A Detailed Guide to Donkey Farming Techniques and Feeding Management Methods
Donkey farming is a project that has gradually become popular in recent years, known for its high quality and high yield. The sales directions for donkeys themselves are also relatively broad: donkey hide can be made into ejiao, donkey meat is widely renowned, and breeding stock is in short supply. Add to this the fact that the donkey itself is an extremely adaptable livestock species, and there is every reason for its popularity. So let's learn together with the editor about how to raise donkeys.
1. Site and Shed Construction
Donkey farming generally combines indoor and outdoor rearing; the indoor area is used for overwintering or preparing for harsh weather, while daily rearing takes place outdoors. The site is similar to cattle sheds and the like, and should make use of air circulation, with lighting points evenly distributed. The donkey pens are divided into stalls with railings, and the feed troughs are located along the walkway, about 30-50 cm above the ground. Water troughs are placed inside for convenient drinking, and 2-3 sq m of activity space is reserved for each donkey. The outdoor area is surrounded by railings, with feed troughs placed inside, tied around the railings and arranged in a trough-like distribution. The ground can simply be ordinary dirt ground; no special care is needed.
2. Management of Young Donkeys
The first thing to prepare for young donkeys is vaccination, so that they have a certain resistance. The food fed to them should mainly be in paste form, which can be a mixture of wheat flour, corn flour and the like, and about one-third of the total feeding amount in concentrated feed needs to be added each day to ensure their nutritional supply. After 2 weeks, start feeding roughage, accounting for about half of the total amount, and gradually increase it; forage grass, sweet potato leaves and similar items can be used for feeding. The food fed in the early stage must be finely processed, that is, it needs to be chopped up, so that young donkeys can digest it quickly.
3. Fattening Meat Donkeys
After about one month, they enter the formal fattening period, and at this time you should gradually consider how to rapidly increase their lean meat rate. Fattening at this stage emphasizes many meals and small amounts, ensuring that there is always feed in the trough. Each time new food is added, the trough should be cleaned, so as to prevent the previous residue from being eaten again and increasing the chance of disease. At this time, forage grass and the like should be chopped up, but some corn stalks and similar materials only need to be slightly broken, as this can increase the donkeys' appetite and effectively reduce their degree of anorexia. Roughage should be the main feed, with concentrated feed as a supplement to provide nutrition. In daily practice, you can place some fresh forage of different varieties in the donkey pens to keep their interest in the food fresh.
4. Points to Note
Donkeys absorb water very thoroughly, so the water source for drinking must be kept clean, and sewage water must not be used. Hygiene is something unavoidable in any farming operation, so the donkey pens must be cleaned every day. When raising them, the types should be well separated; male donkeys are relatively strong and can easily injure female donkeys, especially during estrus, so separate rearing is recommended. Donkeys have the habit of rubbing against railings to relieve parasites, so when you notice donkeys frequently rubbing against the railings, pay attention to deworming; the railings should also be checked regularly and repaired promptly if rubbed damaged, to avoid accidental injury.
The above are some of the processes involved in donkey farming techniques. Raising donkeys requires a certain amount of patience, and everyone should be mentally prepared for this. Under normal circumstances, donkeys are very docile, so you do not need to worry too much about being hurt by them when raising them. For more on donkey farming, you can follow our website.