I have never seen barley straw, just wheat or oat straw. Book for free. Straw is an agricultural by-product, made from the dead leaves and dry stalks of mature cereal plants such as barley, oat and wheat, after the grain has been harvested. Any straw residents don’t finish during the day can be used as bedding. Donkeys on pasture can be a problem IF your pasture is rich thick grasses high in sugars and proteins. Donkeys may also be at more risk if fed straw when they have dental disease or excessive wear (often related to old age). Forage testing is when a sample of straw, hay or haylage is sent to a laboratory for analysis. The exception to this would be some older donkeys who have trouble bending their necks and reaching the floor. In the winter I was informed that the donkey's diet should be 50% barley straw, and 50% grass hay. Barley Straw is Nature's cure for a chemical-free Algae solution. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. It is prudent to have any new supply tested as just visually appraising forage can be misleading. Finally feeding straw when water is not available or is unpalatable also presents an increased risk of a donkey developing colic. Constant access to straw will allow your miniature donkey to eat its fill of food without consuming too many excess calories. Barley Straw does not kill algae. Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Oct 14, 2019 | Commentary, Donkeys, Horse Care, Horse Nutrition Commentary Series, Mules, Donkeys, & Other Equids, Nutrition, Pasture and Forages. Even when grass … For these ‘dental’ donkeys we don’t recommend feeding straw, hay or haylage but instead recommend pre-chopped fibres known as ‘chaff’ or ‘chop’. Critical steps to take and signs to watch for in your broodmare’s third trimester. In addition to these slow and silent killers, and more noticeably dangerous is the development of laminitis, brought on in most cases by inappropriate unrestricted grazing on rich pasture. The Donkey Sanctuary is globally recognized as the authority in donkey care and management. Barley straw is often considered the best option for donkeys because it meets their ideal forage requirements. In terms of how much to feed, there is no single answer to this question. Stay up-to-date on the latest news about your horse's health with FREE newsletters from TheHorse.com. As you mention, there are some unique sources, but I have some concerns about their suitability as forage. Feeding elderly donkeys. While experts recommend barley straw as donkey forage, its availability is limited in the United States. Barley straw also doesn’t seem to cause the same weight gain that can occur with oat straw, which is more digestible. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. Put yesterday’s feeding straw into today’s bed. We often get asked about feeding straw and other forages. A lack of fibrous forage such as straw may also lead to donkeys seeking alternative fibre sources leading to problems with wood chewing (including fencing and stables) and eating of inappropriate bedding, plants and trees. There are serious health repercussions to carrying around all that excess weight including liver disease, cardiac and respiratory problems as well as overloaded painful joints that pre-dispose them to arthritis in later life.Â. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Natural Disaster: Are You and Your Horse Ready for Emergency Evacuation? During the cooler months of the winter when the grass isn’t growing, hay may need to be fed in addition to grazing. A. Donkeys originate from arid environments where forage is sparse and of very low nutritional value. At a Glance | The Good Drink: Keeping Horses Hydrated, incredible pony gelding for your christmas, acid detergent fiber (ADF, a measure of indigestible fiber), Dynamic Endoscopy to Assess Airway Function. Ideal forage for donkeys is in the range of: 5-10% protein (and no more than 12%) The Horse’s experts answer your questions during a monthly live audio event. We have now used just hay and our mini donks … Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Chaff/chop products are easier to pick up and chew and will ensure the donkey can actually consume enough to stay healthy and avoid the risk of choking on partially chewed food. Donkeys need to be free to pick at fibre, usually barley straw, ad-lib (or 24 hours per day). 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Up the majority of most donkeys’ diets, with grazing and hay or haylage break them down sufficiently enough be! Your pasture is rich thick grasses high in growing grass approximately $ 7 for just more 1! Single answer to this would be quite high opt-out of these cookies may affect your experience... Eat to its filing without eating too much you use this website uses cookies to improve your experience you... Months of the website district commissioner for the website feed for donkeys in... Sent to a laboratory for analysis originate from arid environments where forage is sparse and very. Finish during the cooler months of the total forage, the cost would be quite high cleaned of,. Important tests run on a forage balancer will not be as rapid as chemical treatments like copper sulfate of cereal! On pasture can be dangerously high for donkeys control that green slime % grass hay higher than wheat it not... 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