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Donkeys are the second oldest domesticated animal in human history. It's been proven through recent archaeological discoveries that the partnership between mankind and donkeys predates that of the horse.
Without the gentle humble donkey man could not have made its first great migration off the African continent.
Jesus led his followers into Jerusalem riding on the back of a small, common donkey. That donkey followed Jesus to Calvary and stood in the shadow of the cross and the shadow of the cross fell on the back on the donkey. These special donkeys have borne the sign on the cross since day.
Miniature donkeys are native to the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia and were first imported into the United States in 1929 by Robert Green. He bought six jennets and one jack. Of those, three jennets and the jack survived to produce the first miniature donkeys born in America.
Donkeys are typically very sweet and gentle, and can make great pets! They are highly intelligent. They hate being yelled at or forced into anything. Everything must be their idea. Always be gentle with your donkey. If you offer treats, you may want to avoid hand feeding to discourage aggressive nibbling. We like salted roasted peanuts as an alternative to sweet snacks for our donkeys. Give lots of ear rubs , scratches, and let him—or her—get to know you. If you’re a first-time donkey owner, choose one that’s already trained. Walk on a lead often and pick up their feet daily to pick. If they are afraid of something move slowly to desensitize them. Donkeys are emotional animals who bond for life, and if you earn their trust, they will do just about anything you ask of them, owners say. They are like the very best of a horse and a dog. Once you have donkeys in your life its hard to see how you ever did without them.
Donkeys are definitely not well-suited to living alone. A donkey without any buddies will quickly get sad, depressed, and lonely. They form incredibly strong bonds with their pals, so we strongly recommend keeping bonded pairs together for life. Donkeys can also bond with horses but they are highly intelligent and much happier and healthier in donkey company. Horses are pasture animals suited for eating grass. Donkeys process calories very differently than horses. The miniature donkey originates from an arid climate with sparse foliage. A donkey is better suited to a dry lot with limited pasture for foraging and exercise. A donkey on a pasture will develop fat pads and eventually laminitis and founder. (not be able to walk) . Everyone needs friends but donkeys are best suited with other donkeys. We will only sell or place donkeys in pairs.
Donkeys are like horses in the way that they must have fresh clean water. They will refuse to drink dirty water so buckets and or fountains will need frequent cleaning. Make sure in the winter you have heated water buckets to encourage your donkeys to drink and avoid colic.
Donkeys must have a clean, dry barn, or, at the very least, a three-sided shelter. It doesn't need to be fancy but it must be secure. Wind can pick up an unanchored shelter and cause disaster. You’ll have to remove waste from this area daily. Make certain it drains properly and has good ventilation. Rubber mats with shavings are appropriate but donkeys can also be very happy and healthy on a dry sand or dirt floor as long as there is some hay in the cold weather to cuddle up. Donkeys are not made to stand out in the rain, especially in the cold. Your donkey will prefer to be outside. They need room to roam and forage but dry lots or a more sparce pasture are preferable as donkeys are not made to eat rich grass 24/7 or they will become overweight and ill quickly.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT Studies show that donkeys are much more susceptible to pneumonia than horses. Always have a place for your donkeys to get out of the rain.
Donkeys require a DRY 3 sided shelter out of the rain. Their coats and skin are very different from cows and horses. Many donkeys don’t care for chilly climates. In fact, they’re prone to getting pneumonia in cold or wet weather! You may want to keep your donkey blanketed in winter. Some people are against that but if you live in an area like ours where it is temperate most of the time with sudden drastic drops in temperature, check your donkey to be certain they are not shivering. Your donkey will still need some activity, of course. Exercise him indoors, or choose milder days to let him out.
Donkeys process calories very differently than horses. The miniature donkey originates from an arid climate with sparse foliage. They are not pasture animals meant to graze on lush plains. A donkey is better suited to a dry lot with limited pasture for foraging and exercise. A donkey on a pasture will develop fat pads and eventually laminitis and founder. (not be able to walk) . Everyone needs friends but donkeys are best suited with other donkeys. Have your vet always perform a blood panel and fecal when you adopt or purchase a donkey. Selenium deficiency is common in donkeys. They need to be wormed at least twice a year. They require a very small amount of a low protein (under 14%) low starch and low sugar feed with pelleted minerals or access to a mineral block and ALWAYS provide a salt block designed for equine. Some mineral blocks for sheep and goats contain minerals that are innapropriate and even dangerous to donkeys and horses.
Just like any other pet, donkeys need regular veterinary care. Regular exams, vaccinations, and worming are all important. You’ll also need to keep up with your donkey’s hoof and dental care up to date. A vet should check their teeth every year or biannually and donkeys especially over 5 years of age may need their teeth floated once a year similar to horses. Ask your vet for recommendations. Hoof trimming should be scheduled every 6-9 weeks.
Are donkeys high maintenance?
You should only invest in a donkey if you have the means and are prepared to give them a lot of love and attention. It can be hard work. Many donkeys all over the world aren't looked after properly, causing illness and disease that can lead to death. Consider donkeys can
LIVE TO BE 50 YEARS OLD OR MORE. No matter your age please plan for your donkeys (and all your animals ) in your will. Many animals are in perril when an owner becomes suddenly ill or dies. If you do not have a succession plan please consider a sanctuary.
One reason we created
Purple Donkey Human Rescue is to be a sanctuary for donkeys who may outlive their owners and have nowhere to go. Be sure to make arrangements both legally and financially with the chosen sanctuary. Be sure they are solvent and well organized so your animals will live out their lives in peace and security.
Donkeys like horses must have their feet trimmed regularly. Growth patterns can vary with the seasons and diet but donkeys like horses need their hooves trimmed ever 6-8 weeks. A good farrier is hard to find so make certain you have one lined up before your donkeys arrive. You will want to pick their hooves thoroughly daily exposing it to oxygen. Without proper cleaning hooves can develop thrush or worse.
Sources to learn to trim your own hooves such as https://www.facebook.com/holistichooves/
Are extremely informative. Even if you don't do it yourself you need to be educated about your donkey and their good hoof health.
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Donkeys are definitely alert animals. They can hear miles away and very territorial. A large brave donkey might even kill a coyote. But donkeys are not guardian animals. They have self preservation only. Minis cannot fight off predators. Ranchers are continually disappointed and inappropriately angry when they put a jack in a field and it kills a calf. Overall donkeys can be dangerous with dogs (even guardian dogs sometimes) and small animals like goats. IF YOU HAVE GOATS you MUST have a separate area for your donkeys. It's not impossible for donkeys to live in harmony with goats however we cannot place donkeys at your farm unless you have separate areas for these animals to all live and get used to each other. Keep in mind it may never happen. Fences make good neighbors! No climb wire fence and better yet supplemented with electric to prevent predators from climbing over or digging under is your best defense.
Every day we receive multiple calls and emails from people who have lost money to scammers. Please be alert. Look for the signs. Verify Verify Verify
With AI and photoshop etc scams can be very convincing. This is a business for them. Some are out there using our name and address. They will send you photos of our donkeys but usually they will be someone else's donkeys. They will show you GPS photos of our farm.
If we don't know you or you have not been referred by a friend or come to our farm, we WILL NOT ASK YOU FOR A DEPOSIT
We want to know you and meet you before we sell you one of our donkeys. Scammers do not want that. With AI it's getting hard to believe your eyes. Trust your gut and verify
Social Media
Be very careful. MANY Facebook groups are created, audited and populated by scammers who invest a lot of time in these frauds. Even though reputable breeders tag them as fraud they remain up. Groups like
"Donkeys under $1000" or
"Donkey rehoming and adoption" are mostly scammers who set these groups up targeting people in different states.
All proceeds from the sale of Cypress Farm donkeys go to support Purple Donkey Human Rescue . Purple Donkey Human Rescue is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization © 2023 by Purple Donkey Human Rescue
A donkey's gestation is 12 to 14 months and then it takes 5 to 6 months to wean but start preparing for your donkeys now. We will want to verify that you have all these things in order prior to our animals leaving the farm.
Donkeys are sold in pairs unless you already own donkey who will be an appropriate companion. We do not encourage breeding animals without a pedigree as there is no way to track genetic defects without this history. We are happy to help you locate another donkey if we only have one available. BEWARE SCAMS ARE RAMPANT !!! WE WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR A DEPOSIT PRIOR TO A FARM VISIT
Jacks not going to a verified breeding program must be gelded prior to leaving our farm. Intact Jacks ARE NOT PETS. Jacks can be dangerous. We only sell Jacks to be bred to other registered jennets. We ask that people refrain from breeding without a pedigree to support multigenerational health
Before contracting on an animal we will want to verify you are a registered client of a reputable equine vet that can provide emergency care. Most equine vets will not visit in an emergency or see your animal unless you are a client. This relationship must be established to avoid tragedy in an unforeseen emergency. Consider most mobile vets can only do so much. You should also register with your closest Equine Emergency Hospital.
Hoof health is very important and good farriers are hard to come by. We are happy to make recommendations. Sources like https://www.facebook.com/holistichooves/ are helpful to learn how you can trim but nothing beats a good knowledgable farrier. We want to verify you have this relationship prior to our donkeys leaving the farm.
Donkeys require well ventilated, dry, three sided shelter and an acre of land per donkey. Donkeys are not built to stand out in the rain and new studies show that donkeys get pneumonia in the winter far more than horses do. Does it have electricity for fans, lights , cameras (in case of emergency) and heated water buckets in the winter? Can it be divided so that your animals can be contained or separated in case of injury or illness ? Consider two 12"x12" areas that can be gated.
Fences make good neighbors! No climb wire fence and better yet supplemented with electric to prevent predators from climbing over or digging under is your best defense.
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Do you have at least 1 acre of pasture per donkey not including your structures? This is important for the general health and well being of your animals.
Do you have a good source of hay ? Donkeys eat grass hay like bermuda or coastal. Nothing too high in protein like alfalfa. You may want to ask your hay provider if they test to discover the nutritional value of their hay. It's always best to just watch your animal closely and amend your feeding per the individual. Donkeys are easy keepers. Most of our mature miniatures eat about 2.5 lbs or 1 big flake of hay twice daily depending upon their size and condition.
Our mature miniatures eat a quarter cup of pelleted grain mixed with minerals and a hoof supplement like Vermont Blend or NuFoot or Hoof Secret. Donkeys under 3 may eat a good deal more. IMPORTANT Do not overfeed your donkey. Be careful your donkey does not develop fat pads. When prospective donkey owners come to visit the farm this is one of the things we will review.
We have hauled donkeys all over the country. If you are far away we will try to match you with a reputable breeder close to your area so you can visit them but we can also help you arrange reputable safe transportation.
BE CAREFUL FRAUD IS RAMPANT ! In Hay, Hauling and especially animal sales. Even if you have professionals haul your donkeys, you may want want to consider a small trailer for emergencies. Most mobile vets can only do so much in an emergency.
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Cypress Farm Registered Miniature Donkeys
1682 Pleasant Grove Road, Chester, South Carolina 29706, United States
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