We’re not really sure what it is about browsing a hedgerow that really gets donkeys going, whether it’s the different eating heights, the choice of new shoots or woody branches or the variety of tastes and textures. More commonly donkey owners will be familiar with the fact that their donkeys LOVE browsing the hedgerow! Thick hedging and overhead trees can also provide a degree of shelter from the sun and wind, although due to the low levels of grease in a donkey’s coat they should never be left out in wet weather without a field shelter. The concept of providing trees as a food source or ‘forage tree’ has been used with other livestock, but is fairly new to donkeys, mules, horses and ponies. If resources allow you may like to go one step further and consider planting donkey friendly shrubs and trees to create hedgerow browsing areas. Taking time to select, grasp and chew their food is the opposite to ‘bolting’ a meal in a bucket and means more time spent in the pleasant occupation of foraging every day. Just introduce one log to start with giving them time to get used to it and ensure no fighting is occurring over the new branch, if there is provide another log to avoid confrontations.Īccess to hedgerows or cut branches provides not only a source of food but also mental stimulation as the donkeys indulge in a more natural style of feeding. Care should be taken when introducing anything new to your donkeys, and this is no exception. As with any new toy/boredom breaker the novelty can wear off so branches are best removed and replaced once the donkeys have stripped them. Branches and small logsīranches or small logs can be cut and placed (with bark and leaves on) in the enclosure. You may also find that giving your donkeys some fresh branches to chew on helps stop them chewing your fences and stables. Donkeys (like other equines) are mixed feeders, meaning that they will browse for tasty leaves and branches in trees, shrubs and hedgerows as well as graze.
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