Donkey care calendar

Daily 

• Observe your donkeys for normal behaviour
• Muck out stables and poo pick fields and yards
• Clean water buckets or drinkers
• Provide fresh barley straw for feeding
• Groom donkeys and pick out their feet
• Provide mental stimulation in the form of non-poisonous bark covered logs, toys, exercise such as walking
• Move strip grazing if appropriate
• Apply insect protection as recommended by manufacturers
• Skip out stable in evening and check for normal behaviour.

Weekly 

• Clean field water troughs
• Check all perimeter fences for damage and ensure fencing is well maintained and secure
• Keep a constant look out for poisonous plants and remove whenever found
• Dust stables remove any cobwebs and disinfect stable floors.

Monthly

• Farrier visits every 6-8 weeks
• Take your donkeys' heart girth measurements and monitor your donkeys' weight
• Condition score the donkeys to check for weight gain or loss in conjunction with hearth girth measurement.

Yearly

• Organise the equine dental technician or vet as part of your donkeys' dental care programme
• Organise for a yearly vet check and annual Equine Flu vaccination and Tetanus vaccination if due
• Organise for faecal egg counts from donkey dung samples at least twice yearly for each donkey and have your vet advise you on the need for worming
• Paint stable walls or use animal-friendly wood preservative.

Spring

• Protect donkeys from insects - begin fly protection programme
• Very careful slow introduction to spring grazing - see our feeding donkeys guide
• Have muck heap removed to minimise flies for spring and summer.

Summer

• Continue with daily fly and insect prevention measures as per manufacturer’s instructions
• Order barley straw and any hay or haylage that you might need for winter use
• If you have older donkeys that wear rugs in winter ensure they are cleaned and repaired if necessary
• Extra grooming of donkeys to help remove winter coat
• Monitor weight and control grazing throughout summer.

Autumn

• If donkeys have access to grazing during winter, get bark chip or suitable sand to keep gateways clean and dry
• Monitor any flush of autumn grass and restrict grazing as required
• Put up fence around oak trees to prevent any donkeys getting access to fallen acorns
• Treat wooden fencing and field shelter with animal-friendly wood preservative.

Winter

• Monitor your donkeys' water intake and offer warm water if required to ensure adequate intake
• Ensure access to hardstanding to help minimise foot problems and mud fever
• If fitted, remove donkey rugs daily to check for signs of rubbing.