Little Miracles Farm

Miniature Donkey Facts:

Jennet: Female Donkey
Jack: Male Donkey
Herd Sire: An exceptional jack used to sire foals
Gelding: Castrated male (can no longer reproduce
Foal: Baby Donkey
Lifespan: 25 to 35+ years
Size: 29-34 inches at the withers with a maximum of 36 inches
Weight: 200-350 pounds

Appearance
A Miniature Donkey should have a well balanced look. This means that no part of the donkey should attract immediate attention, for example, head too small or too large, or the rump of the donkey being much higher than the wither. If you plan to breed your Miniature Donkeys, you must first verify that your donkeys are breeding quality and you must assure you have carefully selected your breeding pair. The American Donkey and Mule Society can provide you with complete conformation guidelines.

Donkey Conformation

Head
The head should be in proportion to its body size, wide at the forehead and jaw, tapering down to the muzzle. The eyes should be large and kind, and the ears set alertly. The profile should be straight not “roman” or “convex”. Some dished profiles are found and whether to breed them is a matter of taste.

Neck
A neck should be strong firm and in proportion to the body. Short thick necks should be carfully evaluated. They are more common on jacks, but should still be balanced to the rest of the body. Donkeys have straight necks not arched as in horses. A long thin weak neck should be avoided.

Fat Neck
Donkeys have special storage tissue at the top of the neck. Older or obese animals may develop roll of fat at the top of the neck. This is common in donkeys and is an inherited trait. To avoid this, do not overfeed your animals.

Body
Although you should not judge an old brood jennet on the points given, especially in the back and belly parts of conformation her body still should be full and deep with plenty of room for the foal to develop. The miniature donkey should be narrower than a pony of the same size when viewed from the front and rear. The chest should show some width and rounded qualities, and the belly and body should be full and deep. The belly should not be “tucked up” like a grey hound, but the belly should carry nearly level to the flank. The donkey should have well sprung ribs. A “slab sided” donkey should be avoided for breeding purposes. A flat ribbed jennet has little room for her internal organs, and a foal, and a flat ribbed jack passed on the fault.

Legs
The miniature donkey is representative of a small working animal. Legs should be strong boned for the size of the animal, with good sturdy bone, hocks and knees and set on straight. Proper hoof trimming from foalhood can eliminate many potential leg problems. Some leg problems are not inherited, but are the result of improper hoof trimming, and neglect of proper feeding with correct vitamin and mineral balance. Therefore, it is important to keep the feet of young animals trimmed and balanced as they are growing. If leg problems are occuring in your herd through inheritance, a herd evaluation needs to be done to cull out the fault producing animals.