaccinations:
We vaccinate all donkeys over 4 months of age once per year. Some give these annual shots at the beginning of fly season (March or April) while some administer the annual shot in January. The time really isn't as important as just insuring that your donkeys receive their shot(s) as required. We vaccinate our donkeys with the following:
- Eastern Encephalomyelitis
- Western Encephalomyelitis
- Tetanus
- Influenza
- Rabies
Consult your local veterinarian to determine the shots recommended for your specific area. Vaccinations are not hard to administer and can be done easily once confident in your own abilities. Have your vet instruct you until you are comfortable in knowing both how and where to administer the injections. However, always let the vet administer injections into veins...NEVER administer vein shots yourself!

Special Vaccinations:
Pregnant Jennets should receive a Rhinopneumonitis injection in the 5th, 7th and 9th months of pregnancy to prevent abortion. Foals should recieve a Tetanus Antitoxin injection (1 cc) at birth, especially if the dam was not vaccinated for Tetanus 30 days prior to foaling. Foals are given their first annual vaccination at two to three months, a booster 30 days later, and are then boosted annually.

Training - Trailer:
Donkeys are sometimes (initially) afraid of the transport trailer. A trick to overcoming this fear is to leave your trailer in the pasture and allow passive access into the trailer. A way to "encourage" them to enter the trailer is by putting some grain in the front of the trailer. Over time you will find that the fear of the trailer is overcome and replaced by jumping in and out of the trailer like it is a toy.

Training - Lead:
Never try to "pull" a donkey...they will generally always win. Instead, when first trying to teach them to lead, tie them to a post for a 15 minute training session and let them learn that pulling doesn't solve their problem. Once they understand this, leading will be much more easily grasped. After being tied to a post for awhile, the pulling and fighting will be replaced by a calm and peaceful stand (maybe even a nap). After the training session on the post, try leading them. If they "act up" and begin to pull, don't fight with them...tie them up for another 15 minute training session. You will find that they will begin to lead easier and easier as you continue to work with them. Don't lose your patience and hit the donkey, they are simply trying to determine what to do.