What to Feed Donkeys

Donkeys are members of the equine family along with horses, zebras and mules. You can feed them a diet similar to horses but in lower quantity and consisting of low-protein grasses. Donkeys metabolize their feed very efficiently and can be overfed very easily. The term used for this efficient utilization of food is "easy keeper." Don't let the term misguide, you, however. You must take care in determining when and how much to feed a donkey.

  1. Pasture

    • Donkeys can get by on pasture as long as the pasture is not lush and rich. Low-quality pasture grasses are adequate. Donkeys have low energy requirements and will easily overeat if the pasture is rich. Obesity is a concern, because once a donkey develops a fat roll, it will probably never go away. Once your donkey has grazed down a pasture, feed him supplemental hay and grain.

    Hay

    • A good grass hay is adequate for donkeys. High-protein legume hay and alfalfa is not recommended for the same reason that lush pasture is not good for donkeys. Donkeys are prone to obesity and will founder if you feed them high-protein grasses in their diet. Founder is the layman's term for laminitis, which is a condition affecting the equine's hoof and is caused by lush pasture.

    Grain And Minerals

    • If the pasture has been grazed down and hay is not available, feed your donkeys a 10- to 12-percent protein equine sweet feed. If you must feed grain to a donkey, don't use cattle or lamb feed containing rumensin. Rumensin contains monensin, which can be fatal to equines.

      You should also make Donkeys salt and mineral licks available to your donkeys in addition to their regular feed. Salt licks are blocks of salt and other minerals that are made available to supplement the donkey's diet. The donkey will lick the block and ingest the minerals.

    Quantity

    • How much hay and grain to feed a donkey depends largely on the animal's size and body condition. According to Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, total dry matter intake in the form of hay or grain should be about 2 percent of body weight for maintenance as a rule of thumb. For a 600-lb. donkey, this would be about 1/3 of a bale of hay per day.