Abstract
The industrial improvement of donkey-hide gelatin and the development of related products, such as donkey meat, donkey milk, and donkey-hide gelatin cake, drive the upstream donkey breeding industry. However, the shortage of donkey germplasm resources seriously restricts the further development of the donkey industry. Under the biological limitations of long breeding cycle, slow breeding, low conception rate, high abortion rate, and low survival rate, lower numbers of donkey foals have become an important limiting factor in the development of this industry. This paper clarifies the ways by which the survival rate of donkey foals can be improved from five aspects: Selection and breeding of female donkeys; physiological characteristics of donkey foals; key points of nursing; prevention and control of transportation stress; and control of common diseases. These aspects are important in enhancing the economic benefits of donkey farms and breeding farmers. Key words: Female donkeys, donkey foals, feeding, survival rate, nursing.
Highlights
Donkey breeding has a long history in China; in the heyday of the donkey industry in the country, about 12 million domestic donkeys were in stock
The survival rate of foals can be improved by gaining knowledge of selection and breeding of female donkeys, understanding the physiological characteristics and key points of nursing newborn foals, taking precautions during transportation, and ensuring the prevention, treatment, and control of common diseases
Diagnostic accuracy in the early stages of infection is critical because donkey foals tend to respond poorly to the antibiotics commonly used to treat other types of bacterial pneumonia; the use of appropriate antimicrobial agents can substantially improve the success of treating equine erythrococcal infections (Attili et al, 2006)
Summary
Donkey breeding has a long history in China; in the heyday of the donkey industry in the country, about 12 million domestic donkeys were in stock. The high mortality rate of newborn donkey foals reduces the efficiency of donkey foal output and requires breeders to increase the number of reserve females, thereby substantially increasing the costs and seriously affecting the economic efficiency of donkey breeding.
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