Donkey Update

I am happy and relieved to report that Chloe is back to her old self...
completely!


Last week's treatment 
(tube through the nose into the stomach to give mineral oil)
put all systems back in check.
No blockages.
No belly ache.

So, once again we are tweaking the donkeys' diet.

They remain on grass (by way of a grazing muzzle)...
out to graze each morning...


and hay...
by way of these new slow feeders.


We simply put a flake of hay into the feeder and drop the insert on top of the hay...
leaving only what you can see through the holes exposed for nibbling.
This slows down their consumption and makes them work for their dinner.


I had to order two because chubby Daphne would chase Chloe away if there were only one.


So, if one of them becomes possessive of a feeder, there is always another one to visit.


By the time they have finished a portion, the feeders are moved across the dry lot.
These feeders are extremely sturdy.
I would bet they will last my lifetime.
I like them much better than a hay bag, because the donkeys get to eat 
in the same position they graze in... nose to the ground.

We are still left with the problem of them eating their fence, however.
If anyone has any suggestions... I would welcome them!


Now if I could just put Christmas cookies in a slow feeder!
Or, perhaps I just need a grazing muzzle!
I may be addicted to cookie decorating.
Here is yesterday's batch...


Comments

GeorgiaHoneyBee said…
One thing is for sure - animals keep you guessing! I love your cookies! I did attempt to do cookies over the weekend - and it was not the peaceful, artistic morning I had in mind. Each child had a mind of their own (which is good)- and I decided that on the next round - I'm getting up super early and doing a couple batches myself - ALONE - while they are sleeping! :-) I need wine the next time I do a group cookie activity... (or maybe I need four complete sets of everything...THATS an idea...)
Anonymous said…
thankgoodness all is well in donkey land again, its so scary when animals are unwell, if we could only speak to the animals, like dr dolittle lol,, your cookies are amazing, such beautiful trees, I have just rejoined to follow your blog, I have been away from blogging for a while and have missed your posts,, I was gifted one of your beautiful aprons by Joyce at October farm and wear it almost daily so I think of you often lol,, thank you for sharing your beautiful cookies, thats a good addiction if I ever saw one lol,,
Colleen said…
Way to go chloe!! Those feeders sure are a neat invention.
I would hate to have to choose which decorated cookie I liked best.
We had a pony that liked to chew wood and the vet recommend a "cribbing collar" which worked very well....don't know if they make them in donkey size. Love the blog...!!
WendyFromNY said…
Could you wrap the fence in something...chicken wire? Or put some type of wire fence lining the inside of the area? Cattle panels?
stitcher said…
Your cookies are amazing. Your creativity never ends, luckily for all of us. Love all the animal tales too. Life is never dull on a farm, always some new challenge. Merry Christmas to you and the family. Carol
jaz@octoberfarm said…
the cookies are gorgeous. i would love to see a decorating tutorial!? the donkey's are cribbing! cribbing collars should work. i had a horse that did that a lot and used one on him! they tend to crib when they are bored.
I use the HayChix nets with 1" holes and I put them on the ground for natural "grazing". You may find that the portagrazer does not slow them down enough to keep them happy and you may want to try putting the nets inside them, under the insert.

Feeding donkeys in this climate is difficult because the feed is too rich. Limiting their hay too much may keep their weight down, but will cause other problems, such as ulcers, anxiety, behaviour problems and wood chewing. If you are going to feed hay, look for very late-cut first cutting, such as late July/ August even Sept. Get the best quality "bad" hay you can find and feed out of slow feeders.

Feeding hay, you may have to accept a certain degree of pudge to prevent other health problems. The key is low sugar, coarse hay in super slow feeders. I even double up the nets sometimes. Your girls look great.
Buy a big bottle of franks redhot - and literally paint it on the top of the rails they are eating with a basting brush.

I agree about accepting a little hay pudge to avoid other issues like ulcers, etc. They are intended to graze constantly. It's difficult - my minis are hay pudgy.

Thefarmerswife said…
We put in white vinyl fence around our house years ago, but had a horse that cribbed. We already had 3 strands of electric fence around the rest farm so we ran it on the back of the vinyl. Horse never cribbed. Bull has never used it for scratching. Dogs, goats or even chickens wont touch it after that first time. Works wonders for us.
An American in Tokyo said…
Your cookies look too beautiful to eat!!!

I heard that you can use a spray bottle to put tabasco on fences!
The smell alone might deter them!
Good luck!
diane in northern wis said…
So glad to hear your donkey is doing better. How much is a Flake of hay? Wow...your cookies look so professional. Too bad you don't sell them.....they look delicious as well as beautiful! Always a great blog, Bev!
This N That said…
Glad Chloe is better..The new feeders look like a great idea...Who is eating all those cookies? They are too pretty to eat.