rox
Veteran Member
Rox, a donkey will browse and graze. In the early spring when young and tender leaves come out on oak trees, our donkey would eat leaves off the limbs he could easily reach, but that was probably 10% or less of his total diet. He really preferred to eat fresh green grass. He did keep the lower limbs cleaned up.
By comparison, goats prefer to browse and will do that without grazing, even standing on their back legs to get to higher branches. If there is no browse, the goats will eat grass or hay. If there is no grass or hay, the goats will eat the bark off the trees. I don't think you'd ever see a donkey eating the bark off a tree.
Oh yes. . . Neither donkeys nor goats will eat branches. They'll eat the leaves and leave you with a pile of brush to clean up. You'll still need to have those burn-piles in your orchards.
Jim- with your information that closes the book on us ever getting donkeys or goats. We don't want anything eating any part of our treees. How about sheep? Do sheep it tree leaves?
