How to rear donkeys

John Nduhiu milking his donkey at home in Kamere village in Naivasha, Nakuru County. [Harun Wathari/Standard]

A domesticated donkey or an ass is a member of the horse family.

They are reared mainly to provide labour or as a means of transport.

An ass can also be slaughtered for meat mostly eaten by the Chinese people and some farmers keep it for milk.

The Chinese people use donkey meat both as food or as a medicine.

A donkey is not affected by illnesses and is not prone to wear and tear.

Proper feeding and care vets say keeps the animal at bay from pests and diseases.

A Naivasha slaughterhouse manager, says that no part of the donkey, when slaughtered, goes to waste at the abattoirs.

The most important part of a donkey is the hide.

The donkey skins are used in the production of a traditional Chinese medicine “ejiao” believed to cure blood efficiency and give a longer life.

John Nduhiu, a donkey milk farmer in Naivasha says it is sweet, more nutritious than cow milk and believed to cure asthma, blood pressure, and tuberculosis.  

According to research, donkey milk is similar to human milk.

A newly lactating donkey produces about a litre per day. Nduhiu says donkey milk is not boiled for effectiveness.

The milk can also be used to make chocolate bars, cheese, cosmetic products such as soap.

John, a farmer says he sells a bottle for 250 shillings.

A farmer, Peter Ndungu from Njoro Sub-County Nakuru County says he uses donkey manure to grow crops like tomatoes and cabbages.

Ndungu insists that donkey manure results in higher productivity on the farm.

According to farmers weekly, donkeys have a low reproduction rate due to high spontaneous abortion and foal loss rates, poor artificial insemination success rates and low fertility rates.

According to DSK Managing Director Duncan Onduu, a census once conducted revealed there were 1.8 million donkeys in Kenya.

Mr. Oduu says farmers are encouraged to breed more donkeys quickly to avoid their depletion due to slaughtering for their meat and hides and their low breeding.

Most donkeys are feed on green grass which they graze freely on in the fields.

Most farmers do not take special care of their donkeys as most are seen unattended.

A caring farmer can be seen feeding the donkey manufactured feeds to ensure proper nutrition for his donkey and providing it with fresh drinking water.

A donkey is known to throw kickbacks to anyone who approaches it from behind or gets close to its back.

Vets say the kick is a defensive move by the donkey. Donkeys roll in dust and mud to keep the flies at bay when it is hot.

According to veterinary Dr. Gilbert Kirui BVM, MSc. common diseases affecting donkey include Rabies, Wounds and Injuries, African Horse Sickness, Colic, Laminitis, Nagana, Ectoparasites, and Sarcoids.

Animals can be prevented from infections by vaccination and isolation of sick animals. Dead animals should be buried deep into the soil to avoid the spread of the disease.