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The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® is all about donkeys and the people who love them! Melody Johnson trains the owner or caretaker on how to train the donkey via Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand Training with an E-Book to print out, speeding up training time. The Donkey Whisperer Farm ® provides outstanding customer service and quality to each order received. Everything we sell is quality and handmade in the U.S.A. Free Shipping In The U.S.A. for all orders $150.00 or above.
Looking for a special donkey gift? We have quality hand-made gifts ready to make the donkey lover in your life smile.
We are proud to announce we sell quality soft yacht rope halters, brass screw on snap with a leather end to fit a donkey, not a horse. Build a halter for any equine, horse, donkey, or mule, we teach you how to measure the head after your payment is received. Our donkey halters are made in the U.S.A with yacht rope to never mold or frail. Our donkey halter measurements will fit any mini or standard size donkey from age 4 months to full-grown.
“Horses Dream Of Being Trained The Way A Donkey Demands To Be Trained” Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm ®
Hello donkey lovers and friends my name is Melody Johnson I am happy to meet you!
Donkeys evolved from the desert, their diet is serious we cannot let a donkey graze all day on grass, brush and trees without getting sick. If you live in the green and muddy part of the world create a dry paddock connected to the shelter with a gate to a track for exercise. The donkeys long fur coat is used to protect the donkey from insects and sunburn. The donkeys hooves are pointy compared to a horse made to walk on on dry hard ground.
Donkeys are intelligent not stubborn, donkeys are just as smart as dolphins and dogs their memory is comparable to elephants. Donkeys are game players and are seriously into self-preservation. Donkeys deserve to be trained using humane training techniques.
“Horses Dream Of Being Trained The Way A Donkey Demands To Be Trained” Melody Johnson, Donkey Whisperer Farm ® a worldwide trainer.
How can I purchase healthy food for my donkey?
Test all hay or forage before purchasing for the year. I test all of my hay at Equine Analytical Lab in the USA and I purchase enough hay for my six donkeys and two horses for the entire year. The goal is 10% or lower in sugar and protein for the desert equine and the easy keeper horses and mules. Straw is not always low in sugar be sure to test to make sure just because it is barley straw does not mean it is low in sugar. Color of hay is not an indicator of low sugar we must test before feeding to our donkeys.
Use a slow feeder, hay pillow never leave a big round bale out to eat on all day as portion control is very important to the desert equine. Obesity is the number one form of abuse in the USA for donkeys out of the USA it is being underfed and overworked.
Safe treats are a bite of a carrot. Never feed cookies, breads and sugar foods to the donkey.
Clean water, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Donkeys drink way more water when its clean.
Salt get lose salt with selenium and minerals if your hay has no selenium, remove selenium if your hay has selenium.
Shelter is a must. Make sure your shelter is big enough for all of your donkeys to get out of the weather. Provide food and water in the shelter to help them get over the fear of the shelter.
Provide farrier appointments every six weeks in the spring and summer and seven in the fall and winter as the hoof grows slower in the cold seasons.
Provide dental checkups at least once a year with your vet. Why? Domesticated donkeys get high points and gums can get inflamed needing regular vet care.
Shots, five way is the best for your donkey in the spring of each year. Give your vet fresh poop for a fecal sample spring and fall before worming. Your vet will tell you to worm or not to worm. Over worming creates resistant parasites to wormer that are difficult to remove and in some cases cant be removed. Over worming destroys the donkeys immune system.
Ask your vet to check for insulin resistance (blood work) and cushings as your donkeys ages.
11. Donkeys are wood eaters this is not cribbing. Donkeys seek out wood to chew on and eat. If you use wood pellets bedding add water as the donkey will eat the pellets they will expand in the tummy and can cause colic and death.
Donkey Training:
Donkey 101 & 102 Video On Demand is sold with lifetime access. OrderDonkey Whisperer Farm ®
Purchase the Donkey Whisperer Farm ® adjustable soft yacht rope halter with matching lead line.
Adjustable miniature or burro/standard donkey soft yacht rope halter with matching lead line, (six feet mini and 9ft burro/standard) brass screw-on snap, black leather end all the colors! SEVEN DOLLARS OFF EACH SET. We proudly ship worldwide, email melody@donkeywhisperer.com to get a quote to ship out of the USA.
Plan ahead to keep pets safe; owning pets is a huge responsibility and for those of us who have equine (donkeys, horses, and mules) living in rural areas, we must be extra careful. The equine is a flight or fight animal when terrified of death. Meaning; they can get scared when the fireworks start, and the smell is in the air. Some horses have been known to run into fences. Locking them in their stalls is the safest when neighbors are shooting off fireworks I turn the radio up and give lots of hay and fresh water. Donkeys have died from fear, yes fear. Colic is a life-threatening matter. Donkeys are stoic will not show pain until it is too late. Do your best to stay calm and keep your donkeys, mules, and horses locked up safe in their stall until the fireworks are over. Long-distance fireworks are not that big of a deal, fireworks right over the farm or barn can kill your equine.
Want to read more tips on pet safety and fireworks? Select Blue Cross Pets Fireworksfor more details.
Dogs and cats can get so scared of fireworks they can run off and not be able to find their way home best to keep them locked in the house too. Our doggies get very stressed, turning the radio up helps, some people tranquillize their dogs until the fireworks are over. I say do whatever you have to do to keep your pets safe as they don’t understand fireworks. Please remember animals do not understand fireworks “they are truly scared and think they will die.” It’s our job as the smart human to protect them and take care of them.
What do you do to keep your pet(s) safe during the fireworks? Please leave a comment to help others.
Something you may or may not know about me is my love for gardening, working in the dirt. Oh how I love to grow flowers and food. Here is a few of my most favorite flowers on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®. Enjoy!
I have been getting so many e-mails and FB messages asking me about Barley Straw for donkeys. I am hoping this blog post will clear things up for you. Here is the U.K Donkey Sanctuary Straw Article
Thinking about Straw:
Please remember if we are lucky enough to find Barley straw in the U.S.A. we must test it before purchasing. No forage hay or straw can be looked at to know the sugar and protein content, none. We must test all forage before purchasing. Barley Straw, Timothy Hay, Yellow Hay can test up to 30% or more in sugar. Testing can be done at Equine Analytical Lab https://equi-analytical.com/U.SA. All forage should test 10% or lower in sugar and protein for the desert equine the donkey.
Straw Considerations:
After you find low sugar and protein (10% or lower) hay and straw purchase enough for your equine for the year. This way you do not have to keep searching for low sugar/protein hay and straw.
If you choose to add straw please add straw slowly into the diet. If you add straw too fast you will cause colic. Donkeys are stoic will not show pain until in many cases it is too late to call the vet.
Use a slow feeder for tested hay. Do not let your donkeys eat off a big round bale or free hay all day and night. Portion control is important even with tested hay. We use the Hay Pillowas eating slowly keeps the donkeys healthier. The hay pillow is quality. Feed on ground level. Here on the Donkey Whisperer Farm ®, we do not have as many donkeys as the U.K. Donkey Sanctuary we have 6 donkeys and 2 horses. We use the Hay Pillow for all equine that have teeth with tested hay. We have one rescue donkey Tuba that is in his late 20’s early 30’s he is on tested hay pellets, turned into a mash three times a day. No dry forage or deep grass, brush, trees for him.
Create a track to keep your donkeys exercising. Remember a healthy donkey eats healthy and exercises on a regular basis.
Donkeys and all equine who have teeth or serious deep pocket gum issues cannot eat straw or hay. Why? The equine cannot chew correctly and can choke or colic. Have yearly dental checks to be sure your donkeys can eat hay and straw.
Watch the poop. If your donkey is not pooping you have a huge problem. Call the vet asap. Donkeys are stoic and will not show pain quickly like a horse.
Clean water is a must. We change the water every other day on our farm unless the wind comes in and adds dirty than it is every day. All equine will drink way more water when it is clean and cool in the warm season. Warm clean water in the frigid seasons.
Salt is important. Please make sure your equine have access to free salt at all times.
Please before you add straw make sure your vet has checked the teeth and gums.
Donkeys are truly emotional beings they truly love their families deeply two and four-legged.
As donkeys become senior citizens their teeth and gums start having some serious issues. The tooth starts turning round not pointy, gums start getting inflamed and the tooth starts pushing out. When the tooth starts wiggling and coming out it does not fall out on its own. The vet needs to extract the tooth and all the roots.
What happens if we do not make mash and keep feeding dry hay? The donkey can choke on the hay, colic and die. As you can see it is vital we have yearly veterinarian do the teeth and provide fecal samples, shots and health checks. Provide our donkeys with a hay pellet mash and feed twice a day. Donkeys can live up to fifty years in domestication. It is vital we learn how to care for our senior donkeys to have the best life possible.
Make sure and choose hay pellets low in sugar, fat and protein. After researching extensively I am using Standlee Orchard Hay Pellets as they are below 10% in sugar and protein and low in fat. Make sure to soak the hay pellets for at least ten minutes before feeding.
Did you know donkeys need to see an equine dentist at least once a year? Yes its true! If we provide dental care once a year we are ahead of serious health issues. Please remember to use an equine dentist who has experience with donkeys. As the donkey ages the teeth start rounding and erupting out and need to be extracted. The equine vet can prevent colic and choking for your donkey.
Please remember donkeys digest drugs different from a horse. Please be sure and ask lots of questions before giving your donkey drugs.
Did you know that Easter really has nothing to do with decorating eggs and hunting for candy? Easter is the resurrection day!
Here are a few bible verses explaining what Easter is all about:
Luke 24:6-7: “He is not here; he has risen!”
Acts 3:15: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.”
John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”
1 Peter 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Corinthians 15:21: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.”
Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Acts 4:33: “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”
Romans 8:34: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one.”
Philippians 2:8: “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
1 Corinthians 6:14: “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.”
Romans 6:9: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”
Romans 8:34: “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
Romans 6:8-11:”The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. “
Luke 24:6-7: “Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'”
Romans 6:8-11: “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.”
God bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Melody, I have two BLM donkeys that live on five acres and have not been handled. These donkeys are seriously strong and can kick and spin. I get their feet done once a year as it is stressful. Please understand these donkeys do not like to put the halter on and I think were hurt or abused by people. The last time I had their feet done I had the vet sedate them and well now my farrier says he is afraid of them. Even with drugs, they were a bit dangerous. Here is my question, does your training work on donkeys like this? I need to get their feet done more often and no drugs. How long will it take to train these donkeys to pick up the foot and come to me when I call them?Will you train these donkeys for me? Jennifer, Gig Harbor, WA.
Hi Jennifer, Donkeys are intelligent they train humans quickly to do exactly what the donkey wants to do and nothing more. This is why I do what I do, train humans to learn how to tame and train donkeys and stay safe.If I tame and train your donkeys they will follow me as a fair leader and go home to you and act the same way they did before they came to me. The person who cares for the donkeys and feeds the donkeys needs to learn how to tame and train, be a fair leader. You can do this!
An adult burro size donkey is seriously strong and agile. Donkeys have peripheral vision can see behind them without turning their heads. Donkeys can kick with accuracy and strength. Your safety is number 1.
Please remember after taking Donkey 101 & 102 if you need personal coaching and consulting I am here to support you. Order donkey training and donkey halters, lead lines, and more in our store at Donkey Whisperer Farm ®.
Donkeys are stoic will not show pain until in many cases it is too late to call the vet.
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