On behalf of the You tube channel Country Farmss interview was conducted at the Aindhinai FPO farm on 17.01.2022. The consultant of Aindhinai FPO Mr. Raju has been interviewed and he has explained in detail on everything about rearing the donkeys as a profitable business for the farmers in particular.

According to him the origin of donkeys was from Ethiopia and many thousands of years ago the species had found its way to other regions of the world and made them as its home. India is one among them and it is being reared in India for hundreds of years.

From this interview we realize the value of rearing donkeys as an important activity as its milk commands a big price in the market. A liter of donkey milk costs roughly about Rs.5000. A donkey has a life span of around 20 to 25 years Feeding the donkeys is pretty simple compared to the cattle like cows and goats.

The milk is full of lactose, very nutritious and considered on par with human mother’s milk. The milk of the donkey is also used as a raw material in the making of expensive cosmetics. Even the dung of donkey is sought after most for its medicinal properties as its milk.

Open grazing would be very sufficient for them as feeding dry grass like hay could be added minimally as feed. Other concentrates are not necessary as in the case of cattle.

Donkeys belong the horse species like its cousins mules and zebras etc. The main feed of donkeys is grass and being originally from the deserts, they would even survive on feeding merely the grass stubbles . They would keep on grazing throughout the day. These are very quite animals.

The mating starts when they are around two and a half years old. And the female would mate with the male it prefers as its pair. The yield of milk would be very long for years upon every liter. According to Mr. Raju the costs of establishing a small donkey farm, the expenses involved would be the price of the basic stock of donkeys and the shed where the animals would be sheltered during nights.

As the demand for donkey milk is very high and the supply extremely minimal donkey rearing would be a viable business for the farmers.

For a small farm five pairs consisting of a calf and its mother and a jack (Male) would be appropriate. At present a pair of adult female and a calf costs around Rs.25000/-. The male would cost around Rs.20000 – Rs.25000. The simple shed measuring 30 feet in width and 70 ft in length will be enough to house the herd. This would cost around Rs. 50000/-

Totally this small donkey farm would cost Rs. 2.5 lakh and the donkeys would start yielding monetary returns right from day one.. Mr. Raju further adds in the interview that the presence of the donkeys in the farms of the known around and others would automatically bring customers for the products of donkey especially the milk.