Let’s Talk Donkey

March 2003
Jim and Kristi Kingma
DAA official members (DonkAholics Anonymous)

“His ears make me giggle” was 5 year old Kristin Kaschmitter’s first impression of Luc. They met moments after Luc arrived from a two-day journey in November to his Idaho home.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT? Everyone asks! The standard answer is: We're gonna drive our ass, we're gonna pack and ride our ass, we're using our ass for predator control, namely coyotes. Our little ass will be a babysitter to our next weanling, and a companion to our Quarter Horses.

See there are many things one can do with an ass. We plan to show our ass in June at Montana Mule and Donkey Days. In September we’ll be at Hells Canyon Mule Days. Other shows around the area include Boise and Spokane. Yes, the Kingma’s are in Long Eared Heaven and loving every minute of it.

With the arrival of Luc, we have entered into the state of Donkey Dom, discovering a new and exciting world! There is now a large assortment of internet friend, videos, books and magazines featuring the long ears as we try to learn what donkeys are all about. RMS Lippyluver Luc is registered with ADMS, The American Donkey and Mule Society. There are many other registries available including one for spotted donkeys and Zebras which are often crossed with donkeys, creating hybrid zedonks and zebrass. Best of all, many new acquaintances have entered our world and old friends have reappeared to help us “the newbie long eared keepers”.

Let’s talk donkey for a moment as they are totally unlike their equine counterparts and still different from their mule offspring. As you know it takes a donkey to make a mule, that’s why mules are so intelligent…they get their smarts from their donkey parent. First the facts. Donkeys are members of the ass family, Equus asinus. Therefore, you can call him/her your ass…your husband’s ass etc., and be politically correct. A male donkey is a Jack, a gelding is a John and a female is a Jennet or Jenny. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes, differing from mules with 63 and horses with 64 chromosomes. Gestation is between 12 and 14 months and they often have surviving twins. They have longevity and can live to be 50 plus years old.
Donkeys have much larger ears than horses. In the wild, this gives them the opportunity to hear other donks from long distance. This brings us to another difference… they bray loudly! Meaning they can be heard up to 2 miles away, easily staying in contact with each other rather than running in herds as wild horses do. The donkey has a brassy distinct Aw-EE-Aw, voice used as a warning to predators, as a greeting or just to reprimand the feeding guy when he does not come fast enough. Old timers called them Rocky Mountain Songbirds or Canaries.

Wild donkeys are desert animals where the food supply is sparse and thus the grazing distance. They do not need as much roughage as a horse and they utilize their feed better than their counterparts do. Two very important donkey facts are; number one they eat slower than horses and can take as little as 25% less food to maintain. Number two they need a low protein diet, high quality grass hay is the only choice. Remember since they are of the equine family their digestive system is sensitive. Hay molds and mildew will kill a donkey just a quickly as it will a horse. Cattle, sheep and goat feeds containing Urea, toxic to equines, is a big NO NO. Make sure to feed a product that is equine safe. It is better to supplement other animals horse safe feeds rather than the other way around.They get extra bonus points as riding and pack animals as they are very sure footed, to shoe or not to shoe is up to you and the amount of use they receive. Keeping their feet trimmed on a regular basis is extremely important. Unlike the horse’s flight instinct, when faced with danger a donkey will freeze. This trait, along with the predator control instinct, makes the donkey an excellent companion to livestock including sheep and goat herds. We have noticed Luc has a calming, soothing effect on our horses and has become a popular member of the herd.Variety is the spice of life as donkeys come in many sizes and colors. Luc is a Large Standard, which means he should mature around 52 to 56 inches. There are donkey breeds worldwide but here donkeys are registered strictly by size. The smallest donkeys are Miniatures and stand 36 inches or less. Standard size will range from 36 to 48 inches. Following that size is the Large Standard ranging from 48 to 56 inches. The elegant Mammoth donkeys start at 56 inches and go up from there.

Many donkeys have dorsal stripes and shoulder crosses, dark earmarks, and light points around the eyes, muzzle, belly and inner leg. The mane and tail are course. Manes are normally upright and stiff with no forelock, or as in the case of some mammoths can fall softly down the neck line. The tail has short hairs ending with a tassel switch.Surely, you have heard “Donkeys are stubborn,” hasn’t everyone? Many years ago, my dad would tell me, “You have to be smarter than the mule if you want to ride today”. That adage is one we are going to have to remember as we begin Luc’s training. Donkeys and mules have an over abundance of common sense and a strong desire for self-preservation. They are incredibly smart and don’t need repetitive training. Simply repeat past lessons and quickly move on with something new. Horses are mastered with the trainer being their alpha but a donkey must be coerced and persuaded to obey….never forced!Blessed with the patience of Job, donkeys have a natural attraction to children,. They are very gentle and make perfect 4-H projects. Treated with understanding, patience and most of all love and kindness they learn to trust and want to please their people friends. You’ll get nowhere fast with abuse! They are physically huggable and actually respond to a good ole’ squeeze. Love ‘em and tell ‘em what good kids they are and keep the treats a comin’! They like the award system style of training. Please do not spoil a donkey no one wants to be around an obnoxious ass! Just a smart ass!Donkeys need basic care along with pasture mates and human affection. Our guy loves and uses his pasture shelter. He has discovered it has a constant supply of loose salt, which he needs plus free choice minerals. They like fresh clean water, and will go thirsty rather than drink water they do not approve of. Regular worming is needed plus vaccinations especially if they are traveling. In comparison to horses, they are less prone to illness. Essentials include plenty of exercise and year around grooming, a favorite spot is to gently rub inside the ears with your hand closed into a fist.

As a note to ski buffs…. did you know in 1855 Noah S. Kellogg’s “Jackass” had a huge part in building the longest gondola in the world? Here’s the story. Noah’s ass ran off from camp, when he found him, he also found sparkling galena ore. That discovery lead to the famous Coeur d’Alene, Idaho mining region. In 1960, a new ski area was in the works named, Jackass Ski Bowl. This turned into Silver Mountain after completion of building the world’s longest gondola! All due to one run away ass.