Detailed Guide to Meat Donkey Breeding Technology, a Practical Guide for Farmers

Donkey farming is now a relatively popular specialty breeding project in China. The nutritional value of donkey meat is very high, and donkey hide is one of the main raw materials for Ejiao, and various parts of the body, such as hair, bones, and fat, all have a wide range of uses. So when we raise meat donkeys, how should we breed them? Below, the editor brings you the breeding technology for meat donkeys. Let's take a look!

1. Estrus Identification

The estrus period of meat donkeys is relatively long, so when raising them, in order to ensure that the breeding time for meat donkeys is appropriate and to minimize the number of breeding times for meat donkeys and improve the conception rate, we must do a good job in estrus identification for meat donkeys, such as conducting an ovulation check on the female donkey. First, external observation, teasing, and other work can be carried out, and then examinations of the vulva, rectum, and other parts can be conducted, generally with the rectum as the key examination focus.

2. Estrus Season

The estrus season of meat donkeys is not fixed; they are animals that come into estrus in multiple seasons. Usually, March to June each year is the peak estrus season, but because July to August has very high temperatures, which has a rigid effect on the growth of meat donkeys, the estrus phenomenon during this period weakens slightly. After meat donkeys come into estrus, it generally extends until late autumn each year before gradually weakening. During the estrus season, this is the best time period for breeding meat donkeys. If the climate and environment are suitable and the feeding and management methods are appropriate, then female donkeys can come into estrus year-round.

3. Mating Process

When meat donkeys undergo natural mating, the male donkey will slowly approach the female donkey, showing a series of phenomena such as sexual impulse, courtship, penile erection, and mounting the female donkey. After mounting, mating begins, and the mating time is generally about one minute. After the female donkey comes into estrus, the cervix opens fully, and then the male donkey through natural mating produces a fertilization rate. However, artificial insemination can also be carried out, but it has certain technical requirements. Because the estrus time of female donkeys is relatively long, the breeding time cannot be well grasped, but the fertilization ability of the male donkey's sperm can reach about 4 days. Therefore, breeding every other day has little effect on the conception rate of female donkeys.

4. Pregnancy Check

About 20 days after insemination, meat donkeys should undergo the first pregnancy check to avoid empty pregnancy caused by silent estrus, or miscarriage caused by false estrus. During pregnancy checks, there are generally methods such as external observation, vaginal examination, and rectal examination. For example, vaginal observation mainly checks the mucous membrane, cervix, and other conditions, while rectal examination also checks the ovaries and other conditions to determine whether the animal is pregnant. Mainly, different operations should be carried out according to the method used.

The above is a brief introduction to meat donkey breeding technology. The breeding of meat donkeys is actually similar to that of livestock; the main thing is still to do a good job in all aspects of estrus identification and breeding. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!