How much is a Wutou donkey? Detailed buying guide included
The Wutou donkey is a strain of the famous Chinese donkey breed, the Dezhou donkey. It is mainly produced in the counties along the Bohai coast of the northern Shandong and eastern Hebei plains, with Wudi, Qingyun, Zhanhua, and Yangxin in Shandong and Yanshan and Nanpi in Hebei as the central production areas. Dezhou has long served as the collecting and distributing center, hence the name Dezhou donkey. Let us take a look at the price and rearing methods of the donkey below!
How much is a Wutou donkey?
The price of a Wutou donkey foal is about 2000 to 3000 yuan per head, with large price differences depending on quality, body weight and other factors. As a strain of the Dezhou donkey, the Wutou donkey is mainly produced in the Yellow River alluvial plain. It grows and develops quickly, reaching 93.2% of the adult donkey's height at 1 year of age. It shows sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months, begins mating at 2.5 years, and a female donkey can produce about 10 foals in her lifetime, or about 13 with the application of artificial insemination technology.
Buying method for the Wutou donkey
1. Spirit: The Wutou donkey foal should look full of energy and lively in temperament at first glance.
2. Body shape: Choose a meat donkey foal with a sturdy constitution and well-developed bones and muscles, with a square body.
3. Skin: A high-quality meat donkey foal's skin appears tight and elastic.
4. Head: The head should be moderate in size, the eyes large and bright, the ears erect, the nostrils round and large, and the teeth neatly arranged.
5. Neck and back: The neck should be long, wide and thick, the back and waist flat and straight, the front chest wide and deep, and the abdomen moderate in size and full-looking.
6. Limbs: The limbs should be straight, with strong and powerful joints.
Extended: Meat donkey breeds
1. Dezhou donkey: The Dezhou donkey grows and develops quickly, reaching sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months of age, begins mating at 2.5 years, and a female donkey can produce about 10 foals in her lifetime. When raised as a meat donkey, the slaughter rate can reach 53%, with a relatively high meat yield. It is an excellent sire breed for improving small donkeys.
2. Sanfen donkey: The Sanfen donkey is one of China's large donkey breeds and also an excellent local breed. It has currently been listed in the national local breed protection catalog. It has strong adaptability, tolerance to roughage, and strong disease resistance, and is deeply loved by farmers in various regions.
3. **donkey:** The **donkey tolerates roughage and has strong adaptability. Male donkeys begin mating at 2 to 3 years of age and female donkeys at 2 years. Under extensive rearing and heavy work, malnutrition and miscarriage rarely occur, and the survival rate of foals is above 90%.
4. Yunnan donkey: The Yunnan donkey reaches sexual maturity early and can mate and reproduce at 2 to 3 years of age, generally two births in 3 years. If raised specifically as a meat donkey, it can also produce one birth per year. The slaughter rate is 45 to 50%, the net meat rate is 30 to 34%, and the net meat amount per head is about 35 kg.
5. Guanzhong donkey: Guanzhong donkey foals grow and develop very quickly, reaching 93.4% of the adult donkey's height at 1.5 years of age and showing sexual maturity. At 3 years of age, both male and female donkeys can mate. A female donkey produces 5 to 8 births in her lifetime and has long been an important sire breed for improving small donkeys.
6. Guangling donkey: The reproductive performance of the Guangling donkey is similar to other breeds, except that it mostly comes into estrus from February to September, with March to May being the peak estrus season. It can produce 10 foals in its lifetime, with an average slaughter rate of 45.15% and a net meat rate of 30.6%, and has good breeding value.
7. Biyang donkey: The Biyang donkey is one of China's excellent medium-sized donkey breeds. It usually begins mating at 2.5 to 3 years of age. The estrus season is not obvious, but it is mostly concentrated from March to June. The reproductive life can reach 15 to 18 years of age, and the slaughter rate can reach about 50%.