Question about mules

[KanoasDestiny]

I was watching a science film today and it said that donkeys and horses could mate and have a mule baby (which I already knew!), but then it went on to say that the resulting mule could not mate, due to it's genes or something like that.

I have never really thought about whether a mule could mate with a horse, donkey or another mule before. But now, I'm curious. Could someone please confirm or deny this for me?

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

well if you don't geld the john mules they might try to "mate" - but mules are generally sterile and cannot be bred. thus you want to geld all johns so you don't have that frustrated behavior...

however we have friends whose 3-year-old molly mule just miscarried a baby... there are a very few cases of a mule being bred. it is very rare however.

hope this helps!

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Yep, that answers my question. Thank you. Funny how I never even thought about it before. I guess I just assumed they had no problem with mating to make more mule babies.

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[minimule]

I will add to Susan's post and say that some gelded johns WILL still mount a mare in heat. I have one that will and I have to keep him seperated during breeding season so he doesn't get my mares "dirty". The other older boy, he could care less about the girls.

 

[FoRebel]

Some where I read that horses have 64 chromosomes and donkeys only have 62 so the resulting mule foal will only have 63. I have also seen studies where the FEMALE mules were "bred" and some of them came up in foal. But I haven't seen any studies where a male mule "bred" anything. Here are some links to some pages about mules....

Mules

Sowhatchett Mule Farm - Mule Information

Hope this helps!

 

[KanoasDestiny]

So female mules still come into season or no?

 

[FoRebel]

If you look at the bottom of the page on Mules you will see that the Molly mules will come into a "heat" cycle but they are irregular cycles. It also states that ovulation is very rare in mules and hinnies.

Here is another site about Mules and Hinnies.

Happy reading!

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[KanoasDestiny]

Thanks for the sites!!!

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[minimule]

Speaking from personal experience since I do raise mules......

The mollys do come into heat and will show/stand for any male that will give them the time of day. My oldest molly will tease both my stallions and my jack until they just about can't stand themselves. She seems to come in just as regular as my mares do.

There have been several documented cases of mollys having foals. I used to have it somewhere but can't find it right now. There have also been an occasion or two where a molly mule will "adopt" an orphan and nurse it and raise it.

Some johns WILL breed a female they just don't impregnate them. If they are not gelded, the testosterone is there it just doesn't do anything for the egg.