Donkey Behaviour and Welfare

Donkey

Donkey - common name for the ass family.
Jack, jackass, jack ass - intact male of the ass family.
Jenny, jennet - female of the ass family.
Burro - the smaller members of the ass family usually of Mexican or Spanish stock.
Gelding or gelded jack - castrated male of the ass family.
Mule - hybrid cross from breeding a jack to a mare.
Hinny - hybrid cross from breeding a stallion to a jenny.
Mare mule or Molly - female mule.
Horse mule or John mule - male mule.
Mare hinny - female hinny.
Horse hinny - male hinny.
Mule mare - mare used to raise mules.
Miniature donkey - at maturity stands 36 inches or less at the withers.
Standard donkey - at maturity stands more than 36 inches but less than 56 inches at he withers.
Mammoth donkey - at maturity stands more than 56 inches at the withers.

A donkey is not a horse !

Never call a donkey a horse. It will never forgive you!
The donkey is more related to the zebra, which is obvious from its shape and the way it moves (its gait).
The donkey was bred from wild African asses making it the only domestic animal to come from Africa. The oldest donkey remains have been found 5000-6000 years ago in Egypt with later specimens found in Mesopotamia and Iran.
There is a wide range of about 300 breeds of donkeys today. The largest is the Catalonian donkey, which is 17 hands high, is found in Spain. The Poitou is about 16 hh.
The donkey has 62 chromosomes and the horse 64, so in theory they are genetically incompatible.
Donkeys have been crossed with zebras to produce a "Zeedonk". These are sterile hybrids.
Donkeys and horses can be crossed to produce the mule (male donkey Jack on mare) and the “hinny” (horse stallion on donkey Jenny). Both these are sterile hybrids and have 63 chromosomes. But there are exceptions as some female mules are fertile and will breed.
Most donkeys and many mules lack the obvious saddle holding withers of the horse.
The donkey's main and tail hair is stiff. It has no true forelock and the tail has short hair to switch more like a cow than a horse.
The croup muscles of the donkey are usually less developed than the horse.
Hooves of donkeys and mules are smaller than equal-sized horses and the pastern angle is greater.
Donkeys have no chestnuts on their rear legs.
Donkeys have slightly different larynx anatomy, and have smaller nostrils and nasal passages than equal sized horses.

Man and the donkey

The donkey was one of the first animals to be domesticated and has served mankind well throughout the ages. The donkey is still doing valiant service as the primary beast of burden in many cultures today.
Donkeys appear to have an innate trust of man, and very strong bonds build between donkeys and their owners because donkeys are a very social species.
Donkeys have been used in times of war for transport and food. Owners stress the very special bond that can be built between donkey and caregiver and is much different between man and horse.
Some breeders say that if you assume a donkey is a big dog, you'll go a long way to understanding their behaviour.
Donkeys have shown that they can solve maze problems a lot faster than horses.
Despite the donkey's role in man's civilisation, it still struggles to maintain a decent image among the human race. Our acceptance that the donkey is stupid, cunning and lazy is as alive and well today as it has been for the last two thousands years.
Donkeys are not stupid and lazy - this image is caused by man's practice of ridiculing them, overloading them, and treating them with disrespect.
Donkeys are smart and their owners need to recognise this. They will not move in situations they perceive as dangerous. This prevents a lot of accidents, eg in harness.
Donkeys evolved in grasslands and are an animal of the open grasslands in warm dry climates.
In the USA, donkeys and mules are becoming the fastest growing part of the recreational equine industry. Miniature donkeys are appealing to people who normally keep dogs and cats.

Donkey senses

Hearing

Considered to be similar to the horse but the donkey's large ears have an added sound-gathering advantage.
It's often claimed that the donkey has much more acute hearing than a horse and certainly a human.
Like the horse, the donkey has the ability to move its ears to locate the source of the sound.
Donkeys DO NOT like their ears pulled - their ears are very personal!
Before a donkey will let you handle its ears freely, you need to build up a secure bond.
The feral donkey is a very alert animal, aided by its acute hearing.

Smell

The donkey's sense of smell is considered to be similar to the horse.
It's said that donkeys can smell water over a mile away.
Donkeys greet each other by smelling and blowing in each others nose. The smell of breath imparts important information to the donkey.
So greeting donkeys by blowing up their noses is an effective way to reassure them that you are friendly.

Sight

A donkey's sight is not as good as the horse, and like the horse donkeys have a blind spot immediately in front of the nose and behind the head.
They have good peripheral vision with head down when grazing, but poor ability to see high objects.
They have good binocular vision. Donkeys like the horse view any threats with their binocular vision.
It is thought they have the same colour vision as the horse. They can clearly differentiate between the major colours.
Donkeys don't seem to bother with direct eye contact. It seems to be less important than in horses.

Touch

As in the horse - donkeys have whiskers near their eyes and on their muzzle which carry nerves and act as touch receptors.

Taste

Donkeys have a very sweet tooth, and are very partial to fruit.
They love walnuts and will crack them and spit out the shells.
Like the horse they will not eat musty feed, and will not eat out of dirty containers so their ability to smell must be acute.

Donkey's gait

Donkeys are naturally slow movers, and impatient humans find this frustrating.
They do not show all the different gaits of the horse.
At speed they move like a zebra or a sheep in a bouncy gait and appear to have all four feet off the ground at the same time.

Social structure

Donkeys are very social animals. A lone donkey kept as a pet needs a friend of either another donkey, horse or other animal.
Feral donkeys live in small bands of females with their current and previous year's female offspring.
There is a strong bond between mother and offspring, established very soon after birth. Foals are weaned when the next foal is born.
These bands will contain some juvenile males, but mature males are generally solitary except at mating time when they form harems which they defend against competitors.
Fights among males for control of the harem can be very savage, with kicking and biting any part they can get hold of. The long ears are very vulnerable.
Whereas horsed flee from danger, donkeys do not and stand and face up to the threat or predator. They will bite and kick with both front and rear feet, and stand with heads high, nostrils flared and teeth bared. And they add their loud bray to their collection of defences.
Donkeys are natural followers. Often in a group grazing in a field, when called they'll form up in line to be led by the lead donkey, rather than making their own way to the caller.
Donkeys have very sensitive ears and love them ears scratched. If you rub the ears gently from the poll area, the donkey slowly lowers its head and appears to dose off in ecstasy.

Communication

The donkey's bray is unique and the sound travels for very long distances.
But they also communicate with a variety of snorts, grunts, wheezes and whuffles which seem to vary between individuals.
The variations in the bray that humans can detect must denote different information to other donkeys.
Jacks bray most frequently and loudest.
Grunts are antagonistic and usually accompanied by assertive body language like tail lashing, chin jerking or stomping.
Snorting shows excitement and wuffling is used by a Jenny to call her foal or when inviting another donkey for some mutual grooming.
Jennies use an additional low-pitched and gentle wuffle to communicate with their newborn foals.
Like the horse, donkeys use a wide range of body language to communicate.
Donkeys can indicate their mood with their head, angle of neck, body and tail.
The way they move too gives clear messages from the quiet amble of the Jenny and foal to the aggressive chase of the Jack after a predator or Jenny in heat.
Around the eyes and ears of a donkey is a very personal area - so avoid touching them on first greeting.
Donkeys mutual groom each other, standing together using their teeth along their necks, withers and shoulders scratching the hair gently and gently nibbling with their teeth.
Scratching a donkey under its chin is a very effective way to make friends with the animal.

Zoning out

When donkey foals have been frightened, they have been observed to 'zone out' by slipping into a catatonic state.
The advice is to 'back off' until the animal comes around again.

Donkey - human bond

There are frequent reports of donkeys showing great stress when losing a foal, a companion or when changing owners. When no donkeys are available they will form lasting bonds with horses, goats, sheep, camelids, dogs and cats and even fowls.

Beast of burden

The term "beast of burden" seems to have been claimed by the donkey for its own!
There are reputed to be about 44 million donkeys and mules in the world today, most of them contributing draft power for agriculture and transport.
Donkeys are reputed to be able to pull 3 times their own weight.
They are alert, intelligent and cautious animals and these are useful traits when used to carry loads. Panic is the last thing you want and if a donkey perceives danger it will generally stay rooted to the spot.
The classical image of the donkey in many parts of the world today is that of a small animal with a monstrous load, or an oversize person on its back, being goaded along with a stick from behind rather than being led.
It is recommended that 51-52kg should be the maximum weight a 10-11hh donkey can carry.
Donkeys are the classical pack animal for when the going gets tough, as apart from their strength, they are extremely sure footed.Their strong innate ability to follow each other is exploited when they are used as pack animals as no leads are needed as when packing with horses.
Donkeys are not built to gallop like the horse with their zebra-like trot. Even when bolting they will not go far.
With narrow shoulders they are not as comfortable a ride as a horse.
Some riders advocate sitting on the strongest part of the donkey's back on top of the rump at the hips.
Donkeys jump high with a "standing start" up against the obstacle or fence. In American and Canada they have special "Coon Jumping" competitions at their farm shows to demonstrate this skill.

Transport

It is said that donkeys and mules prefer to be hauled facing backwards.
They don't usually drink if hauled for 12-18 hours, and often won't drink for several hours after unloading in a strange place.
Experience of travel will improve these behavioural patterns.

Donkeys as guards
Where aggression is needed

The quiet docile donkey can become a fearsome aggressor - traits seen mostly in the male Jack. They use their loud bray as defence weapon.
Donkeys hate any small animals, especially dogs, and will chase them relentlessly in their paddock.
This trait is used in Canada where donkeys run with sheep to ward off coyotes and even mountain lions.
Donkey jacks are used in New Zealand to run with bulls to stop them fighting. The jack will bite the neck of a full-grown Friesian bull or bite his testicles, breaking up the fight. One donkey can control 20-30 bulls.
The jacks should be at least 2 years old and at least 10hh before they are put on bull riot duty. The Donkey Society of New Zealand and the RNZSPCA do not encourage this practice. Invariably the donkey's feet are neglected and they suffer founder from the high quality feed to fatten the bulls. This causes the animal great discomfort.

Where aggression is not needed

From MT Walton & CA Field (1989). Texas Department of Agriculture Publication.
The use of donkeys to guard sheep and goats.

Use Jennies or geldings. Do not use Jacks as they are too aggressive to other livestock and may kill sheep or goats.
Use only one Jenny and her foal per pasture.
Isolate guard donkeys from horses, mules and other donkeys.
Raise the donkey from birth, and at the latest at weaning with the sheep or goats.
Raise donkeys away from dogs and avoid using herding dogs around donkeys.
Monitor donkeys at lambing or kidding as they may be aggressive or overly possessive to newborns. Remove them temporarily if necessary.
It's best to use in small open pastures (less than 600 acres) with not more than 200 head of animals. Donkeys are less effective on large rough pastures.

Donkeys as teachers

Donkeys are sometimes used to teach other animals like calves or foals to lead.
The donkey is fitted with a strong soft leather collar 1.4m long and 700mm wide with a large ring on it to fasten the pupil. The donkey wears a plain headstall.
There must be a good chain 250mm long containing a swivel and a snap hook at each end to attach pupil to donkey. Over a period of days, with careful supervision, the pupil learns to follow the donkey as it is pulled along.

Feeding donkeys

Donkeys have a similar digestive system to the horse where fibre is digested in the very large colon.
The also graze pastures in the same way where part will be used for grazing and part for defaecating and urinating. These toilet areas will grow rank and unpalatable feed.
Donkeys browse more than horses, and love the flowering heads of broad-leaved weeds.
Roughage, e.g. barley straw should form a large part of their diet.
But donkeys must not be fed excess carbohydrate or protein or they are quick to develop founder of the foot and become lame.
Donkey owners are urged to avoid giving their animals bread, wheat, Weetbix, Puffed wheat, muffins, cake, pikelets, excess grains, and all refined and processed foods.
Add to this list too lush grass which is very rich in protein. Excess protein intake is a major cause of founder.
Donkeys are very efficient at ring-barking trees. They seem to enjoy the bark as feed and the stripping as entertainment.
Some donkey handlers stress that you should always feed donkeys in a bucket or trough and not with your fingers as they will learn to nip fingers with their teeth.

Feet care

Foot care is the most important feature in donkey husbandry.
Feet must be trimmed regularly and kept in shape so they can always walk properly and without discomfort.
Misshapen feet lead to all sorts of behaviour and welfare problems, and the animal will suffer discomfort and pain.
If feet problems are caused by nutritional imbalance - feet trimming alone will not cure the problem. Changes in diet are the first priority in preventing lameness.
Veterinarians claim that donkeys and mules can tolerate pain more than horses so they may not show lameness until the disease is more advanced. So more regular checking of feet is recommended.

Coat care

Donkeys select a site in the paddock that they will take turns to roll in. They will remember and return to it whenever they come back to the paddock. It's their natural way of dust bathing to control parasites.
If sheds or shelter trees are available, donkeys thrive better when no cover is avalable. After rain they will try to find some dry area and roll in any dust they can find. This forms a 25mm thick coat that helps the animal to retain heat naturally.
Donkeys are prone to external parasites below covers so they need to be checked regularly.
Donkeys love physical contact and grooming fulfills this need. They especially enjoy grooming when their winter coats are being shed for summer.
In wet climates donkeys need protection from rain. Wet coats are not good for donkeys as they are dry-climate animals.

Grazing behaviour

Rather than travel at random over their grazing area, donkeys develop paths, e.g. to the water trough and shade. They stick to these paths over time.
Like horses, they tend to graze one area of the paddock, and eliminate in a separate part.
Donkeys are prone to colic like horses but their apparent lower pain barrier means that early treatment is important as vets can be confused by few pain symptoms.

Drinking

Donkeys and mules can go without water for longer periods than horses.
In the wild, donkeys frequently go without water for 24 hours, but lactating females will drink every 8-12 hours.
Foals have been observed to take their first drink of water at 2-3 months old.
They can dehydrate up to 30% loss of body weight, and then drink enough water to re-hydrate themselves in 2-5 minutes. This ability is similar to the other desert animal - the camel.
Taking donkeys away from their normal surroundings and water supply can contribute to them refusing to drink for 48-96 hours.

Reproduction

Male donkeys (Jacks)

Jack donkeys may look cute, but it's important for personal safety to remember they are stud sires and not pets.
Geldings that are castrated late may also show some Jack behaviour, especially near a Jenny on heat. But then some Jennies will ride other females in season, clearly stimulated by the smell.
The blood of gelded Jacks does not appear to clot as well as horses, so it is recommended the wounds are double stitched to prevent haemorrhage.
In breeding mules and hinnies, some donkey jacks will mate with a horse mare and some will not. Jacks that are required to breed mules are specially raised with horses to ensure they will take an interest in mares when on heat.
Jacks don't like sheep or goats and will harass and try to kill them if they get into their paddock. The Jack is clearly very territorial.

Birth

Donkeys have been reported to show grief at the death of a foal, braying continuously for the foal to move. Putting an older foal with the Jenny helps as they nuzzle each other and seem to share the grief.

Weaning

Weaning can be a very stressful time for Jenny and foal, and some owners advise gradual weaning over a period of up to 3 months rather than abrupt separation.
If the foal is weaned between 6 and 8 months, any noise or distress can be eliminated if only a fence separates the pair so the foal can still see and smell his mother.
Other breeders advise abrupt weaning; otherwise the dam will take longer for her milk supply to dry up.
Breeders advise providing the weaned foal with an assortment of toys such as old tyres painted different colours, a soccer ball to push around, large drums to negotiate, hessian bags filled with tin cans, and ice cream containers that foals love to carry around.

Donkeys and mules

Some female mules have been found to be fertile. No female hinnies have.
No male mules or hinnies have been found fertile.
Female mules and hinnies can be used as recipients for horse embryos.
Female mules and hinnies show oestrus, but it's usually very erratic.
The male mule makes a good teaser, and can be useful to train horse mares to accept a jack when on free range. Normally mares don't like jacks, even when they are in heat.

  Dr Clive Dalton