If you plan to feed your donkeys hay during the winter months, ensure you have enough forage in store to see you through the winter as supplies could run out before the winter is over. Some owners limit grazing to fifteen minutes or half an hour each day, some an hour, or two or three. You should control the amount of grass and hay the donkeys eat each day to maintain ideal body condition. Spinach, by itself, may not hurt your stomach. Veterinary care should be sought immediately if you suspect poisoning of any kind, colic or any signs of ill health in your donkey. It can be fatal. Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that is generally cooked, but can also be eaten raw when young enough to be tender. It’s also one of our favorite dark leafy greens: tender, juicy, and endlessly useful in the kitchen. Since the spinach leaves contain many oxalates, it should only be fed on special occasions and that too in less amounts. Always provide a suitable balancer or mineral lick and permanent access to a clean water supply. Plants listed here as Safe may only be suitable for donkeys in small quantities – as extras to the diet. One of the most common misconceptions about cats is that they do not need vegetables. Wild donkeys typically grow to around 49 inches (125 centimeters) from hoof to shoulder and weight around 551 lbs. If in any doubt about the energy value or the quality of any feed, it is advisable to seek expert advice. In the wild, a donkey feeds on a variety of vegetation, from bark and shrubs to berries and grass. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi that can grow on plants, including grasses and cereal grains. Consider feeding your donkey chaff, a mixture of chopped up hay and/or straw. So, can dogs eat spinach? Seed Hay is also good for donkeys. Donkeys prefer to eat little and often. Unfortunately, the spinach that was primarily available back then was the nasty, cooked to death kind that came in a can. Brown blotch disease, identified by brown spots on the underside of the leaves, has also been known to affect some clovers. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Freshly cut hay should be stored in a dry barn for at least three months before feeding. Some have added oil, molasses, minerals, herbs or hoof growth supplements whilst others are high fibre and molasses free. That is not true. The safety of plants for any individual donkey depends upon a wide range of factors. Can spinach make your stomach hurt? Hi, you might find my listing of suppliers useful: https://donkeywise.org/shopping/equipment/ or you might be better trying garden centres or doing a Google search for suppliers in your area. They're more economical, as they can (and should) eat lower-quality forage. If it is possible provide access to several sources of water to increase the choices available to your donkey, enriching their environment and encouraging them to drink sufficient amounts. In special circumstances old or sick donkeys eat additional high fibre feeds and supplements to help maintain their body weight. Although you do not have to worry if your cat tastes like spinach it’s best not to put this vegetable in your hairy friend’s diet. Reduce the risk by mixing the new hay with the previous year’s hay, or mix it with straw over a few days so there is a gradual change over. Staring at the laptop screen and into our smartphones can weaken the eye muscles. Home; Shop; Blog; About Us; FAQ; Contact Us; info@livelypaws.com; info@livelypaws.com; 0. Spinach boosts memory. Image: Shutterstock. By Bill Bradle y. June 23, 2015. spinach-fitness-popeye.jpg. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. We recommend feeding donkeys quality barley straw as it is high in fibre and low in sugar, and closely resembles the food that a donkey would eat in the wild. Sugar beet, a by-product of the sugar industry, is a useful food given in small amounts to tempt a sick donkey to eat or to help an elderly donkey or underweight donkey gain condition. Instead our donkeys have access to barley straw and are fed a controlled amount of hay or haylage according to their body condition. Wheat straw is very fibrous and has lower energy values, but may be fed to young healthy donkeys with a good set of teeth. Consumption of affected clover in large quantities can cause liver damage. Haylage is semi-wilted grass that has been allowed to dry to only 55-65% dry matter (as compared to 85% in hay). Water is perhaps the most essential of all nutrients since without it life cannot continue for longer than a few days, or less in adverse conditions. DISCLAIMER: I am not a qualified equine nutritionist or veterinarian. Some donkeys, particularly the old or unwell, don’t like drinking very cold water, so it may be a good idea to provide warm water in the winter, particularly if you are unsure if your donkey is drinking enough. Knowing what donkeys eat is not enough in maintaining donkeys. Yes, bearded dragons can eat spinach, but there is a catch associated with it. Overeating bark, twigs or leaves can lead to colic. All feed stuffs should be of high quality. Watch Queue Queue. Click here for guidance on identifying and controlling Ragwort. Clovers along with Alfalfa, Lespedezia, Soybean and Lupins have been known to be infected with the Rhizoctonia leguminicola fungus, which can cause Slaframine poisoning if consumed in large quantities. We have successfully used TopSpec Donkey Forage Balancer for donkeys on weight loss or maintenance diets and TopSpec Comprehensive Balancer for those with extra nutritional needs such as growing, breeding, underweight, ill or elderly donkeys. Self magazine gives this green, leafy vegetable a score of 91 out of 100 for nutrient balance, meaning that it's well-balanced, complete nutrition. Professional advice should be sought. Planning a visit to Sidmouth between 19 Dec and 4 Jan? High fibre pellets are a good choice if you need more than grass, hay and straw to build up the weight of an old or underweight donkey. Spinach is a dark, leafy green vegetable that is packed with vitamins and other nutrients. It can have numerous health benefits and mirrors how they feed in the wild. Donkeys love to graze all day but will eat everything in sight if they can, so if you’re looking after donkeys, it’s important to feed them a healthy diet. Blocks designed for other livestock may be toxic to donkeys as some contain inappropriate mineral levels. Nuts and Seeds are high in protein and fat so should be given in small quantities as an occasional treat or not at all and should be unsalted and unflavoured. The safety of plants is… If hay is in short supply in your area (or if it is very expensive) then you could look at the following alternatives. Do not suddenly introduce freshly cut hay to the donkey’s diet as it could cause colic or laminitis. Poisonous Plants often don’t appeal to donkeys and in most cases they will only resort to eating them if there is little else available, or if they are bored. Donkeys have a sweet tooth and can put on weight easily if they eat the wrong foods, or too much lush grass or rich hay, which can lead to potential health problems. In captivity, a donkey requires high-fiber foods, such as barley and hay, with only small amounts of low-fiber grasses. Buckley the Therapy Donkey, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Adel, Merlin and Arya, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, Equine Dentistry Workshop, Donkey Welfare Symposium USA, The Donkey’s Bedroom, la Gîte des 4 Vents, Méthamis, SAFE = Plants that are non-toxic and safe in appropriate quantities, CAUTION = Plants that can be harmful in certain circumstances, UNSAFE = Plants that are poisonous and should be avoided entirely, CAUTION: Garlic (can cause anaemia, long-term use in raw or dried form unsafe, even in small quantities), Devil’s Ivy, Dumb Cane, Elephant’s Ear (all), Flamingo Flower, Philodendron (all), Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Oleander, Peace Lily / Black Calla, Satin Pothos / Silver Vine, Selloum, Skunk Cabbage, Solomon’s Lily, CAUTION: Hawaiian Ti Plant / Cabbage Palm /, CAUTION: Quinoa (too high in protein), Sugar Beet (too high in sugar in raw form but safe when processed and unmolassed), CAUTION: Common Comfrey (leaves used in herbal remedies in very small quantities, most toxic in root, long-term use not advised), CAUTION: Buttercup (safe unless consumed in very large quantities), Monkshood / Wolf’s Bane (toxic in raw form but safe when dried, used in herbal remedies), CAUTION: Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage (White, Red, Savoy), Collard Greens, Kale, Pennycress, Radish, Swede / Rutabaga, Turnip, Watercress (large quantities of any of these can cause colic), CAUTION: Baby’s Breath / Maiden’s Breath (can irritate the skin), Chickweed (unsafe in large quantities). Here are Five Reasons Why You Should 1. The amount of grass donkeys have access to is controlled, either by strip grazing using electric fencing or by co-grazing with other species to prevent them from becoming overweight. Anxiety, confusion, depression, fatigue, and forgetfulness among them. Restaurants there mostly get donkey meat from local farms and there are a number of butcher shops dedicated to horse meat and donkey meat. Some plants are common feed for donkeys and mostly problem-free – but with some instances of toxicity. It wasn’t until my family started growing spinach in our own garden that I learned to love it’s tender, sweet, fresh-picked leaves in a salad or lightly stir fried with lemon and butter. There are many brands on the market selling high fibre pellets. We only eat baby spinach raw over here. These contain variable amounts of chopped rye, timothy or alfalfa grasses and oat straw. I hope this helps. It’s great to give donkeys access to a wide range of plants and herbs in addition to their main diet. Safe Trees and Shrubs for Donkeys The Donkey Sanctuary UK, Poisonous Plants and Trees The Donkey Sanctuary UK, Plants Poisonous to Horses: An Australian Field Guide Mellisa Offord, Which Grass is Best for Horses and What to Avoid greenpet.com, Ergot Intoxication in Perennial Ryegrass National Center for Biotechnology Information, Database of Toxic Plants in the United States University of Idaho, Information on controlling Ergot Toxicity in Cereals Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Producers finding ergot in cereal crops, grasses due to wet spring The Prairie Star, Molds and Mycotoxins in Horse Feed The Horse.com, Grasses, Rushes & Sedges Naturespot.org.uk. Do not over feed your donkey; check the body condition of your donkey regularly. But, if you eat spinach, this won’t be a problem for you. Fruit and vegetables can be fed in small amounts (one or two a day) to provide variety and encourage a healthy appetite. Haylage can be very variable in terms of nutritional levels; some haylage may be too high in energy to feed to donkeys. Meadow Hay is a natural mix of grasses made from grass grown on old pasture and is suitable for feeding to donkeys. Donkeys eat dry matter and fibrous foods such as straw, hay, bark and shrubs. Pregnant mares and foals are especially susceptible to ergot alkaloids. Celery, Chervil / Garden Chervil / French Parsley, Coriander / Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Dhania, Cow Parsley, Dill. The safety of plants is not straightforward though, as many donkey owners will know. Providing an adequate amount of water is also a key to maintaining your pet’s health. A donkey is a grazing animal and most often eats hay and other feeds. Please note: Plant safety depends on numerous factors, which need to be taken into account by individual owners. Oxalate grasses include Brachiaria (Signal grass), Buffel, Guinea, Kikuyu, Pangola, Para and Setaria grasses. Place enough straw in the feeder so that they can browse through it. 15 Surprisingly Delicious Ways to Eat Spinach. Sugar beet is a source of succulent, nutritious, digestible fibre when added to the feed, although it cannot be fed as a replacement to hay. Your Cart is Empty. However it could be fed mixed with a higher ratio of straw. If there are any signs of mould or yeast growth on a bale once opened it should be discarded, as should any uneaten haylage as this could be toxic to the donkeys. Donkeys enjoy foraging and they are mostly pretty good at finding the nutrients they need. Feeding donkeys straw and other forages We often get asked about feeding straw and other forages. Watch Queue Queue High fibre pellets can be soaked down to a mash, which is particularly useful for donkeys with poor teeth. It’s great to give donkeys access to a wide range of plants and herbs in addition to their main diet. They should not be fed raw. Hay and straw should be grain-free. Always buy feed from a reputable distributor and store it in cool, dry conditions. Gently wash 300g spinach leaves in a bowl under a cold, running tap then tip into a colander to drain. Contradictory and confusing answers have been given as to whether it is healthy and safe to feed cats with this food. Care must be taken that the donkey does not eat the pellets too quickly, as it may cause colic, so add water and mix with a small quantity of low sugar chaff when introducing pellets for the first time. You’ll need a ticket. $0.00 Subtotal; Checkout; Home; Shop; Blog; About Us; FAQ; Contact Us; Previous / Next . Remember late cut hay will have lower energy values, which may suit your donkeys if they are overweight and require forage with a lower energy content, but not if they are elderly/underweight donkeys that need feeding up. ( Log Out /  Some use a dry lot in spring and grazing in summer and some don’t … The disease was first recognized in South Africa in the early 1700s. CAUTION: Aniseed, Dill (safe in small quantities). This type of hay provides a much lower energy source than early cut hay and for that reason it is fine for feeding to donkeys. This article tells you everything you need to know about spinach. This video is unavailable. Symptoms of chronic oxalate-related poisoning include colic, diarrhoea, lameness and swelling of the head (Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism or Big Head syndrome). Grass infected with ergot can be identified by the presence of long black or purple structures where the seeds should be. 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