Hay types for donkeys

[CloudNine]

Hi! I was just wondering what type of hay you feed your donkey/s. We feed a mix of coastal and sudan. I read you are not suppossed to feed alfalfa, becuase of it's high cause of colic; it's still an option anyway. Thanks!

 

[minimule]

Hmmmmm haven't had a problem with any of my longears and alfalfa. Granted they don't get a lot of it. The minis all get .5# of alfalfa and 1# of timothy grass 2x a day. They all glisten and have good weight to them. Cleo, the big girl (16hh) mule has occassionally gotten 7# of alfalfa all at once. Never an issue. I know it can have too much protein which isn't that good so that's why I don't feed a lot of it.

 

[krissy3]

we dont have alfalfa here, I feed a ALP grass hay with wild flowers in it , and I provide a bit of good quality straw for Der Willy. He knows what he needs, and will eat the straw sometimes. He eats the evergreen pine tree needles once in a while, gives him pine breath , and I like to kiss him after he has eaten it

We feed the sheep, goats , and horses christmas trees, they love it , and the thinking here is that its healthy, and what they would eat in the wild. these are organtic trees , no chemicles. i do give vitamins , minerals and have salt for him, and suppliment with a bit of protien, and beet pulp mixed food that he loves, he gets just a little bit everyday. did I mention he is 30 and going strong.

 

[chandab]

we dont have alfalfa here,

Just curious, do you have Lucerne? As, lucerne and alfalfa are the same.

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

ALways make sure you use CLEAN HAY, never use any moldy type of hay.

We grow our own, usually about 150 acres of hay. It is a mix of alfalfa and timothy. When we plant any fields my hubby usually puts in a extra bag of alfalfa seed to so many lbs of Kentucky Blend which is mostly timothy. our hay dont have alot of alfalfa in it, but more then the avg. bale would have if you bought a blend like this. I have been feeding this to our horses for the past 40 years, and to our minis, and donks for the past 13. Never had even the slightest problem with feeding alfalfa, but I do know they say not to feed a high protein or a lush pasture to any donkeys. You do have to watch for fat rolls (crests) developing on donkeys. We also have a field of orchard grass..which is always kept aside for my minis and donkeys. Its super soft and the horses and donkeys love it, this is usually mixed in with the timothy /alfalfa hay, when I feed them. They all have access to hay all the time.

 

[CloudNine]

Thanks everyone for replying! I enjoyed seeing the results, and I hope more post. I realize I didn't offer every single type, as I am not the expert in that field

krissy3- I've never heard of feeding them trees, but it sounds like a good idea. Does it save you much money?

MeadowRidgeFarm- You're lucky! You don't have to worry about running out.

I am constantly worried about Owen (my mini) getting one of those rolls!

Once again, thank you all for you thoughts and input.

 

[krissy3]

ALways make sure you use CLEAN HAY, never use any moldy type of hay.

We grow our own, usually about 150 acres of hay. It is a mix of alfalfa and timothy. When we plant any fields my hubby usually puts in a extra bag of alfalfa seed to so many lbs of Kentucky Blend which is mostly timothy. our hay dont have alot of alfalfa in it, but more then the avg. bale would have if you bought a blend like this. I have been feeding this to our horses for the past 40 years, and to our minis, and donks for the past 13. Never had even the slightest problem with feeding alfalfa, but I do know they say not to feed a high protein or a lush pasture to any donkeys. You do have to watch for fat rolls (crests) developing on donkeys. We also have a field of orchard grass..which is always kept aside for my minis and donkeys. Its super soft and the horses and donkeys love it, this is usually mixed in with the timothy /alfalfa hay, when I feed them. They all have access to hay all the time.

I love Timothy and alfalfa mix... I miss that , use to buy it all the time back home ..California . I only give them the christmas tree as a once a year treat, its like pringles potato chips for them. I picked a small section from our tree for my new horse ... he looked at me like I was crazy. I dont save money on my horses , I waste money on my horses (donkey) I buy an Alp grass from this region, it has wild flowers and herbs in it. the hay I have now has a lot of wild pepermint in it. I made a tea with some of it this morning for me , it was delicious. I have made Hay soup for me too, its also delicious.

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Krissy, I drink alot of teas, and have made some of my own.. I definitely can see making a peppermint tea, or tea with wildflowers/herbs...but HAY SOUP???????????

Tell me more...

 

[krissy3]

Krissy, I drink alot of teas, and have made some of my own.. I definitely can see making a peppermint tea, or tea with wildflowers/herbs...but HAY SOUP???????????

Tell me more...

Hay soup is Awsome. Get some of that delicious hay of yours. and boil it in water...thats your broth... now I have to ask my husband what you do next as he is the chef. But I think you can add onions, garlic to the broth , or before you make the broth , straine it , and add your creme, salt and pepper. I will ask for the exact directions and PM it to you , also we make awsome Tom Kai Guy soup ( coconut soup) I can get you that one as well

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

the coconut soup sounds really rich and good. I just never would of thought as coconut (which I love) as a base for a soup. Send me whatever recipes you want. Do you still have my home email addy?