Farm Management and Feeding Strategies for Donkey Milk Production.

As a unique species of equine, the donkey has certain specific variation from the horse; it is no longer acceptable to simply look on the donkey as a small horse. Domesticated only for approximately 5,000 years, the donkey has been and still is used for draught and production purposes and working and living alongside humans all around the world. More recently, the donkey has also found a role as a pet and companion. In some Countries, donkey milk and meat is also much prized. Donkey milk was used in the Antiquity for its medicinal and cosmetic properties. Though it had long been forgotten, it has gained new popularity with today's request for natural medicine, and for nutrition of children affected by Cow Milk Proteins Allergy. Donkey milk has been extensively studied, however little is known about donkey nutrition and particularly about the effects of donkey nutrition on milk production. As a matter of fact, though donkeys are part of the equid family, their feeding habits, their digestive anatomical and physiological particularities differ from those of horses. Donkeys have a higher food intake, a longer gastrointestinal transit and a greater dry matter digestibility, and are therefore able to enhance poor forage better than other equids. Basing the diets formulation on the study of the macroscopic anatomy of their gastrointestinal tract, this chapter provides information on the dietary requirements of donkeys whose milk is destined for human consumption. Factors affecting the digestive efficiency of lactating donkeys have been investigated, comparing donkey milk quality and milk yield in animals fed either a low quality roughage (wheat straw: 77.1% neutral detergent fibre, 2.8% crude protein) or a high quality forage (alfalfa hay: 47.5% neutral detergent fibre, 22.7% crude protein). Practical management tools for donkey breeding are also indicated in the chapter, such as the methods necessary for donkey body condition scoring and donkey body weight estimation.