A litre of cow’s fresh milk may cost around Rs 50. Do you have any idea at which rate a litre of donkey’s milk is sold? A whopping Rs 5000! Yadhukrishnan, a native of Chokili Olivilam in Kannur, who owns a dairy farm of 30 cows decided to try his hands at donkey rearing when he came to know about this extremely lucrative business. A graduate in livestock dairy farming, Yadhu had the added advantage of running a successful dairy farm.
His experiences at the farm gave him the confidence to open ‘Miracle Donkeys’. However, he wanted to gain more knowledge as donkey farming wasn’t common there. Yadhu obtained training for eight months in various donkey farms in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before opening one in Kerala.
The donkey farm was opened in an acre of land, close to his dairy farm, separated by iron fencing. Yadhu availed a loan of Rs 20 lakh to make his farm ready for the 20 donkeys which were purchased for Rs 70,000-1.2 lakh from Andhra Pradesh. There are locally bred varieties as well as Hellari and Kathewadi varieties of donkeys in Yadhu’s farm.
Donkey’s milk
Yadhu says that a donkey gives up to 300-500 ml of milk everyday. Besides, the donkeys are milked just once a day and the milk is stored in freezers. A few farms in Thirunelveli are Yadhu’s main customers; they take the milk when it is almost 300 liters. Yadhu and his father Bash know how to milk the donkeys.
Donkey milk is mostly used to make cosmetic products. Practitioners of herbal medicine in Kozhikode and Wayanadu too buy donkey milk from the farm. A donkey’s gestational period is for 13 months. The foals are fed their mother’s milk for up to two months. Meanwhile, a donkey’s lactation cycle lasts for around seven months.
Feed
Fresh grass, bran, wheat, and oil cakes are the main components of a donkey's diet. Donkeys are allowed to graze freely on the farm. Yadhu says that the donkeys are locked in cages only at night. However, lack of proper treatment in case the animals contract diseases is the main challenge.
All the diseases that are commonly seen in horses could be seen in donkeys too. Besides, they are likely to catch tuberculosis, just like goats. Donkeys won’t survive for long in case they get ill. Yadhu himself treats the donkeys using the knowledge he had gained from his training period.
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