what do donkeys eat?

Question

Just what it says, what all do donkeys eat and also, do they get lonely? Like could you keep just one or would they want friends?

Answer 1

A donkey's diet is pretty consistent to that of a horse - and, just like a horse, if there is just one, yeah, they do get lonely. Depends on the donkey...horse, too!

Answer 2

I concur with jadalinda's posting:
"Donkeys are sociable animals and need companionship, however it does not nec have to be another donkey. They will buddy up to a goat, a horse, even a chicken if that is all they have. For whatever reason, many of them seem to have an instant dislike of dogs.

A diet of grass hay and a mineral block are fine. You can give them a little sweet feed but not too much or they'll become fat. Ditto with alfalfa. They'll also need regular hoof trims, just like a horse. "
but you should also know that making a horse and donkey be buddies can be kind of tricky because horses and donkeys take differing approaches to food and top of the herd bottom of the herd stances. A horse will push around others and fight and be protective of their food and a donkey tends to be more relaxed about it..so if you buddy a horse with a donkey you want to make sure it is not an alpha horse, or feed them seperate.

Answer 3

I have 2 donkeys and 5 horses and they all get fed the same. They tend to eat more leaves than horses do and like goats will nibble at anything including your clothes, rubber trims on the car and anything else they can find. They hold their condition better than horses and are quite hardy.
They are herd animals and do prefer a companion if you can't get 2 donkeys a pony or a goat will pal up with them as well. If the donkey must be on it's own the be sure to spend as much time with it as possible.
Donkeys naturally hate dogs but they could probably learn to be friends, that was the reason I got mine in the first place as I have them in with the goats I breed to keep wild dogs at bay.
They are cute, cheeky and lots of fun.

Answer 4

Donkeys should be fed hay or straws and legumes when available in the proportion of 4:1 straw to legume to appetite. Fresh legumes should not be fed as the only food. Also working donkeys should be given about 500 g of cereal bran per day. Donkeys are herd animals and do like the company of other donkeys but if that's out of the budget goats can make great companions for them. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 5

Donkeys are sociable animals and need companionship, however it does not nec have to be another donkey. They will buddy up to a goat, a horse, even a chicken if that is all they have. For whatever reason, many of them seem to have an instant dislike of dogs.

A diet of grass hay and a mineral block are fine. You can give them a little sweet feed but not too much or they'll become fat. Ditto with alfalfa. They'll also need regular hoof trims, just like a horse.

Answer 6

Donkeys eat basically the same as horses, hay or grasses, bark small saplings, fallen fruit.

Yes donkeys get lonley. They are usually put into a field with sheep, cattle, horses. Theya re very protective. What ever field you put a donkey in, he or she will believe they are there to protect those animals. Sheep and goat farmers in the north east use donkeys in their fields to ward off cyotes and other animals of prey. Donkeys are vicious animals when prompted. Llama's are also protective. A little side note: more people are killed by donkey's each year than die in air plane crashes! It is true.

Answer 7

Donkeys eat very similar foods as horses. Grasses some fruit and vegetables as well. Donkeys are alos herd animals and yes, they would get lonely!

Answer 8

It's common for horses/donkeys to munch on tree bark, even if there's plenty of food. You just want to watch out that the trees aren't poisonous to the donkeys. Also, if you want your trees to live, I'd put up some chicken wire around the trunks up to a point where they cannot reach it. Luckily, they're minis so you shouldn't have to go too high. If they happen to eat all the bark away all the way around the tree, it can die. It's called "girdling" and the tree dies because the bark is how it gets its nutrients to the tops of the tree. If the bark is gone, the nutrients can't get to the rest of the tree. So, eating bark isn't necessarily unhealthy for the donkeys, unless it's poisonous, but if you don't want the trees to die, I'd suggest putting up some chicken wire.

Answer 9

Hey C Dog, you get yerself a donkey did ya? Male or female, and has it been fixed if its a male(they call it gelded) as they can be less cantankerous. As far a friends,you are its master and friend. I've seen dogs,barn cats,and other livestock get along with them just fine. They eat hay, all types of grain and even the pasture can support them as they are pretty hardy animals.About 2 cups of grain and a 1/4 of a bale of hay depending on size and exercise or work

Answer 10

Donkeys eat hay and just about any other plant. A funny thing about donkeys os they love weeds more than anything, especially sharp, thorny ones.