The season's are changing! For those of us in Arizona, 100*+ temperatures are quickly approaching, and this is a great time to prep your barn for the upcoming season. While there are some aspects of seasonal preparedness you undertake every year, in Arizona this typically means new fly masks, buying fly spray and maintaining your trees and shades, there are also other steps you may take based on the upcoming seasonal forecast. What is a seasonal forecast? It's a handy tool published by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the spring and fall to let areas of the country know the broad strokes of what they can expect from the upcoming season. It's so invaluable to farmers and livestock owners, that the Farmer's Almanac typically publishes a version as well. These seasonal forecasts will let you know if your area is forecasted to experience higher or lower than normal temperatures, or higher or lower than normal levels of precipitation. This allows you as a livestock owner to get ahead of these trends and prepare your property, supplies, and animal for the upcoming season. Let's take a look at the recently released NWS precipitation forecast map for the United States for summer 2025: As you can see, Arizona is forecasted to have "leaning above" to "above" typical precipitation levels, aka big monsoons. Similarly, the east coast is expected to have higher than normal precipitation, while the northern part of the country (excluding Alaska) will have dry conditions. What does all this mean for you, a livestock owner? For those in higher precipitation areas: Vaccinations: higher moisture means more biting insects- flies, ticks, and mosquitos all thrive in damp-to-wet environments, which means they are more likely to transmit diseases like West Nile Virus, equine encephalitis, and more. Be sure your animals are fully vaccinated, sooner rather than later (mosquitoes are already out in large numbers in southern Arizona) Drainage: any changes you need to make to improve drainage on your property should be done now, before the rains come and make everything wet, heavy, sloppy, and a breeding ground for pests and thrush-causing bacteria. One of the most important aspects of drainage is manure removal. If you need to, now is the time to scrape your pens down to clean soil, then ensure you're picking up and removing manure (not just breaking up and spreading) every day to assist in drainage. Grading is essential to ensure water is running off and away from your animal's pens. Now is the time to build up any low spots with additional substrate or gravel, and scrape down any inefficient high spots that keep water from diverting away from your animals. Clear washes, culverts, and diversion areas. Debris, plant matter, and dirt can accumulate and block your diversion structures, make sure they're clear of impediments before the rain starts falling. Shelter: Assess and inspect your animals' shelters. Do they have plenty of shade? Do they have plenty of shelter? Your animals will need ample shade, with lots of air movement, during those hot, sunny summer days, and plenty of dry areas during storms. Ensure each animal has room to comfortably exist within their various structures by making sure they are High enough for your animals. Animals should be able to comfortably stand under the shelter with their head high and ears up (for instance if something catches their attention in the distance) without their ears touching the top of the structure. For minis this will generally be at least 5 feet high, and for standards it will be about 7 feet high. Mammoths, of course, being horse-sized, should have shades made for full sized horses. Generally higher is better, up to around 10-12 feet. This allows room for the animals to comfortably stand, with no risk of hitting their heads, allows for you to comfortably clean the area without stooping, and allows ample air flow. We all know those monsoon days can be quite steamy, and your animals will appreciate the breeze. A shade cloth tied on the top of a 5' panel, that a standard has to duck to walk under, is not sufficient shade or shelter. Large enough for your animals. All of your animals should be able to comfortably stand under the shelter, with enough room for them to move about to access feed and water without anyone having to be kicked out into the rain. If you have a herd where one (or more) animal(s) tend to guard resources, you should have multiple shelters to prevent anyone being kicked out in the rain. Dry. While trees or shade cloth offer some shelter from the rain, solid roofs do a much better job. Also be sure your grade is such that the ground stays relatively dry in your shelter. If your shelter is built where water pools, your animals are risking hoof problems by standing beneath it. Pests: Moisture = pests. Flies, mosquitos, ticks, rodents. Rain brings out the pests and with them come disease. Start early and start aggressively with your pest management. Fly masks, boots, and sheets: be sure yours are in good repair and clean, and order extras for when your animals wear theirs out. We all know how much damage flies can do to a sensitive animal in just a day or two. Deploy your fly predators and fly traps early. The sooner you start removing flies from the breeding population, the better you will be as summer moves forward. Stock up on fly spray, buy your fans, and your feed through fly prevention if that is your preferred prevention method. Remove all possible standing water on your property including tires, plastic tarps, old flower pots, anywhere there could be standing water you don't cycle through. Dump and scrub water buckets and troughs every 3-4 days to prevent mosquito larva from maturing. Contact Game and Fish for mosquito fish if you have a pond or other standing water. These minnows are free and consume mosquito larvae and one of their main food sources. Remove brush where possible to minimize habitat for ticks Secure all feed and food sources in rodent proof containers such as metal trash cans or Vittle Vaults to prevent rodent infestations. Hay: Whether you store your hay inside or out, be sure it is kept dry and off the ground. Moisture in hay can cause mold or even botulism, which can be very dangerous or even deadly for your animals, as well as causing spontaneous combustion under certain conditions. Keep your feed investment safe, keep your hay dry. For those in lower precipitation areas: Hay purchase and storage: with less rain hay may become more expensive in your area, as pasture quality suffers, and more livestock owners have to purchase hay, and farmers aren't able to produce as much. Keep this in mind to budget, purchase, and store accordingly. Fire risk: clear brush and other fuel sources away from your barns, home, and animals Evacuation plan: practice loading your animals, make evacuation plans, keep all of your animals up to date on vaccinations and Coggins (for congregating at evacuation shelters), consider microchipping your animals, and make further relevant evacuation plans. All of this may seem like a lot to consider, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; it's much better to flush culverts now, than in deluge rain while the water rises and threatens to breech the threshold into your feed room and ruin all your hay. Don't forget, the NWS will release these forecasts for the winter, as well, to let you know how much hay to buy, and whether or not the weight of blankets you currently own will be sufficient. Now get out there, and prep for summer!

So you're considering getting a donkey (but wait! you need two! They need a friend!) and you've already checked out BRAY's guide to new donkey ownership and decided you have enough space, and good fencing, you've looked at BRAY's guide to the cost of owning a donkey, you've checked to make sure there are farriers and vets nearby who will work with donkeys, but you're not sure just yet if you'll have enough time to care for a donkey. How much time per day does it take to care for a donkey, anyway? Well, it's time for our favorite-least-favorite saying! It depends! The time it takes every day to care for you animals will depend on a variety of factors, some of which you can change or streamline, and some you cannot. A good, quick rule of thumb is that in an average urban/suburban ranchette of around 1-2 acres it will take about an hour a day to care for a pair of donkeys, regardless of size, if those two donkeys are of similar weight and health, and can eat together. This hour does not include any working with the donkeys, training, or activities, it is simply the baseline for how much extra time you should have to dedicate to your donkeys most days for their basic care. Will you sometimes spend less time if you are busy, sick, or the weather is terrible? Yes, of course, but be realistic with your available free time, and consider if you have an extra hour for 340 days of the year. With that said, what goes into this hour a day of donkey care? First, we're assuming the bulk of the care is done at once, for most people that looks like doing all your chores with either breakfast or dinner, and your other two meals largely consisting of just tossing out hay and straw. So, where does all this time go? Weighing and bagging hay and straw. Donkeys need access to forage at all times (going no more than four hours between meals to prevent gastric ulcers and keep their GI tract working correctly), but their thrifty metabolism will cause them to easily gain weight, leading to generalized inflammation and poor health outcomes. How does an owner manage these two truths? Slow feed hay nets at feeding time dispensing an appropriate daily ration of grass hay, and barley or wheat straw for a minimally palatable snack between meals. New owners, and owners helping their animals to lose weight, should be weighing the grass provided to their donkey to ensure it's the right amount. Some owners do choose to feed their donkeys from round bales or square bales in slow feed nets to eliminate having to feed as often. While this is an option, personally we've never seen donkeys maintain appropriate weight while being fed in this manner unless they're being heavily worked (and even then it's somewhat atypical). It's not to say no donkey can self regulate with hay in front of them at all times, but it's rare, and that unicorn donkey is unlikely to be yours. Assume you'll need to weigh and bag hay two to three times a day, depending on your management. We typically feed hay and straw twice a day, with a straw only snack mid day, or upon returning home from work. How you manage your hay and meal times will look different for everyone. Scrubbing and refiling water buckets. Water buckets and troughs will need to be refilled every day, checked at every feeding (we are all too familiar with a dead ground squirrel or grackle in our water buckets, preventing our animals from drinking), and emptied and scrubbed out regularly. How often they need to be scrubbed will depend on the season, and the temperature of your water, but you can assume every bucket or trough will need to be emptied and scrubbed minimum once a week in the winter, and as often as every other day in the summer, depending on how hot your water is. They will need to be refilled at least every day. We do not recommend automatic waterers or floats, as they prevent you from noting how much water your animals have consumed, and in the desert they only refill your water bucket with water that has been sitting in the pipes getting blazing hot. Supplements, even at a bare minimum (grass hay pellets, monthly psyllium, salt, and a vitamin/mineral topdress) will require assembling, soaking, and dispensing. Many people will need to separate their animals and wait while they finish their individual supplements, especially if they have different dietary needs. Pen cleaning and manure removal. Assume about 3-5 minutes per animal for manure removal on spaces up to about 1/5 of an acre. As the size of your donkey's paddock increases, so does the amount of time it takes to walk around removing manure. Raking up old straw or hay, removing fallen leaves or mesquite pods will add time here, as well. Don't forget to include whatever time it takes to get to your dumpster or compost pile! Fly spray, boots, and masks. This takes another 2-5 minutes per animal, assuming they are trained and tolerate their fly prevention well. Add extra time for animals you have to catch and halter to mask and spray. We figure those meals with no extra chores are about 10 minutes apiece for a daily total of 20 minutes. This is a fairly quick turnaround and will definitely be extended if you have to walk very far to your feed room, or weigh out lots of bags of hay. Depending on your management you may budget anywhere from 10-30 minutes for these quick meals. Of course, as we said above, this is for a property of about 1-2 acres, with a paddock of 1/5 acre or less which houses the donkeys, set up in a reasonably efficient and functional manner. A larger pasture will result in more time walking around scooping poop, and inefficient infrastructure, for instance if you need to walk around to a gate and back to turn on the hose to rinse and refill the water buckets will add to your time spent. This time budgeting also doesn't include any grooming or hoof picking, which you should be doing several times a week, or any training or working with your animal. An hour a day is what one can expect to spend to keep your 2-3 animals alive and hygienic. In addition to adding time for basic grooming, and working with your animal, be sure you have a couple extra hours a month for facilities and maintenance including maintaining drainage, weed removal, basic tidying (cleaning up your hay room, raking up alleys and aisles, etc.), tree trimming, hose repairs, trailer maintenance, farrier visits, vet visits, feed store runs, and more. If you don't feel you have an hour or more a day to spend with your animals, every day? Plus another 3-5 hours a week for training, grooming, and facilities maintenance? There are great volunteer opportunities with rescues and farms where you can get your donkey fix in while helping them accomplish some of these daily chores.

As many of you are already aware, there is currently an Equine Influenza A (H3N8) outbreak in Mohave County, AZ. As far as we know as of 4/7/25, there have been three confirmed deaths of donkeys, and one horse. As is often the case with this type of scenario, the game of social media telephone tends to cause confusion and help inaccurate information spread. As countless hours of outbreak training have taught us, in situations like this it’s often best to go to the source for information, so we reached out to UC Davis for what answers we could find. For reference, the ongoing incident was announced on or around April 4, 2025 at the Oatman Burros Rescue and Sanctuary in Mohave, AZ and which will be referred to in this post as “the outbreak” going forward. Here’s a quick list of what we do know: What disease is responsible for the outbreak? Equine Influenza A H3N8 was found via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing of nasal swabs sent to the University of California Davis (UC Davis) lab from an affected animal. This is the most common strain of Equine Flu in the United States. What is Equine Influenza (EIV)? Per UC Davis “Equine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease of horses and other equidae [donkeys, mules, zebras]. It is caused by two subtypes of the influenza A virus, which are related to, but distinct from, influenza viruses in other species. Equine influenza virus spreads easily through contact with infected horses and via contact with infected clothing, equipment, brushes, tack, etc. Some horses do not show any outward signs of infection, but can shed the virus and infect susceptible horses. Outbreaks result in significant economic losses to the equine industry, and are more likely to occur where large groups of horses gather, such as shows, races and events. Increased transportation of horses across state lines and between countries facilitates the spread of the virus.” Is this bird flu? No. As stated above, EIV is different from influenza viruses in other species. This is not bird flu/avian flu/Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza/ HPAI. Birds are not typically a vector for this disease. How is EIV spread? EIV is spread via droplets of saliva, and mucus, much like COVID or influenza in humans. An animal coughing will spray aerosolized droplets to neighboring animals, and sharing feeders, water troughs, transport trailers, wheelbarrows, manure forks, fence rails, stalls, barns, even petting ill animals or walking through their pens can spread infected droplets to others. Sale barns/auctions/kill pens are often a reservoir for EIV, and new animals can introduce EIV to facilities even if they aren’t showing visible signs of illness. Who is at risk? Young (under 5 years), old, sick, stressed, and most importantly, unvaccinated animals are most at risk. Vaccinated animals may still contract the disease and show symptoms, but the symptoms are typically more mild and have a better prognosis than unvaccinated animals Is there a vaccine for Equine Influenza A H3N8? Yes. While this is not considered one of the “core” vaccines (tetanus, rabies, west nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis) it IS typically given as a risk-based vaccine, particularly if your animals leave your property or congregate with other equids. It is often referred to by veterinarians as “rhino/flu” because it is combined with a rhinopneumonitis vaccine. It is recommended by manufacturers to be given at least once a year, but many vets will administer the vaccine with both spring and fall shots to maximize protection, especially if animals travel or do events. What is the Merck live virus vaccine I heard about? There are two types of vaccines for Equine Influenza A H3N8: a killed-virus intramuscular vaccine, and a live-virus intranasal vaccine. The intramuscular vaccine, usually given in the neck or hip, offers protection from this virus for animals who have no known recent exposure, or recent illness. It is manufactured by multiple companies, and may be marketed under names such as Boehringer Ingelheim Calvenza, Merck Prestige, or Zoetis Fluvac Innovator. The Merck intranasal vaccine is marketed under the name Flu Avert I.N., and is a live virus vaccine given in the nose (think: nasal spray). This vaccine offers a faster immunity or response, and is well suited for animals who may have been exposed to an ill animal, or who have themselves recently been ill. Does my animal need a booster of the Merck Flu Avert I.N.? If they are fully vaccinated and boosted for EIV, probably not, unless they are high-risk: young, old, in poor health, or have been recently exposed to sick animals. If you are concerned, this is a question best answered by your vet, please call them to discuss your particular case. My animal has never received a EIV vaccine to my knowledge, which vaccine should I get? This is, again, a question to discuss with your vet. They can go over the risk factors with you and come up with the best vaccination plan. Tell your vet about events or outings you do with your animals, or have recently done, and when they take place. If you routinely gather for hikes or outings with others, share trailers or equipment, or go to places frequented by donkeys or horses, domestic or feral, be sure to let your vet know. Where do I get these vaccines? Your vet will have access to all of the above-mentioned vaccines. There is no special or unique vaccine for this particular outbreak. If you are a 501(c)3, Merck offers programs and grants to obtain free vaccines. They can be found at here . Is this outbreak affecting the wild donkeys in Oatman? No, there is no evidence this outbreak is affecting the wild donkeys of Oatman at the time of this writing. Is this what caused the deaths of the wild donkeys earlier in the week near Blythe? While those deaths are still under investigation, there is currently nothing suggesting the deceased wild donkeys were affected by EIV. If that changes we will update. Is this what caused the deaths of 25 burros in holding in Utah recently? No. Per the press release from BLM, the burros that recently died in Axtell holding facility had equine gammaherpes virus. This virus presents with similar symptoms as EIV, but there is no vaccine for equine or asinine gammaherpes virus. The only way to prevent the spread of either type of gammaherpes virus is biosecurity and quarantine of sick animals. Please note these animals had a secondary infection of Streptococcus equi ssp. Zooepidemicus, however strep zoo (not to be confused with strangles, strep equi equi) is present in all equids’ natural microflora, but may cause illness in animals with an already depressed immune system, such as those fighting off another infection. BLM Press Release NIH Article Equine Gammaherpes Virus Are there other sick animals in the state/area? Possibly. At this point the only reporting on the disease is self reporting to the community, so it’s difficult to say for sure where the disease has spread. If you are concerned about your animals contracting the disease, you may choose to eliminate non-essential travel for your animals. If your animal was exposed to the disease or if they are showing symptoms, it is essential you call your vet immediately and do not move your animals unless specifically directed by your vet. Don’t be a vector! The more an infected or exposed animal travels, the more likely they are to spread the disease and increase the outbreak. How do I prevent my animals from getting sick? Ensure they are fully vaccinated, practice good biosecurity when leaving your property, practice responsible quarantining procedures when obtaining a new animal, and practice good farm hygiene and husbandry (ensure animals are healthy and vaccinated, keep manure picked up and removed, keep water buckets cleaned and sanitized, keep feeders cleaned and sanitized, don’t visit areas with sick animals). How long are animals contagious? Per the AAEP “Respiratory shedding typically lasts for 7-10 days post infection in naïve [unvaccinated] animals; much shorter shedding periods occur in partially immune (previously vaccinated) horses. The period of live virus shedding does not always correspond to clinical illness, and horses may continue to shed virus after resolution of fever and clinical signs.” How long does the virus last on surfaces? “[The] virus can remain viable for up to 2 days on contaminated fomites and solid environmental surfaces, e.g. grooming supplies, stall latches, etc. [The] Virus can survive in aerosols for several hours and on hands for a few minutes. In water, virus viability has been reported up to 3 days. Virus survival in water is temperature dependent and may be longer than 3 days in cold water.” What do I do if I think my animals are getting sick? First call your vet. After you speak to your vet, follow this guide for what to do if you think your animals may be ill. Remember: time is of the essence. My animals were or may have been exposed to the virus, what now? Call your vet immediately. If you are waiting for your call to be returned, monitor their temperature twice daily. Remember, donkey’s temperature should be 98.5*, do not use horse temperature guides. Then, per the AAEP “any donkey showing clinical signs of any respiratory disease (coughing, nasal discharge, fever) should be immediately isolated and standard respiratory biosecurity guidelines should be followed until a diagnosis is confirmed. Donkeys housed in the same barn with an animal showing respiratory clinical signs should be isolated for 14 days. Because many animals in an individual facility may be affected simultaneously or are incubating infection when the first case is recognized, it may be best to isolate all equids together by quarantining the entire facility rather than moving them to individual isolation facilities. All animal movement on and off the premises should be suspended during the quarantine period. During an influenza outbreak, affected and exposed animals should be isolated from susceptible animals, preferably in a different air space. Coughing donkeys can aerosolize the virus and transmit infective virus particles for 35 yards, and potentially farther depending on housing conditions and ventilation.” Key Takeaways: -Vaccinate your animals. Be sure you talk to your vet every spring and fall about your herd’s current vaccination needs. -Properly quarantine (and vaccinate, when needed) new animals. Be sure new animals are kept at a distance from the rest of your herd until they are confirmed to be healthy and vaccinated against communicable disease. -Practice biosecurity. Don’t congregate with other animals of questionable health status, do not share water buckets, tack, brushes, manure rakes, community pens, etc with others at events. Be cognizant of biological hazards when visiting sale barns, other properties, or show grounds, and take steps not to transmit possible disease on your clothes, shoes, body, or vehicle. -Stay put. When there is a high risk of disease transmission in your area or community, stay home and don’t become an unwitting vector. -Have a vet. Maintain a good working relationship with a veterinarian in your area. Stay up to date on preventative care, pay bills promptly, and care for your animals in a way so as to minimize the likelihood of emergencies and crises. Where can I find more information? For information on Equine Influenza: CDC Horse Flu Guide UC Davis Equine Influenza fact Sheet AAEP What Is Equine Flu AAEP Equine Influenza Guidelines For more information on Merck Flu Avert I.N. Merck Flu Avert Fact Sheet For more information on biosecurity AAEP Guide to Biosecurity For more information of quarantine and isolation protocols MadBarn Quarantine Protocols for Horses The Horse Creating a Quarantine

Are your long ear's hooves smelly, squishy, or do they contain black, sometimes slimy films? It sounds like you've got a thrush problem. But never fear! Any time is a great time to get the problem rectified so your donkey or mule can be sound and comfortable, and so you don't have to smell stinky hooves. What is thrush? Thrush is a catch-all term for a bacterial infection of the hoof, primarily in the colateral grooves and sulcus of the frog. Unfortunately for our equine friends, thrush will work its way into cracks and crevices of the hoof and start destroying essential structures and tissues if left untreated. This can lead to lameness, discomfort, and problems with the integrity of the hoof. What can you do to prevent thrush?  It's fairly easy to prevent thrush simply with good husbandry practices. Keeping your pens cleaned daily, picking out your long ear's hooves several times a week (ideally every day, and be sure to focus on those colateral grooves), Treating them regularly (once a week, or so) with a thrush treatment containing copper sulfate, such as NoThrush  powder, keeping on an 8 week or less hoof trimming schedule, feeding a species-appropriate diet low in sugar, ensuring your pens have good drainage so the ground stays dry, and giving your donkey plenty of exercise to strengthen hooves and improve blood flow can all help prevent thrush. What do you do if your donkey gets thrushy?  While many an old cowboy will say bleach or iodine will clear up the infection, there are many much better products currently on the market, that are both more effective and less damaging to the hooves. Most of these will include antibacterial agents like copper sulfate to help clear up the bacteria while keeping the hoof tissues as healthy as possible. Your local feed store should have several options to choose from. However, it is essential you follow the directions that come with the thrush treatment and keep up with it, until after the thrush is cleared up. Once the infection is cleared up, be sure you stay on top of picking out your donkeys feet routinely.

We've all seen them, they're some of the most common questions in new donkey message boards and social media groups: breeding and reproduction in donkeys. These typically take the form of one of the following: Is my jennet pregnant/how can I tell if my jennet is pregnant? How do I prepare for a new baby? Should I geld my new jack? Should I breed my [insert animal here]? My fence failed/animals got out, my jack may have bred my jennet, what do I do? Can I house my jacks together? My jack is acting aggressive, will gelding him help? How long do I keep my new gelding apart from my jennets? These questions can all be a bit overwhelming to new owners, especially those who have purchased an animal from an auction, sale barn, or kill pen and have no information on the animal's history. But no worries! All these questions have answers, and we're here to help. "Is my jennet pregnant" or "how do I tell if my jennet is pregnant?" The most conclusive way to determine a pregnancy is via ultrasound or blood test. However, it's important your vet be familiar with donkeys, as some blood tests such as Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PSMG) cannot be used in donkeys, and others, such as Estrone Sulfate tests may give false negatives in late stage pregnancy. Your vet may therefore choose to do both blood tests and imaging to determine of your animal is bred, and how far along they are. Of course, there are other visible signs your animal is pregnant. A large belly is the most apparent, but a belly can also be the result of parasites or poor nutrition, or a large belly may be hidden under fat pads in the case of obese animals. A milk-filled udder, generally known as "bagging up" is a good indicator of late stage pregnancy and impending birth, but edema and some parasite or fly issues can also cause swelling of the mammary tissues. A lopsided or moving belly typically indicates the presence of a foal as well. "How do I prepare for a new baby?" A few steps can be taken to ensure you are ready for a new arrival: Work with a vet. Vaccines will need to be administered to the jennet prior to foaling to ensure mom and baby are as protected as possible from disease. Your vet can also give you nutrition recommendations to support a growing foal and pregnant or nursing jenny. Most importantly, it's essential to have a relationship with a vet in case something goes amiss with the birth or shortly after. Vets typically do not wish to respond to emergency calls from people who are not established patients. Study, study, study! Look up all you can about foaling from reputable sources such as American Association of Equine Practitioners, and various veterinary schools. No, it doesn't need to be specific to donkeys, horse foaling is similar enough to help you avoid common pitfalls such as what to do when your foal is not up and nursing in the proper timeframe, and when to call the vet. Have supplies and a basic foaling kit on hand. Lists for what to stock in a foaling kit can be easily found online. If your jennet is due to foal in the winter or if there's a chance of cold weather, make sure you have purchased or acquired a foal saver blanket. The middle of the night in a snow or rain storm is not the time to be trying to acquire a way to keep a new baby warm. If you end up not using it you can always resell it. Prepare your foaling space. Whether this is a stall, paddock, or pasture with a shelter, make sure they have an area that is safe from predators, AND other donkeys. Donkeys will routinely kill new foals that are not their own, especially if in a confined space. Make sure there is shelter from inclement weather, and dry areas. Ensure there is safe fencing and water containers. Little legs can often get their owner into trouble by tripping and falling into fences and water troughs, and this could result in the death of a newborn foal. Ensure there is ample space for the jennet to labor and move about once the baby is born. It's not uncommon for new mothers to step on their babies and break legs, or kill the babies if the mothers do not have enough room to safely return to their feet after foaling. This is typically a problem in enclosed barn stalls. If you are mostly in sand, as many of us are in Arizona, be sure to put down ample bedding straw so your jenny doesn't ingest too much sand while cleaning and drying her foal. "Should I geld my new jack?" The short answer? Yes. If you are a new owner, and are asking this question of a message board, the reality is you are likely not equipped at this point in your ownership journey to safely keep a jack, nor evaluate it for breeding suitability. The best thing you can do for you, and your donkey, is to geld them. There are, however, some considerations to when and how you geld your jack: Work with a vet who is familiar with donkeys. The two main concerns when gelding jacks are that donkeys react differently than horses to anesthesia, and donkeys have a more substantial blood supply to the testicles, making them more prone to bleeding. A vet knowledgeable in donkeys can correct for both of these realities to ensure a safe procedure. A vet will also likely want to ensure your animal is up to date on all vaccines prior to gelding, and may choose to use the time under anesthesia to complete other needed healthcare activities such as hoof trims and dentals. Choose the correct weather. Most vets will caution against gelding in the peak of summer. Flies are a bigger problem, bothering incisions and causing stress and discomfort to your donkey, and hot weather causes blood vessels to dilate and increase their bleeding risk. Consider a veterinary hospital or clinic. Especially if your animal is older, or there is a reason you must geld your donkey in the summer, you may consider having the procedure done in a clinic setting where there are greater support staff and materials available, as well as possible climate control. "Should I breed my animal?" The short answer? "No." As with the question above, there are many reasons we say this, the primary being if you have to ask the internet, you aren't ready for this part of your ownership journey. However, there are several more reasons: Overpopulation. As with most pet species, there are far more animals than there are good homes. A donkey can live 45+ years, do you have a plan to keep this offspring in good care for 45 years? Bloodlines and conformation: is your donkey of breeding quality? The answer, for minis and mammoths especially, is typically no. There are quite a lot of conformational flaws in sizes at both ends of the spectrum that do not need to be continued on. Additionally if you don't know your animal's bloodlines and history, you have no idea what type of congenital defects it may carry. Have they been evaluated as breeding sound by a veterinarian? This includes not just conformationally, but also have they received a clean bill of health free from any sexually transmitted infections? These types of illnesses can be especially prevalent in animals who went through a sale barn. Do you have funds to cover an emergency situation and a vet or clinic available to assist with any sort of foaling issues? If not, it's much safer to not breed. Are you willing to risk your jenny? As with all pregnancies and births, there is a mortality risk for the jennet and foal. This is, once more, especially true in minis and maiden animals. If you aren't willing to risk losing your animal, don't breed them. My fence failed/animals got out, my jack may have bred my jennet, what do I do? Whether your fence failed, someone else's fence failed (don't forget, donkeys can and will breed through a pipe or rail fence, and will breed animals of wildly different sizes. Jennies and mares have been known to lay down to be bred by much smaller males), or you simply brought home a new donkey that was housed with a jack at the previous location, such as a communal pen at the sale barn, what do you do if you are concerned about an "exposure" but you don't want a foal? Or even if you don't want a foal right now, or a foal with that jack? No worries, you can call your vet and they can prescribe or administer an injection of lutalyse to end early pregnancies. It's well tolerated, inexpensive, and when done early will typically not produce any identifiable aborted tissues. A dose of lutalyse for any jennies from a sale barn is often a good addition to any intake protocols for rescues, too. Can I house my jacks together? Possibly, it depends on your jacks, your management, and the rest of your herd. As with the questions above, if you're asking this question hopefully you have an appointment to geld your jacks, but in the interim there are some situations where you can house them together, and some where it is safer to separate them. Obviously, separate them if they are fighting or playing aggressively enough to cause injury to each other or pose a danger to you. They may be fine together if they are bonded or grew up together. They may need to remain separated if they don't know each other and are both trying to be the dominant animal. Generally you will have more trouble with jacks if you have jennies on the property. A property with only jacks and geldings may allow for jacks to coexist more peacefully with one another. Be sure you have strong, tight fences if you are housing jacks, and plenty of room for them to get away from each other if needed. My jack is acting aggressive, will gelding him help? It won't hurt, and there's only one way to find out if it will help. An aggressive jack is both dangerous to people, and not in possession of a temperament that should be passed on through breeding, so he should be gelded if he is physically strong enough to do so. After gelding it will take several weeks for the hormones in his body to find their new equilibrium, and he will also be in discomfort from the procedure, so it's best to wait a couple weeks for him to heal, and then employ a trainer to help you communicate safe and acceptable behavior to your now gelding. How long do I keep my new gelding apart from my jennets? You just gelded your jack, he can go out with the jennets immediately upon his return from the vet, right? Wrong. Sperm can travel from the epididymis for up to two months from castration. To ensure your now-gelding doesn't breed your jennets you should keep them separate for eight weeks. It's also kind to keep your newly castrated gelding by himself for a couple days to ensure he's healing well. Just don't forget he still needs movement to help the surgery site heal, so hand walking is a good choice of activity.

It's spring, which means most people's donkeys are shaking off the winter blues and getting a little bit spicy. While donkeys tend to exhibit less seasonality to their breeding than some species (horses, sheep), they do tend to have some seasonality to their estrus cycles (more along the lines of cats than humans). What that usually means for owners is you'll start to see more activities in line with reproductive behavior starting in late winter, peaking in the spring, lessening throughout the summer, and being at their lowest level in autumn and winter. What do we mean by "reproductive behaviors"? This can be anything from play fighting, and biting, to mounting and clacking and other estrus behaviors. These behaviors are typical amongst same sex and mixed sex herds, with slight differences. Of course females will exhibit estrus behaviors like clacking, while males (gelded or not) will tend to bite and roughhouse slightly more than their female counterparts. As with all animals, behaviors depend on the individuals and herd dynamics. It's usually generalized that males will play rough, but some jennets have been known to hold their own with a male. Should you be worried when your animals partake in these behaviors? Generally speaking, no. Of course, if your intention is not to breed, you should not allow intact males over six months of age to be housed with females over six months of age. There will be more on that in a later article. However many new owners become concerned when their donkeys suddenly start to engage in burro battles, chasing, biting, and ripping out chunks of hair. Should their animals be separated??? As we'll say about all living creatures: it depends. If your animals are closely matched in size and health, and they have plenty of room to escape each other, it's typically not a problem. When should you worry? These behaviors, while not atypical, can become a problem in some situations. You may want to consider separating your animals if: Your donkeys are of very different sizes, especially if the antagonist is larger. If you have a standard constantly harassing a mini, it is more likely to lead to injury. One animal is relentless in their antagonizing. Reciprocal play will generally have one animal chasing, mounting, or biting at the other for a short amount of time, then will switch and the other will chase, mount, or bite. If one animal is doing all of the chasing, with the other simply trying to escape and not engaging in a reciprocal manner, it may be time to intervene. True injuries or damage occurs. Bleeding, hard kicking, and behaviors causing injury beyond some lost hair should not be allowed to take place. Your donkey or donkeys are in fragile health. This can mean one is sick, injured, underweight, or simply elderly. Any animal who needs extra physical assistance should not be allowed to partake in rough play. You have uneven herd numbers and individuals are struggling. This will happen most often if your herd is primarily made up of one sex, with only one individual of the opposite sex. It's more likely to occur if you have several geldings to one jennet, but can also happen if there are multiple jennets to one gelding. The animals with greater numbers will gang up on or take turns antagonizing the odd donkey out, offering them no respite. These behaviors may all indicate a need for change in management practices, whether it's a larger paddock or dry lot, or rearranging your herd and permanently separating animals will be dependent on your particular situation. Just remember, most donkeys don't do well alone, so you may have to separate out your two most submissive to be together while the more rough and tumble members of the herd sort their shenanigans amongst themselves.

Vaccines. You hear from us every spring and autumn about getting your seasonal vaccines, but why do equids seem to need vaccines so much more often than your other animals? First, a quick explainer on vaccine vocabulary. Any vocabulary in quotes is taken from the World Health Organization (WHO). While they are talking about people, and therefore the quotes will use “people,” the terminology is the same across species, which means for humans, horses, donkeys, dogs, and degu, the vocabulary is the same, so feel free to substitute "donkey" or "mule". Efficacy:  “efficacy is a measure of how much the vaccine lowered the risk of getting sick”  “If a vaccine has 80% efficacy, it does not mean that it will only work 80% of the time. It means that in the vaccinated population, 80% fewer people will contract the disease when they come in contact with the virus” Effectiveness:  “Vaccine effectiveness is a measure of how well vaccines work in the real world.” This takes into account those who could not be admitted to the drug trials, such as the sick, elderly, very young, etc.  Timing and Doses : “Vaccines offer strong protection, but that protection takes time to build. People must take all the required doses of a vaccine to build full immunity. For two-dose vaccines, vaccines only give partial protection after the first dose, and the second dose increases that protection. It takes time before protection reaches its maximum level a few weeks after the second dose.” When you get a new animal with an unknown vaccine history, your vet may suggest initial dosing protocols instead of just boosters, administering multiple doses of any vaccines that require it. Don’t forget, most vaccines take about two weeks after their final dose or booster to reach full protection. Titers:  Serum titers are blood tests that measure whether or not an individual is immune to a given disease(s). More specifically a quantitative serum titer is a titer with a numerical value indicating their actual degree of immunity to a disease(s). If the titer for a specific disease shows that they're not immune, they need to get vaccinated or re-vaccinated (also known as getting a booster). If your animal has a particularly adverse reaction to a particular vaccine, or if you are concerned about over vaccination, you may want to discuss a titer test with your vet.  In some cases you may be able to order a titer to decide if your animal requires a booster or not.  Duration of Protection/Effectiveness : The amount of time a vaccine is considered effective. The amount of time before a vaccine requires a booster. Back to the question above: why do donkeys and mules generally get vaccines twice a year, when most other species get them only once a year, or even less? Well, that depends on many factors. Some vaccines, such as West Nile virus (WNV), are highly effective, but the duration of protection and effectiveness is quite short, typically only around six months or less. After this, the effectiveness will wane drastically. This is why your vet will typically recommend a WNV vaccine every spring, prior to mosquito season beginning. However, depending on the duration and severity of your mosquito season, your vet may also recommend this vaccine be boosted in the fall. September and October typically see the highest numbers of WNV in the United States, as vaccinated equids lose their immune response, but mosquito numbers stay high.  Other viruses requiring vaccines, such as various influenza, are constantly mutating. Each year the vaccine your animal receives may have different strains than the previous years. This is the same reason you get a flu shot every year; the efficiency didn’t necessarily wane, but the virus mutated to something your antibodies will no longer recognize.  Still other vaccines, such as rabies, may be effective for more than a year, but the studies simply haven’t been done to establish the duration of effectiveness. Titers can help decide if your animal needs this vaccine or not. However, titers cost money to run, and they require multiple vet visits should they determine your animal needs a booster. Vet visits cost money. Because of this most people simply choose to go ahead and vaccinate yearly, without checking the titers. Since rabies is a public health threat, and 100% fatal to all species who are able to contract it, humans included, protection through vaccination is essential. Most people choose the cost effective and easy solution of yearly vaccinations over titers as this vaccine is highly effective and well tolerated.  Why can’t we just assume rabies vaccines last three years, like it does in dogs?  Even when discussing the same virus, different species’ immune systems react differently to vaccines. Take tetanus, for instance: in humans doctors recommend a tetanus booster every seven years. In sheep, however, veterinarians recommend a tetanus vaccine every year. Furthermore, in goats it's recommended they receive a tetanus booster every six months, as the efficiency simply wanes very rapidly in goats. It’s for this reason we can’t generalize vaccine efficiency from species to species, and why we can’t assume that a rabies vaccine will remain effective in equids for the same duration as it does in dogs or cats.  Who can help decipher which vaccines you should give your animals? Your vet is your biggest ally in the fight against viruses.  When you make a vaccine appointment, be sure to tell your vet what sort of activities you like to do with your animals, with whom you like to do them, and where you plan to take your animals in the next year. If you board your animals, please let your vet know all the same information about the other equids in the facility. This will help your vet decide which vaccines are appropriate for your animal. Core vaccines are those considered necessary and appropriate for the majority of cases, and include Rabies, Tetanus, and mosquito borne viruses (WNV, EEE, WEE). Additional risk based  vaccines are used on a regional and case-by-case basis depending on the activities you choose to do with your animals and what diseases are seen in your region. For instance, in Arizona we don’t typically vaccinate for botulism, but one of the sources of botulism in equids is round hay bales (moisture gets into the bale, and botulism starts cookin’). If you plan to take your donkey up north for the summer, and feed them in a pasture with round hay bales, your vet may recommend a botulism vaccine. Another example is anthrax. Anthrax isn’t found in Arizona, but it is endemic to the Texas panhandle. If you are taking your donkey to Lubbock, you may want an anthrax vaccine. Similarly, if you don’t travel anywhere, but the horse in the pen next to you is trying to qualify for the Junior National Finals Rodeo, hitting up three barrel races a weekend? You might want to consider  influenza, herpes, and strangles (Strep. Equi subspecies equi) vaccines.  When you call your vet to schedule health certificates for travel don’t forget to tell them where you are going, what route you intend to take, and what sorts of activities you plan to do. This way they can let you know if your donkey needs any additional vaccines.  Finally, don't forget to inform your vet if your animal has ever had an adverse reaction to one or multiple vaccines in the past. Post-vaccine malaise is fairly common as your animal's immune system activates a response to the vaccines, and your vet may want to administer an anti-inflammatory, such as Banamine, if your long ears tend to have a stronger reaction. Because of this, even if you typically don't notice a substantial reaction in your animals, it's often kindest to not plan to work, haul, or exhibit them for 2-4 days after they receive their vaccines. This allows them to feel a little bit down in the comfort of their own pen, without anything being expected of them. Thank you to Dr. Minuto of Chaparral Veterinary Medical Center for the collaboration on the above information. Additional info for establishing efficacy versus efficiency (once more, this is from the WHO so it references people, but animal testing is the same): To determine the efficacy “[a] vaccine’s efficacy is measured in a controlled clinical trial and is based on how many people who got vaccinated developed the ‘outcome of interest’ (usually disease) compared with how many people who got the placebo (dummy vaccine) developed the same outcome. Once the study is complete, the numbers of sick people in each group are compared, in order to calculate the relative risk of getting sick depending on whether or not the subjects received the vaccine. If a vaccine has high efficacy, a lot fewer people in the group who received the vaccine got sick than the people in the group who received the placebo.”  To determine effectiveness “Clinical trials include a wide range of people – a broad age range, both sexes, different ethnicities and those with known medical conditions – but they cannot be a perfect representation of the whole population. The efficacy seen in clinical trials applies to specific outcomes in a clinical trial . Effectiveness is measured by observing how well the vaccines work to protect communities as a whole. Effectiveness in the real world can differ from the efficacy measured in a trial, because we can’t predict exactly how effective vaccination will be for a much bigger and more variable population getting vaccinated in more real life conditions.

For those of you who don’t know us personally, a quick bit of background is due before we get too far into the weeds. The two of us behind BRAY both work, in some capacity, in fields which involve a fair bit of language: one with government contracts, and one in food and industrial safety and compliance. In both of these positions there is a lot of written language that must be extremely precise in order to meet compliance requirements as well as achieve the desired outcome, whether that be correctly and legally fulfilled contracts, or safe food and safe workplaces. Contracts, best practices, standard operating procedures, and policies are the name of the game.  With that being said, for those of you who also work in sectors that involve procedures and compliance, you will be familiar with much of the language we use, but for those who aren’t, we’d love to take some time to explain how we convey information to folks hoping to learn.  First off is what’s known as “Best Practices.” Best practices are exactly what it sounds like: the highest standard we should always be trying to attain. When we write a post or blog, or make a graphic, we are usually writing it to a standard of best practices. As owners and caretakers we should always strive to meet best practices, but in practical terms, these are things that we sometimes can’t necessarily achieve, or don’t always achieve. An example would be “a donkey should not go more than four hours without access to forage; ideally fed in multiple small meals per day, or be allowed to browse and forage on sparse native plants at all times.” Most of us do not have the land to create an ideal desert environment with browse, or the ability to feed our animals tiny meals every hour or two, due to our schedules. We make due by feeding straw with our hay, so our animals have something less enticing and palatable to snack on until their next feeding. Or, perhaps, we say “animals should have a dental exam every year.” But maybe your vet broke their arm and couldn’t do the procedure until after it got too late in the summer, at which point they counselled against sedating your animal until cooler weather. Would that make it longer than a year between routine dentals? Yes. But unless they are having a problem, like dropping feed or losing weight, it’s probably fine to go a little longer between dentals under the circumstances.  “May, Must, and Should.” You will also note that we often use the words “may,” “must” or “should.” These words are not chosen at random. They are very specifically chosen to convey different ideas. “May.” May is a word that generally means “it’s fine either way.” All things equal, “may” is telling you that any of your options are good, do whatever works best for you and your herd. “An owner may choose to trim their own donkey’s hooves, or hire a farrier.” A competent owner and a competent farrier doing a straight trim is more or less the same. If you prefer to do it yourself? Great! If you prefer to have a farrier come out? Great! If you do one and the farrier does the other? Great! (Hi, it’s me, the farrier is the favorite person of one donkey, and sworn mortal enemy of the other. He trims one, I trim the other). Similarly, “a trough or muck bucket may work best for water.” Either of these choices work fine, as long as your donkeys are happy and hydrated, and you’re able to easily clean it. We also will sometimes use “can” in place of “may,” but they mean the same thing to us.  “Must.” Must means you have to. No ifs, ands, or buts. Donkeys must have access to clean water.  Donkeys must have sufficient room to move around. Donkeys must have safe and sufficient fencing to keep them contained and prevent injury. Donkeys must have access to clean, mold-free, species appropriate feed. If you cannot provide the things your donkeys must have, you cannot own a donkey. Obviously there are some limited extenuating circumstances, for example if your vet has some reason to direct you to remove water from in front of your animal temporarily, you should follow their advice, but in general, “must” means you have to, end of story.  “Should.” Should means you try your best to do it. You do it most of the time. Sometimes you might not be able to, but you make the effort. An example would be “you should clean your donkey’s pen or paddock every day.” We all know there will be some days you don’t have time to do more than check that they have water and throw hay in their direction. Or it’s a snow storm and it’s all you can do to make sure your animals have their warm water and forage. On those days their dry lot may not get cleaned. But on most days you should muck out their pens to keep an eye on their digestive health, and keep their area hygienic. Another example would be “you should pick your donkey’s hooves out every day.” That is best practice, but if you miss a day here and there, it’s generally okay.  Another way we often use “should” is for standard practices for new owners. In that instance, we will typically list “should” behaviors as those that are most likely to be successful for you and your new herd. An example of this would be “you should set up enough feeding stations that you have one for every animal + 1 additional station.” This setup is likely to alleviate most issues with resource guarding or aggression, therefore allowing everyone to eat, while not going overboard and making more work for you, a new owner. However, as you get to know your herd better, and settle into your own personal management groove, you may find that your animals prefer to share feeding stations, and therefore you can cut down on a few. Or you may find that one animal still manages to stress with only one extra hay station, in which case you may need to feed them separately or make more stations. However, the number of animals + 1 is a good entry or starter point, so that’s what we say a new owner “should” start with.  Hopefully that clears up some of our language, and helps readers understand some of where we’re coming from in our posts!

🫏🪥🦷Have you ever heard that in humans poor dental care can lead to cardiovascular disease? We've known for a long time that oral health is linked to the health of other crucial organs. Although we don't fully understand how this works in all species, scientists believe that dental health could be important for overall health in many animals, and they are working to uncover exactly how. In this post, we continue our series diving into a recent study: 'Investigation of Oral Microbiome in Donkeys and the Effect of Dental Care on Oral Microbial Composition' by Yiping Zhu, Wuyan Jiang, Reed Holyoak, Bo Liu, and Jing Li. Previously, BRAY highlighted the need for regular dental care, like floating teeth, and the importance of feeding your donkeys straw to ensure they chew on forage longer for proper tooth wear. Today we discuss why the study was done, what the study found, what is an oral microbiome, and the success of the study. Why the Study Was Done: - Dental problems in donkeys are often overlooked. This study aimed to explore the oral microbial composition (oral microbiome) of donkeys and whether basic dental treatments like dental floating would impact these tiny organisms. What Is an Oral Microbiome? - An oral microbiome is the community of microorganisms, primarily bacteria, that live in the mouth and play a vital role in oral health. We know that in humans Oral dysbiosis, an imbalance of oral microbiome, is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This includes heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. We suspect that in donkeys a balanced microbiome helps prevent dental diseases; changes in the oral microbiome can impact overall health. What the Study Found Before and After Floating: - While there were no major changes in the overall richness and diversity of oral bacteria, notable shifts were observed at the genus level. - Common bacteria like Gemella and Streptococcus were present, with some changes in their abundance after treatment. - This study provided crucial insights into the donkey oral microbiome and highlighted the need for further research. Study Success: - The study successfully gathered important data on the donkey oral microbiome, underscoring the importance of dental care and paving the way for future research to improve donkey health. In practical terms, this means that monitoring the oral microbiome could become a valuable diagnostic tool for identifying potential health issues in donkeys. Regular dental care, such as dental floating, could help maintain a healthy oral microbiome, potentially reducing the risk of certain diseases. Let's continue to support our long-eared friends and raise awareness about the importance of donkey dental health! 🫏🪥🦷

Not all hay is good hay, and some hay is good for your other livestock, but not for your donkeys, or some bales in your stack are safe to feed, while others are not. How do you minimize the potential for feeding dangerous hay to your long ears? With information! It is essential to know the type of hay you are feeding. Some hay may be hazardous to some animals in your herd, but not all of your herd. Fescue, for example, can cause abortion or stillbirths in pregnant jennies. However you can safely feed endophyte-free fescue (although you should be cautious of its higher sugar content). Additionally, some hay, for example sudan, may be safe if grown under certain climate conditions, but can cause cyanide poisoning if stressed by events such as freezing during the growing cycle. Cold season grasses including rye, orchard, and timothy can be especially high in sugars and rye in particular can be problematic for this reason, causing metabolic issues including laminitis. Others, namely legumes such as alfalfa, are not necessarily toxic to your donkeys, but are often too nutrient-dense and overfeeding them can result in founder, laminitis, and obesity.  Familiarize yourself with where your hay is sourced. You can find this information by asking your grower, broker or feed store. Once you have identified where your hay is grown you can familiarize yourself with common dangerous or toxic conditions, plants, and pests in the area, and keep an eye out when feeding your animals.. For instance: hay grown in the desert southwest may have a higher chance of containing goathead thorns (which will cause pain to your animals AND cause these noxious weeds to gain a foothold on your property), dodder, or even sometimes oleander leaves, as these are popular for landscaping in hot and arid regions. Meanwhile, pasture grown grasses such as what one may find in Colorado may occasionally have high levels of nitrates due to runoff containing animal waste such as cow manure pooling in certain areas, or could have become toxic due to growing conditions such as freezing. It’s important to note that some of these problems can occur only in some areas of the field, and therefore testing a single bale will not necessarily give you a full picture of the safety of your stack of hay.  Harvesting, handling, and storage can also affect the safety of your hay, and the following are all things to consider when sourcing your hay, as reputable growers will take precautions against their product being adversely affected, and while storing your hay so as to ensure it doesn't spoil: -When hay is baled before it is sufficiently dried/cured, or if it is rained on after it is cut or baled, it can become moldy and unsuitable for feeding. Take care to cover your hay, either by storing it in a barn or shed with a cover, or by covering it with a plastic tarp when rain is forecasted. -If your haystack is left for significant periods in sandy areas it may become contaminated with excessive blowing sand or dust. Ideally you choose an area with minimal sand and dust to store your hay, but if this is not an option, tarps or windbreaks made of various materials like plywood or even old, unusable hay bales (placed around your stack, not touching it), may minimize sand contamination.  -Bales on the bottom of a stack will often be contaminated with mold, as moisture on the ground becomes trapped against the bales. Many people will store their hay on pallets to avoid or minimize this. -If the field where the hay is grown is adjacent to busy roads or highways it may have a higher instance of contamination with trash and litter. Occasional trash, like a paper cup or plastic bag, is to be expected of products grown outside, but you should take care to remove these items before feeding the hay as they can cause choking, impaction, or colic if they are consumed. If your hay routinely has a particularly high occurrence of trash, it may be time to seek another source. -Hay from fields near forests, woods, or riparian areas may have a higher instance of animal intrusion and therefore a higher chance of said animals (most often rodents, rabbits, snakes, toads, and birds) being baled in the hay. If you find an animal carcass, or portions of a carcass, in your hay, discard the hay immediately surrounding the carcass, as it can be contaminated with any number of illnesses, such as botulism, associated with rot and decay. Take special care, and consider discarding a greater hay buffer, around snakes or toads, as they are often venomous or poisonous and that venom or poison may be on the adjacent hay.  -Green chop hay, which is hay harvested and then fed immediately with no drying, and grass clippings may seem like an easy feed source, but both of these products can cause a number of problems; the moisture can allow the hay or clippings to spoil very rapidly causing various toxicities and colic, and the ease of consumption (your donkeys can grab massive mouthfuls with little resistance) can cause them to rapidly overeat and founder or colic.  -Silage, with its high moisture content, has a higher instance of toxins such as botulinum, if it is not properly stored and fermented.  -Alfalfa, aside from typically being too nutrient rich to be a significant forage source for donkeys, may harbor blister beetles. Blister beetles are an insect containing cantharidin (a burning agent/poison) that causes blistering on human skin, or the muzzles, mouths, and intestinal tracts of livestock that consume them. They tend to seek out alfalfa blossoms as a food source. Blister beetle consumption can cause painful lesions, depression, laminitis, and colic. Not all of the issues with various hays can be seen with the naked eye, some can only be discovered via laboratory testing, or will be noted after feeding the hay to your animals causes an adverse health event. This is why it's important to know what type of hay you’re feeding, to only purchase your hay from a reputable source, and understand the risks of certain types of hay and forage. While seeing 15 bales of hay on Craigslist for sale for $8 apiece may seem very tempting, you want to ensure you’re not putting your animals at risk to save money. Alternately, you may know certain hays come with risks, but you choose to mitigate that through rigorous laboratory testing, or by not feeding that particular hay to at-risk animals.

Last week we explained that “hay” is not a specific feed but rather better described as a process. This week we’re going to break down common types of hay produced for livestock, their nutrients, and what it all means for your long ears. When selecting a hay type for your long ears there is a lot to consider, but keep in mind: nutrient dense feed requires less volume and donkeys are extremely efficient at processing nutrients from the feed they consume; and don’t forget straw is in a class of its own. Hay can be broken down into two main types: legume or grass. Of course there are mixes of the two also available in nearly any combination of hay you can think of. Legume hay includes alfalfa and clover. When compared to grass hay, legumes are higher in protein, energy, calcium and vitamin A; ultimately they’re considered nutrient dense hay. Per pound legume hay offers more calories than grass hay. Alfalfa is the most well known legume hay and one of the most common types of hay available in Arizona. Alfalfa hay has to be fed with some care because of its high calcium level in relation to phosphorus. It is known for a high protein content (ranges from 15% to 22%). Donkey owners are typically counseled to not feed alfalfa hay. As with many feeding guidelines, it is slightly more nuanced than that: for the vast majority of domestic donkeys, their nutritional requirements are best met with grass hays and straw, while possibly including a ration balancer to fill in any nutritional gaps. However some owners may choose to safely include very small amounts of alfalfa in their animal’s diet, for instance when using occasional alfalfa or alfalfa blend pellets for a high reward training treat. Others may have been instructed by their vet to feed limited alfalfa as a portion of their animal’s ration if they are underweight, working particularly hard, in the latter stages of pregnancy or nursing, growing, or in especially cold climates. Owners who have obese animals (in the United States donkeys are MUCH more likely to be obese than underweight) or animals who are prone to metabolic disorders such as founder and laminitis should carefully avoid alfalfa altogether as it can exacerbate these issues.  Clover is another legume hay, though typically it is mixed with other hay types in a bale. Like alfalfa it has a high protein range, however, caution needs to be used with clover as it is prone to mold more than other hay and can cause excessive slobbering in some animals. Like alfalfa, donkey owners should likely avoid feeding clover unless they have been instructed to do so by their veterinarian as in most cases it is too nutritionally dense.  Grass hay includes bermuda, timothy, orchard, teff, brome, bluegrass, oat, rye, sudan, triticale, and fescue. Grass hays are less nutritionally dense than legumes, higher in fiber, and typically what is recommended for donkeys as a main part of their diet. However, not all of these grasses are suitable or safe for donkeys. Sudan, rye, and fescue are typically avoided as they can come with some dangers, which we will discuss next week. The most common grass hay available in Arizona is bermuda. This grass grows extremely well in the Southwest and is most common for Arizona donkey owners to feed, alongside straw. It has a protein content generally around 6%-11%, and is generally low in sugars (non-structural carbohydrates, or NSCs) Teff is also a popular choice, as teff grows well in the desert. Teff, being a warm season grass, will typically be lower in sugars and protein, similar to bermuda grass.  Timothy and orchard are readily available at many feed stores in pellets and compressed bales. These grasses  are similarly low in protein, but as a cold season grass they will often be higher in sugars. Of course this means laminitic or animals with metabolic disorders should avoid these choices altogether, and limiting their consumption by healthy animals is generally the safest choice.  What do you do if warm weather grasses are difficult to come by in your area? You have a couple of options to mitigate the sugars that are present in cold weather grasses, but as always, if you are unsure about feeding a particular hay you should consult with your vet: Slow feed hay nets: The slower your animal eats, the better, so all the sugars aren’t hitting their system at once. Slow feed nets, such as those on haypillow.com allow for meal time to become an activity that lasts significantly longer than feeding loose hay. You may also choose to mix your hay with straw, either in the nets or loose. Your donkeys will either eat the two forages at once, balancing the high sugars in your hay with the low sugar straw, or they will slow down as they search through the straw to pick out pieces of hay. Much like you do eating M&Ms out of your trail mix.  Soaking: submerging your hay in water and leaving it to soak for 30 minutes to two hours, followed by pouring off and discarding the water (your plants may enjoy it), can reduce the sugar content of your hay further. Take caution to not feed soaked hay over sand, as it will cause your donkey to eat sand-coated hay that falls to the ground. If you have a metabolic or laminitic donkey and soaking your hay has been recommended, consider purchasing a stall mat on which to feed. Take care that it is placed in the shade, as afternoon summer sun can cause the black rubber to become too hot for your animal to comfortably stand on.