A Detailed Guide to Donkey Breeding Technology and Feeding Management Methods
The donkey farming industry is part of traditional animal husbandry. It is transforming from providing auxiliary power for agriculture to producing meat and hides, and is rapidly developing from small-scale, low-profit operations to medium-scale, high-profit ones. Today, please follow us as we take a look at donkey breeding technology!
Prospects for Donkey Farming
1. Meat donkeys have characteristics such as strong disease resistance, a high survival rate, and broad natural ecological adaptability, which allows meat donkey raisers to reduce costs and open up greater profit margins. Meat donkeys have fewer diseases than mules, horses, cattle, and sheep, especially fewer gastrointestinal diseases than horses. Generally, as long as immunization is done well, the donkey pen is kept clean and dry, appropriate lighting, ventilation and stocking density are maintained, donkey feed is supplied, and sufficient clean drinking water is provided, donkeys rarely get sick. The conception rate and foaling rate of donkeys are both 90%, and the foal-rearing rate and survival-to-maturity rate reach 95%. Meat donkeys have broad natural ecological adaptability, tolerate heat and thirst, drink little water, and have poor cold tolerance. They are distributed more in dry and hot areas and are not suitable for living in high-cold mountainous areas or severely cold, humid regions. The areas of western Shandong, southeastern Shandong, and northern Shandong are very suitable for raising donkeys, and most rural areas of China can also raise them on a scale.
2. Meat donkeys are docile and like to live in groups. They can be grazed or kept in pens using orchards and hillside land, and can be fed with ordinary feed plus green grass. Generally, grasses account for about 80% of the feed, small miscellaneous grains are their concentrate feed, and the straw of small miscellaneous grains is their roughage. They are also suitable for factory farming. If their growth rate needs to be accelerated, compound feed or complete pellet feed can be fed.
3. Selecting a suitable donkey breed according to local feeding conditions and market demand is the key point of investing in this project. The quality of the donkeys directly affects fattening efficiency and future development. Chinese donkeys are divided into three categories according to body size: large donkeys, medium donkeys, and small donkeys. For raising donkeys, medium donkeys are preferable, followed by large donkeys, while small donkeys are mostly used for making Ejiao, and their meat can also be put on the market.
4. Donkey milk is also highly valuable. Donkey milk is extremely similar to human milk, and the proportion of its nutritional components accounts for almost 99% of the components contained in human milk, making it the best substitute for human milk; moreover, donkey milk has the effect of moisturizing the skin and improving the facial environment.
5. The donkey resembles a horse in appearance, is mostly grayish-brown, and is not imposing or majestic. It has a large head, long ears, a somewhat narrow chest, and thin, weak limbs. Although its torso is short, it is longer than its limbs, so its body height and body length are not equal, forming a small rectangular shape. Its neck has thin skin and thick flesh, its hooves are small and solid, and its constitution is robust with very strong resistance. Donkeys are very sturdy, tolerate rough management, are not prone to illness, and have advantages such as a docile temperament, hard work and endurance, and obedience to labor.
6. Donkeys can be used for plowing and riding. Plowing 6-7 hours a day can cultivate 2.5-3 mu. In rural areas, they can also be ridden to market, and they are suitable for pack transport in mountainous areas and for family labor use.
7. Donkey meat is also a delicacy at banquets, and its meat is fine and delicious. There has long been a saying, “Dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth.” According to measurements, every 100 grams of donkey meat contains 18.6 grams of protein, 0.7 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of calcium, 144 milligrams of phosphorus, 13.6 milligrams of iron, and 80 kilocalories of calories. Its protein content is higher than that of beef and pork, making it a typical high-protein, low-fat food. Donkey meat has the functions of nourishing blood, replenishing qi, tonifying deficiency, and nourishing yin and strengthening yang, and is an ideal health food.
8. Donkey hide can be made into leather and is also the main raw material for making the precious traditional Chinese medicine Ejiao.
After looking at the prospects for donkey farming, let us now take a look at donkey breeding technology. This technology plays a key role in the success or failure of donkey farming.
Donkey Breeding Technology
1. Sexual maturity: When a donkey foal grows and develops to a certain point, its reproductive organs have basically fully developed, the female donkey begins to come into heat normally and releases eggs, and the male donkey shows sexual desire and has reproductive capacity. This is called sexual maturity. The time of sexual maturity is affected by many factors such as breed, external natural conditions, and feeding management. Generally, donkey foals reach sexual maturity at 1-1.5 years of age.
2. Age at first mating: This refers to the age at first breeding. After sexual maturity, the donkey foal's body continues to develop, and it can only be bred when it reaches a certain age and weight. Breeding too early will affect the donkey's body development. Female donkeys reach body maturity at 3.5-5 years of age, so the suitable age for first mating is 3 years old, when they reach 90% of adult body weight. Male donkeys generally cannot be formally used for breeding until 4 years of age.
3. Estrus season: Donkeys are seasonally polyestrous animals. Generally, they enter the peak estrus period from March to June each year, and estrus weakens during the intense heat of July to August. The estrus period extends until late autumn, when they enter the anestrous period. The season when female donkeys come into heat more concentratedly is called the estrus season, and it is also the period when estrus and mating are most concentrated. Under conditions of suitable climate and good feeding management, female donkeys can also come into heat year-round. However, foals born in autumn have low birth weight, a low survival rate, and poor weaning weight and growth development. The estrus months of several donkey breeds are listed in Table 25.
4. Estrus cycle: This refers to the interval from the beginning of one estrus to the beginning of the next estrus, or from one ovulation to the next ovulation. The estrus cycle is a normal reproductive physiological phenomenon in female donkeys. Along with changes in the reproductive tract, a series of physiological changes occur inside and outside the female donkey's body. One estrus period includes proestrus, estrus, metestrus (ovulation period), and diestrus (resting period). The average estrus cycle of female donkeys is 21 days, with a range of 10-33 days. For Guanzhong donkeys, those with an estrus cycle of 18-21 days account for 71%. Dezhou donkeys average 22 days. The main factors affecting the length of the estrus cycle are climate and feeding management conditions.
5. Postpartum estrus: The first estrus that appears shortly after a female donkey gives birth is called postpartum estrus. Female donkeys are similar to female horses; they can come into heat and be bred within a few days after foaling, and they conceive easily. The first mating about half a month after giving birth is commonly called “blood mating,” “mating the blood foal,” or “mating the hot foal.” Female donkeys in postpartum estrus do not show estrus symptoms such as “lip smacking” and “ear flattening,” but rectal examination does reveal follicular development. From 5-7 days after foaling, developing follicles appear on the ovaries of female donkeys, and they continue to develop until ovulation, all without external signs of estrus. For Guanzhong female donkeys, the first postpartum ovulation is mostly concentrated at 12-14 days after foaling.
6. Duration of estrus: This refers to the number of days from the beginning of estrus to ovulation. The duration of estrus in donkeys is 3-14 days, generally 5-8 days. According to statistics on 172 estrus durations of Guanzhong donkeys, the average was 6.1 days. 80% of female donkeys were mostly concentrated within 4-7 days. The length of the estrus duration varies with the female donkey's age, nutritional status, season, temperature, and the severity of labor. Generally, female donkeys that are younger, overly fat, or overworked have a longer estrus duration; otherwise, it is shorter. In the colder north, female donkeys begin estrus as early as February to March each year, which is the so-called “cold donkeys, hot horses.” However, the estrus duration in early spring is longer, follicular development is slow, and phenomena such as multiple follicular development and alternating follicular development on both ovaries often occur, sometimes lasting up to 20 days or longer. It generally returns to normal from April onward.
7. Pregnancy and gestation period: After a female donkey comes into heat and accepts mating, the sperm and egg combine and fertilize, which is called pregnancy. The period from conception to parturition, during which the fetus develops in the uterus, is called the gestation period. Donkeys have a single-fetus pregnancy, though in individual cases there are also twins. The gestation period of donkeys is generally 365 days. However, depending on the female donkey's age, the sex of the fetus, and the quality of body condition, the length of gestation varies, but the difference does not exceed 1 month, generally differing by about 10 days.