Donkey Care in Extremely Cold Conditions

Brrrr Burro! How to Keep Donkeys Warm in the Worst Winter Weather

We had an “arctic blast” in Colorado right before Christmas. It got down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, without factoring in windchill. The next day, the high was 0 degrees. It stayed sub-zero for three nights before finally warming up again to “normal” winter temps, four days later.

This arctic blast meant massive anxiety for me, as at this point, I was still a relatively new donkey owner. I did a TON of research. Here is a summary of what I learned and implemented to get through this extra-cold spell, and minimize my anxiety in future cold weather events.

What kind of extra care do donkeys (and other livestock) need to survive these crazy temperature swings?

To answer this question, I should first provide some history of our burros:

Our two donkeys are BLM burros, rounded up from Arizona. They’re used to winter temps, but only down to about 20 degrees. While yes, they have grown winter coats, their haircoat is not as thick as other donkeys I’ve seen in our area.

Blue and Moon have also been exceptionally difficult to train. At this point, we had them for almost a year and we still could not perform basic care functions, like haltering or picking up feet. For all intents and purposes, they are still mostly wild.

We keep our two burros at my in-laws about 15 minutes away from our house. They have about an acre of turnout during the day and then are usually confined to a smaller paddock (with shelter) overnight.

Their primary shelter is a three-sided shed attached to a small cinderblock barn. The barn has two stalls; we use one for hay storage and have been slowly introducing them to the second stall to use as another shelter.

Six Principles of Keeping Livestock Warm in Negative Temperatures:

1 – Forage, forage, forage.

Equines actually generate heat as they digest forage (hay, straw), so feeding extra hay helps them to stay warm.

I fed “unlimited” hay (mixed with a little straw for bedding or snacks) leading up to and after our super cold temps.

During cold events, I estimate we go through 2-3x’s the hay we would normally feed.

For example, a normal day equals about two to three flakes of hay per donkey per day. During the super cold temps, we increased that to six or more flakes* per donkey per day.

(Keep in mind to always feed by weight, not by volume! The size of the flake can vary quite a bit from bale to bale, field to field, & cutting to cutting)

Blue and Moon eating hay in their massive straw pile! This is their favorite place to hang out, and the straw provides some insulation from the cold ground.

2 – Shelter.

As if negative temperatures weren’t enough, windchill is also a serious consideration.

Providing at least a 3-sided shelter (if not an indoor space such as a stall or barn) to break the wind is critical for keeping animals alive during extreme temperature swings like this.

Our donkeys have a small, three-sided shelter that they are comfortable using. I wanted to provide extra shelter, as the shed can get very muddy as the snow melts. We prepped a stall and have been slowly getting them used to it so that hopefully they’ll have a second location to take shelter for future storms.

Straw makes for excellent bedding! It also adds a layer of insulation between the animals and the ground.

3 – Blankets.

Unfortunately, these are a no-go for us at this point in time. However, if your donkey will tolerate being blanketed, this can be very helpful in especially cold and wet conditions.

Horses produce a specific oil that makes their coats waterproof; donkeys don’t have this feature, as they are desert creatures. As a result, donkeys are more likely to get chilled if they are wet.

Providing a blanket can help keep them dry and therefore better equipped to handle cold temperatures!

When blanketing, you must blanket for the temperature–if you blanket when it is too warm, you can do far more harm than good. Check to make sure your donkey isn’t sweating under the blanket.

The equine hairs will actually stand up in cold temperatures, providing a thicker, insulating layer to keep the animal warm.

When you blanket, you “smoosh” down the hairs, which decreases the insulation properties of the existing coat.

If you’re blanketing in cold temperatures, it would be best to use a blanket with insulation, not just a rain sheet.

You’ll need a blanket with fill in order to offset the loss of fluffiness by compressing down the hairs.

4 – Hydration.

It is very important to make sure your donkeys stay hydrated during cold temperatures. If they don’t drink, their risk of colic (especially impaction colic) increases significantly.

Typically donkeys won’t drink very cold water, so heating the water during the winter is helpful.

We absolutely love this Drain Plug De-Icer for stock tanks. It keeps the water not just from freezing, but at a reasonably warm temperature. It also sits low enough in the tank that you don’t have to worry about animals messing with it!

Unfortunately, our very special donkey, Blue, is mildly terrified of the stock tank and refuses to drink from it. I fill water buckets for him each day to make sure he drinks enough.

However, those buckets were freezing almost immediately in these negative temperatures, so I purchased him a five-gallon heated water bucket.

This bucket is still a bit intimidating, but more tolerable than the stock tank. That said, I still fill the stock tank, and then fill the bucket with water from the trough so I don’t have to mess with hoses in these temperatures.

You can also feed electrolytes, like this Farnam Elite Apple Electrolyte horse supplement, in order to encourage your animals to keep drinking. I like to use ProBios cookies for some added gut health benefits during stressful situations.

Please note: This is purely an informative article. Please consult your veterinarian or an equine/donkey professional for advice on specific nutrition questions.

5 – Nutrition.

Staying warm requires extra calories.

You’ll likely need to feed more in order to compensate for colder temperatures.

For example, I can easily get by with two flakes of hay per day per donkey during summer months, but during fall/spring, I increase their daily ration to three flakes of hay per donkey. During winter? They each may get six or more flakes of hay in order to maintain body condition. (Basically, they get unlimited hay)

Some donkeys will max out on hay and still be calorie deficient–if you need to get extra calories in them, you can consider adding some grain to their daily ration.

Always make any nutrition changes slowly! (By slowly, I mean over the course of 7-14 days).

You can’t just start feeding grain during a cold snap. If they aren’t already used to something (whether that be diet or environment), now is not the time to introduce new stressors to their bodies.

Most donkeys do NOT require grain. Donkeys are quite prone to obesity, which is a serious concern.

Please don’t rely on this article for specific nutritional advice–talk to your vet if you have specific questions! This is simply meant to be a guide and outline of what I do for my (very special) donkeys in Colorado. It won’t necessarily work for everyone in every unique situation.

While most donkeys are easy keepers, some, like my Blue, are not. I had a hard time keeping weight on Blue over the summer, so I’ve taken a much more proactive approach to ensure he doesn’t lose weight over the winter.

Blue gets warm mashes every day.

To make warm mashes, I soak hay pellets and shredded beet pulp and then top that with electrolytes (to encourage drinking), ProBios (for digestive health), and oats (for added calories).

I use a little electric tea kettle to quickly heat water in the barn to make warm mashes!

Side Note: You should always soak hay pellets (really any hay pellets, hay cubes, and even beet pulp) in order to reduce the risk of impaction colic. Once you soak these and see how much water they absorb, you’ll understand how it could cause impaction colic without soaking before feeding!

Oats can be a good choice to get some extra calories in your donkeys. They are the most similar commercial feed to what they’d eat in the wild, so are pretty safe when considering the spectrum of what you could feed your donkey.

I prefer rolled oats over whole oats. Rolled oats are simply run through a roller mill, which cracks them slightly. This makes the oat easier for the animal to digest. If you can ever see whole oats in your equine’s poop, that means their digestive system is not utilizing the feed and you’re essentially throwing away your money.

I also use oats to bribe the burros into their pen for the night and then separate them for dinner time. (Remember, I can’t handle them…so separating them for feeding time can be challenging!)

Once separated, Blue gets about 1 lb of soaked alfalfa pellets along with some beet pulp and his meds. I can also add an electrolyte topdress and maybe some pre/probiotics to help with gut health as needed.

Moon gets soaked beet pulp shreds–beet pulp is low calorie and the soaking process ensures I get some extra hydration in him! He also gets jealous if Blue gets dinner and he doesn’t.

Moon does not have trouble keeping weight on like Blue does, so I cannot feed them the same ration–he’d turn into a potato on legs.

During the night when it got down to -20, I actually slept on-site (remember, we live 15 minutes away) and set an alarm to check on the boys every three to four hours. I fed them warm mashes and threw extra hay at every check.

6 – Movement.

Moving generates heat.

You don’t necessarily want to confine your donkeys in a small space when it gets extra cold, because it increases the risk of them getting chilled.

As much as I wanted to lock my two boys in the stall for maximum protection from the wind/elements, I didn’t because A) they’d be mega stressed out, as they’ve barely spent any time indoors, and B) movement.

Remember how I camped out with them? (I was in a semi-finished structure with heat although no running water, which may or may not be haunted, but that’s another story) I had a window I could see their enclosure from.

I watched off and on all night, and observed them taking turns “guarding” the entrance of their shelter while the other would rest. Then, they would walk over to the feeder and nibble on hay, walk over to the barn and (cautiously) venture inside, before returning back to the safety of the shelter.

They were constantly moving around, albeit slowly.

So, did it work?

Overall, yes. By following these principles (except blanketing, which would be impossible at this point in our training), we were able to keep Blue and Moon alive and healthy during the especially cold temperatures. They both still have their ears as well!

(I joke, but I had serious anxiety that they would get frostbite)

Despite my best efforts, I still observed some shivering in both boys. This was usually right at dawn when the temperature dipped even further before finally starting to rise.

Watching them shiver and knowing there was nothing else I could do was absolutely heartbreaking. It gives me added motivation to keep working on their training so that we can improve our handling skills and provide blankets and additional care if needed.

One note: If you can see the snow on their backs, this means their coats are working, and insulating them!

Would I do anything differently?

At this point in time, for this winter, no. Given where we are at with our training, this was all I could do.

I did see a donkey owner in Montana who sewed “donkey earmuffs” for her animals! This is 100% on my ‘to do’ list, as I had massive anxiety that the boys would get frostbite and their ears would fall off. Hopefully next year they will allow me to better outfit them!

Want to read more about donkey care? Trot on over to these articles:

• Do Senior Donkeys Need Joint Supplements?
• Hammocks & HeeHaws: How to Camp with your Donkey
• Donkey vs Horse Nutrition: What’s the Difference?
• Burro Bonded Pairs: Fact & Fiction
• Barn Management Best Practices for Burros

Sources:

Iron Gate Equine | Horse Care in Extreme Cold
Donkey Listener | Winter Donkey Care
The Horse | Study: Donkeys Need Added Protection in Cold Climates
The Donkey Sanctuary | Care of Donkeys Through Winter
Donkey Whisperer | How Do We Know When to Blanket