Introduction to Donkey Nutrition (NTRN101)

Introduction to Nutrition 

This introductory course aims to provide information on the basics that underpin donkey nutrition. The course is ideal for anyone looking to get their first donkey or for more established owners/carers who are interested in refreshing or improving their knowledge on donkey nutrition. The information within the course should help provide an understanding of the donkeys’ unique nutritional requirements, along with an understanding of the challenges of providing them with an appropriate diet in an often inappropriate environment.  

Details 

The course comprises of six modules and features pre-recorded content, additional reading material and a series of quizzes. By the end of the course we hope you’ll have the knowledge to be able to make informed choices about the types of forages and feeds that can be fed to help fulfil the donkey’s nutritional and behavioural requirements whilst reducing the risk of health problems.    

Core modules  

This course aims to establish a sound foundation on the basics that underpin donkey nutrition. The information within the course should help provide an understanding of donkeys' unique nutritional requirements, along with an understanding of the challenges of providing them with an appropriate diet in an often inappropriate environment.  

Each module features pre-recorded content and additional reading material (where applicable) which you can access at a convenient time. 

There will be a quiz at the end of each module.  

Module 1:  Origins of the donkey 

Module 2: Digestive anatomy  

Module 3: Nutritional requirements 

Module 4: Practical feeding  

Module 5: Monitoring diet 

Learning outcomes  

At this end of this course should be able to:  

• Describe the typical diet and feeding behaviour of donkeys in their natural environment, 
• Summarise the parts of the digestive tract that food passes through from ingestion to defecation with recognition of the type of problems that might occur in different parts, 
• Identify the key nutrients needed by donkeys in their diet and be able to calculate their daily intake and energy requirements, 
• Explain how different forage sources might be utilised in the donkeys diet, 
• Recognise which types of donkeys might benefit from supplementary feeds, 
• Explain some of the special considerations that might be needed when feeding donkeys with poor dental health and for donkeys used for breeding or in hard work, 
• Discuss the different tools that can be used to monitor the diet.