# How much will it cost to keep a donkey monthly



## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

I was looking to keep 1 or 2 mini donkeys was wondering what it cost to keep them i know they need hay,horse feed,minerals and vitamins. Yearly i think they need there teeth floated and shots and do they need here hoofs trimmed or shoes. And if they do how often also i would be keeping minis not full size. How much hay do they need daily and what kind of hay?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Not sure on how much. Hopefully someone who has them will come on soon.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Mine survive on grass hay and pasture. They need feet trimmed as often as a horse does. They need the same shots. Teeth floating depends on animals. I haven't done ours and they are 6.


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

NO FEED...Donkeys can get fat way too easy....they only need a token amount to help them build a relationship to you or better yet, sliced apples....they do best on poor pasture and weedy hay believe it or not (not gross moldy hay)...we feed hay in winter months only and they still spend the day grazing...Donkeys are easy keepers...they do need mineral and salt licks..hoof care and grooming...we have nine donkeys now!! three mini and the rest standard ( some came by surprise when mom foaled!)...we love them..


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## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

happybleats said:


> NO FEED...Donkeys can get fat way too easy....they only need a token amount to help them build a relationship to you or better yet, sliced apples....they do best on poor pasture and weedy hay believe it or not (not gross moldy hay)...we feed hay in winter months only and they still spend the day grazing...Donkeys are easy keepers...they do need mineral and salt licks..hoof care and grooming...we have nine donkeys now!! three mini and the rest standard ( some came by surprise when mom foaled!)...we love them..


How much hay would 2 mini female donkeys need per day


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Hay depends on conditon of the donkey...if they ar thin they may need more at first then cut back as they get into condition...here is a web sight with some general info on the care of mini donkey...http://www.bestfriendsfarm.com/ownersmanual.html

you will find as many opinions as donkey owners...I would read tons of info and see what fit your donkeys...for ex: some feel they need grain...but like mine who have fat rolls..they should not have any grain...a fat roll can get so heavy the mane of the donkey sags to one side...my old lady donkey, now about 37 was left in the cow pasture and allowed to eat all the cows feed...she is lumpy and bumpy...when we got her...we cut her grain....she will always be lumpy and bumpy, they dont loose the fat, but she is in better health now just the same...Two huge standard girls were left to their own devices and were eating dog food!! when we got them they were on the thin side...so we did grain them...ended up foaling and we continued grain for a while to help them out...now they are on pasture with no grain doing great. 
some feel you have to buy horse quality hay whileother feel weedy hay is better...we find our donkeys wont eat the hay we have for our goats, which is horse quality..donkeys like a variety of goodies and prefer to browse...for two minies, if you dont have pasture for them I would start with a two flakes in the AM and PM...if they eat it fast they will need more if they leave it til next feeding..decrease..some fill a basket and leave it full at all times...but this too can cause fat donkeys..Im still learning and you will find you will always be learning as well lol..like goats...Donkeys are super smart animals...they tame quickly when handled well..my 13 year old trained a geld jack we raised here...we pulled him off mom at 6 months and she began training him...we had never owned equine before...Oscar still needs a bit of manner training but he is mostly a gentleman : )


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## Stacie1205 (Mar 26, 2011)

I have 2 mini donkeys but I have no idea how much hay they eat because they are in with 6 horses. Very little or no grain, it's not really good for them. Mine get a bit because again, they are with horses. They are pets here so no shoes and just regular hoof care. I really don't have to do much of anything to their hoofs as they just naturally break off. They have a salt block and just get regular horse wormer. Pretty much just like having 2 really LOUD dogs around, lol.


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## J-TRanch (Jan 31, 2014)

Hopves and teeth the same as a horse. Mine get fed grass hay if not on pasture due to the high amount of blister beetles


Owner/operator
J-T Ranch Dairy Goats
NW KS
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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Where are you finding a high amount of blister beetles? Hadn't heard they were a problem this year!!

Our burros that we've had for 3 years now get fat on just pasture and hay. They get a little grain on occasion, but not much. Mainly so that when I need to run them into the corral they have a reason to go.... We have used range cubes as a treat with them. They really like the crunch of those. 

2 mini donkeys shouldn't go thru much more than a half bale (small square bale) of hay a day if that much. The minis tend to be harder to deal with feet because of how small they are. Find a farrier NOW that will do them....a lot of farriers won't because it's super hard on their back and knees (the farriers, not the mini) They do seem to founder easier and quicker than full size animals, not sure why. 

Something I was told by an equine dentist is that you should ALWAYS feed close to the ground. It aligns teeth properly for equines to chew. He said that as long as we continue to insist on feeding in the above ground feeders, he will stay in business. So....feed as close to the ground as you can. They should reach down for their feed, not up. It will help you not have to have their teeth done near as often if at all.


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## alpinegoats63 (Oct 10, 2014)

kccjer said:


> Where are you finding a high amount of blister beetles? Hadn't heard they were a problem this year!!
> 
> Our burros that we've had for 3 years now get fat on just pasture and hay. They get a little grain on occasion, but not much. Mainly so that when I need to run them into the corral they have a reason to go.... We have used range cubes as a treat with them. They really like the crunch of those.
> 
> ...


By range cubes do you mean cattle cubes but now that i think of it the breeder i was gonna buy from last year said use cattle cubes instead of horse treats. I feed producer's pride peppermint or dumor treats for the horses and goats right now. Would the donkey be ok on that or do i need to buy the other cattle cubes


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Yep that's what I meant. No you don't need to buy special. The donkeys will like the treats you have too. It will take you MONTHS to get thru a 50# bag of cubes. Lol. Ghe key word is "treat" which means only one of 2 daily


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