One more question... donkey /mule

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

guess i shoud have also asked do your donkeys/mules eat the same thing your horses do grain and hay?

are there huge differences in personality or care between a donky and a mule? I know mules themselves cant be bred but here is a STUPID question

do they not have any hormones either i mean can you keep a male or female and it makes no difference hormone wise or can they just not actually reproduce? or am i totally off base all togther?

Is there an advantage to one or the other or just a preference type of thing?

 

[Shari]

OH yes, Mules have hormones, and the males all need to be gelded.

It is very, very rare, but yes, some Mules have reproduced.

Feeding Your Donkeys or Mules~

Donkeys characteristically get by on less food than a horse of similar size, and need a lower protein content in their feed. Good grass hay and pasture is usually all a donkey needs. If grained, the protein should preferably be lower than 12%. Donkeys can founder on rich food such as alfalfa and lush spring grass. A fat donkey will develop a "roll"; on the neck, pones of fat on the barrel and over the hips that are quite unsightly. Once there, these are usually with the donkey for life. If the neck roll of fat gets too heavy, it will fall or "break over" to one side and never come upright again! Beware overfeeding these hearty creatures!

 

[Ashley]

I would have a donkey before a mule. We had a mule once and he was just very mean and nasty. AS a yearling he beat the crap out of all of our mares and studs. Needless to say he found a new home.

We feed ours the same as the horses. But they do get less grain.

 

[minimule]

I have both, donkeys and mules.....

The mules have the same hormones and drives that the horses/donkeys do. Our molly is a 2 year old this year, showed her first heat just before she was a yearling. She is VERY demanding. She will not leave the stallions or my jack alone when she is in. She has to be kept as far away from them as possible. The males, johns, have all the drive that boys do. It is recommended that they are gelded before they are 90 days old. Mules are enough to deal with without the hormones raging.

My 3 yr old john loves to hang out with my stallion. They are best buds and Maestro loves to play with Tommy.

There have been a few cases of a molly mule conceiving and delivering a foal. Supposedly, the foal looks more like the sire. Haven't seen one in person though.

Donkeys can get by on the nastiest hay. I feed good quality hay to mine because he is a show donk. I also wouldn't feel right feeding him yucky stuff. They do not need high protein. The protein is what causes the fat pockets to develop and yes, they are next to impossible to get rid of once there.

The mules don't require as much feed as a horse but they enjoy the good stuff.