Our farm is in Connecticut in the northern part of the US. Winter temperatures can hover around 0 degrees F in the winter months. We receive many inquiries on how to keep the donkeys warm and comfortable in the winter.
If you are anything like me, I feel overwhelming guilt when I shut the barn doors behind me and go into our warm house on frosty winter nights after feeding. A few years ago, we had an exceptionally hard winter. Our water line to the barn that is under the frost line even froze. We were carrying water to the barn for 40 donkeys. That winter made me take a hard look at how we care for our donkeys in cold temperatures.
Shelter
Blocking the wind with at least a 3-sided shelter is essential. Our donkeys are in different areas, some with sheds and some share stalls in a barn with doors to outside paddocks and pastures. We keep access open unless there is a blizzard or there are subzero temperatures. We do this because the donkeys seem happier when they have the option to go in and out. It is interesting to see the choices they make in various weather conditions, often opting to stand outside when it is cold or windy. The only time that they will all be inside when it is raining. They do not like the rain and will wait patiently looking out the doors for the rain to stop.
My husband installs overlapping, heavyweight, plastic warehouse strips in all the doorways during the winter months. They block the wind but allow the donkeys free access to the outside. The doors can still be closed if they need to be. They learn to go through them quickly. In sheds with an open door, he covers half of the opening with a wooden insert and then installs the strips on the other half.
Bedding and the flooring are also important. We use a base of aggregate/processed material with thick rubber mats on top. Then we add wood shavings or straw. The thickness of the bedding is increased in the cold temperatures to provide more insulation from the ground. In the warmer months we do not use as much.
Water
Winter is common time for equines to colic. Just like humans, they don’t tend to drink as much water when it is cold, which can be a contributing factor to colic. We use heated water buckets to keep water from freezing but also to make the water easier to drink than ice cold water. This encourages water consumption. I always worry about fire but keeping the doors open for the majority of the time allows for egress.
Feed
Increasing hay amounts during frigid temperatures will increase calories and help to create warmth as the donkeys eat and digest their feed. We feed second cutting hay primarily and will feed out extra at night. We feed E-Tec One (pelletized, multi-purpose grain) if we have donkeys that are lactating, older or thin. Most of the donkeys only receive hay for feed.
Blanketing
This is perhaps the most controversial topic when it comes to keeping the donkeys warm in the winter. My first instinct is that I want to blanket all of them. (Actually, I want to bring them all in the house…lol!) This is not what we have found to be best for them.
When chilly weather starts the donkeys begin to grow their thick winter coats If a blanket is put on them at that time, they will not grow the coats that they need to keep warm as temps go down. We let them grow very thick coats and do not blanket most of the donkeys.
Our foals are usually born months before temperatures drop and even those foals grow thick winter coats. We have found that foals born in the fall arrive with heavier coats than spring foals. Amazing!
We blanket some of the foals. As foals develop, they will have growth spurts like teenagers. They may have a round little belly with no ribs showing and, in a month, they are an inch taller trying to add weight to be proportionate. It is natural but we will blanket any foal that is at that stage or showing any signs of being cold. Donkeys will shiver when they are cold. We feel their ears and take their temperature at times to see if they are cold. Also need to make sure that the foals are nursing regularly and that the jennet has plenty to eat and drink. Some of the adult donkeys may also need to be blanketed if they do not have enough weight. We like all our donkeys to be average or slightly heavy going into our winters here. Some of the aged donkeys just do not have the appetite of a younger donkey and can’t keep weight on as easily. If we do blanket any of the donkeys, we remove the blanket as soon as we can. Usually, the blankets come off during the day and go back on for cold nights.
Springtime
When spring arrives, there will be much shedding to do with all of the thick coats. When we only had a few donkeys, we would shed them out by hand with shedding tools and brushes. Furminator type tools for dogs work fantastic.
With 30+ donkeys to care for we opt to body clip on or about June 1st. We leave ears and lower legs to help with flies. The donkeys have less natural oil than horses do. Because their coats lack oil and are so thick and long moisture gets trapped next to the skin if they get wet at all over the winter and spring. All donkeys have access to solid shelter, but they sometimes choose to go outside, and we don’t restrict that. It is inevitable that some will have rain rot every year. It is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Clipping them allows air to get to these patches and the hair grows in quickly. Rain rot is a bacterial infection. We sometimes treat with antibiotic spray but find that good old sunshine and the air usually works just fine. Depending on how sunny the days are we will sometimes limit their time outside until the hair starts to grow in to avoid sunburn.
Each donkey is different, and it is our job as their caretakers to keep a close eye on them to be sure their needs are met. If they could talk, we would know more but we do the best we can😊. We tend to err on the side of caution. If a donkey looks cold, is young or a little thin we will put the blanket on. This is just what we do here at Foster Hill Farm. We all need to do our best to do what is right for our donkeys and that might vary from farm to farm.
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