At Paccombe Farm three donkeys have been identified as being so overweight that it could be detrimental to their health. Our vet Alex has advised that they go on a weight control programme so that their fat levels are reduced.

Some of our blind donkeys wear a padded shield on their heads. This head bumper was designed by a member of staff to help prevent our older blind donkeys from banging their heads on the sides of the buildings, gateways or on fencing.

The donkey’s ears fit through the holes and there is a Velcro fastening underneath designed for quick release should a donkey get caught.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much to everyone who has so kindly donated money towards fly fringes for the elderly donkeys. We have been able to purchase 300 fly fringes already and the donkeys are really benefiting from having fly free faces.

We are also very grateful to those of you who have taken the trouble to send in fly fringes that you are no longer using.

Donkeys will start to shed their temporary milk teeth between the age of 2 and 5 years, subsequently the permanent teeth erupt continually and are worn at the chewing surface during eating.

If you see staff standing in a group of donkeys with plastic gloves in their hands you might wonder what is happening. Once a month we collect samples of dung for analysis by our pathology laboratory. When each donkey passes droppings a handful is collected in the glove and the donkey’s name is put onto the outside.

Around 50% of the donkeys on our farms are over 25 years old and every year we work to improve the facilities and care for the ageing population. Our experience and historical knowledge are unrivalled and we are able to pass on this valuable information to donkey owners everywhere through our welfare officers, training courses, workshops, literature, and by posting information on our website.