Key Considerations for Meat Donkey Farming and Xinjiang Donkey Raising and Management Techniques

Our country has a long history of raising donkeys, spanning more than four thousand years to date. Donkeys have a gentle temperament, tolerate coarse feed, and have high economic value, making them deeply loved by farmers everywhere. So what should be noted when farming meat donkeys? What are the raising and management techniques for Xinjiang donkeys?

1. Considerations for meat donkey farming:

1. Feed: Donkeys are herbivores. Their forage is best when it consists of dry, hard, brittle crop stalks. For example, use a mower to cut corn, millet, beans and other hard stalks into small pieces 3-4 cm long. Feeding half-dry, half-wet, folded and continuous grass should be avoided most of all. This kind of feed is most likely to cause donkeys to develop “impaction” disease. At the same time, supplement with ingredients such as peas, corn, roasted cottonseed or wheat bran. They should be fed once in the morning, at noon and in the evening, mainly feeding later in the day. Each time, first add a single type of grass (that is, straw-like grass) to fill them, then feed grass (that is, straw mixed with grass containing higher protein, such as alfalfa and vines) to stimulate their appetite. When they show signs of stopping eating, feed grass (that is, mixing the grass left at the bottom of the trough with complete feed such as peas, corn and roasted cottonseed, or with wheat bran and a small amount of water), to entice them to reach their maximum food intake.

2. Confined breeding: For intensive meat donkey fattening, confined breeding is best. General enclosures can provide as much shelter from rain and wind as possible. There should be troughs inside the pen, and each donkey should be allotted 60-80 cm of feeding space. Among adult donkeys, set up sturdy fences as barriers according to the distance between feeding positions, to prevent them from disturbing each other (this is even more important when males and females are fenced together).

3. Breeding: Choose those with a larger body size, tolerance of coarse feed, strong disease resistance, good adaptability, good reproductive performance, and good feeding rewards. At present, meat donkeys are mostly bred by mating within the same breed, and can also be crossbred with horses. Intensive breeding can use artificial insemination to collect good genetic material for selection. This is beneficial for population breeding and speeds up the cultivation and promotion of improved breeds.

4. Disease prevention: Meat donkeys are more resistant to coarse feed than horses and cattle, and also more resistant to disease. However, this does not mean there is no disease. Especially under breeding conditions, the policy of “combining prevention and treatment, with prevention first” must be strictly implemented, with even more attention to environmental hygiene to prevent infectious diseases. Meat donkeys, like mules, are prone to infectious anemia, gangrene and tetanus.

2. To raise donkeys well, the following points should be noted:

1. When donkeys leave the pen from the trough, they should be allowed to drink clean water; drinking contaminated water or dirty water is prohibited.

2. Maintain good feed and drinking hygiene. There should be no overnight manure in the enclosure, and troughs must be cleaned and disinfected regularly. The enclosure should be built far away from villages to prevent infection from disease.

3. Each time donkeys enter or leave the pen, especially after finishing work, let them roll a few times (rolling is the best way for donkeys, as hoofed animals, to rest), and brush them with the head facing up. This is not only good for cleaning the skin, but also helps promote blood circulation and improve physical health.

4. Observe frequently. Once a donkey is found to be unwell, or shows decreased feeding, a veterinarian must be called immediately for treatment; do not delay.

5. When males and females are kept together, attention should be paid to disturbance. Disturbance can not only cause miscarriage in female donkeys, but also cause accidental injuries from collisions with each other, leading to tetanus. Therefore, setting up stronger and better feeding barriers is beneficial for large-scale breeding.

3. Raising and management techniques for Xinjiang donkeys

There are many herders in the Xinjiang region. The Xinjiang donkey was domesticated through a long period of artificial raising, and they are relatively concentrated in Kashgar, Hotan and Turpan. They are very docile, and herders often use them to pull carts, carry things, or hitch them to donkey carts. Xinjiang donkeys have stronger adaptability, being able to withstand temperatures of -40°C as well as high temperatures of 45°C. The Xinjiang donkey is a relatively good breed; besides having a strong physique, its meat has good nutritional value, and donkey meat is also favored by the consumer industry, which is also the reason many people raise it.

1. To raise donkeys in the Xinjiang region, there should be a suitable living environment. The construction of the donkey shed should be determined according to factors such as local temperature changes and the production needs of the donkey farm being used, with a north-south or southeast-facing double-slope donkey shed being most commonly used. The donkey shed should have a certain number and size of windows or vents to ensure sufficient sunlight and air circulation. A cement-structured disinfection pool should be installed at the entrance of the donkey shed door. The main facilities inside the donkey shed include donkey beds, troughs, manure passages, manure ditches, drinking water troughs, vents, etc., regulating harmful gases and temperature in the shed through windows or vents. At the same time, promptly remove manure to reduce harmful gas emissions and ensure that the environment inside the donkey shed meets national standards.

2. Xinjiang donkeys are herbivores. Their forage is best when it consists of dry, hard, brittle crop stalks. Straw-type crops can be planted as green feed grass; feed with a moisture content above 60% is rich in chlorophyll, named for its green color, and various weeds, cultivated forage grasses and fresh crop grasses are all green feed.

Artificially cultivated forage grasses such as hn-mc Youyou corn grass and hn-mc excellent Gaodan are more suitable for feeding. Straw-type grass should be cut into short sections 3-4 cm long. Feeding half-dry, half-wet, folded and continuous grass should be avoided most of all. This kind of grass is most likely to cause donkeys to develop “impaction” disease. At the same time, supplement with ingredients such as peas, corn, roasted cottonseed or wheat bran. They should be fed once in the morning, at noon and in the evening, mainly feeding in the evening. Each time, first add a single type of grass (that is, straw-like grass) to fill them, then feed grass (that is, straw mixed with grass containing higher protein, such as alfalfa and vines) to stimulate their appetite. When they show signs of stopping eating, feed grass (that is, mixing the grass left at the bottom of the trough with complete feed such as peas, corn and roasted cottonseed, or with wheat bran and a small amount of water), to entice them to reach their maximum food intake.

3. For intensively raised meat donkeys, farmers are best to use pen and stable raising. General enclosures can provide as much shelter from rain and wind as possible. There should be troughs inside the pen, and each donkey should be allotted 60-80 cm of feeding space. Among adult donkeys, set up sturdy fences as barriers according to the distance between feeding positions, to prevent them from disturbing each other (this is even more important when males and females are fenced together).

4. In terms of feeding management, raisers should choose female donkeys with a good body shape, high birth rate and large body size. At present, meat donkeys are mostly bred by mating within the same breed, and can also be crossbred with horses. Intensive breeding can use artificial insemination to collect good genetic material for selection. This is beneficial for population breeding and speeds up the cultivation and promotion of improved breeds.

5. In terms of disease prevention, meat donkeys are more resistant to coarse feed than horses and cattle, and also more resistant to disease. However, this does not mean there is no disease. Especially under intensive breeding conditions, the policy of “combining prevention and treatment” must be strictly implemented, with even more attention to environmental hygiene to prevent infectious diseases. Donkeys, like mules, are prone to infectious anemia, gangrene and tetanus. Raisers should strengthen hygiene and disinfection management and promptly identify problems.