A desire to be self-sustaining in his food supply led Jesse Christelis to buy a smallholding in Randfontein, Gauteng, in 2011, to farm sheep, chickens and vegetables. But stray dogs and jackals soon got the better of his sheep. Seeking a solution that didn’t entail shooting the predators led him to purchasing two donkeys.

“Donkeys have a fight response when faced with predators, and they proved very successful in keeping the sheep safe,” says Christelis.

Beyond being useful, the two donkeys, Betsie and Saartjie, stole Christelis’s heart and he soon found himself rescuing donkeys who were destined for slaughter, or old working donkeys that no longer had a purpose.

But with a rising feed bill, a solution was required to have the donkeys fund their own accommodation.

“I didn’t want to start a donkey charity. After doing some research, I learnt that donkey milk is highly valued and realised that this could be a viable option,” he adds.

Donkey milk is highly prized for its nutritional value. It is a natural immune booster, suitable for the lactose intolerant, and contains high levels of retinol and vitamin C, making it an ideal ingredient for skincare products.

Christelis says donkey milk is an ancient remedy for a host of ailments and, with the trend towards natural medicines, is increasing in popularity.

Although donkey milk has a high lactose content, its casein proteins are significantly lower than that of cows’ milk.

“It’s the combination of the lactose and high casein protein in cow’s milk that causes the allergy. Studies done in Europe showed that of those with lactose intolerance, 60% could stomach goat’s milk, but 90% could consume donkey milk without having any allergic reaction. Donkey milk also has a high content of lysozyme, which is a natural immune booster, making it beneficial for those with auto-immune diseases,” he explains.

In 2014, Christelis’s undertaking became the first donkey dairy in South Africa, with his herd growing to 100 donkeys.

His 7ha smallholding was, however, proving to be too small. “My feed bill was substantial and I needed land that could provide more natural grazing. I was getting a lot of positive feedback from customers who had been drinking the donkey milk whose health was improving, so I decided to take the leap, buy a larger farm and expand production,” he says.

Homestead livestock

While dairies have limited use for male foals, Jesse Christelis, owner of The Donkey Dairy, has capitalised on the demand for herd protectors, donkeys for petting zoos, and companion animals. The latter are often used by horse owners who have space for only one horse but require another smaller animal to keep it company.

This is especially useful for show horses, whose stress levels are reduced when they have an animal companion.

Christelis is cautious about whom he sells animals to as he wants to ensure the donkeys go to good homes and are treated well.

Improving the genetics of South Africa’s donkey herd and expanding rare breeds is a particular passion of his. The farm has Mammoth and Blue-eyed Spotted donkeys. Christelis, however, notes that the limited bloodline in South Africa makes expanding these herds particularly challenging.

“Ideally we would import semen for artificial insemination, but since its success rate is so low in donkeys, it is not really feasible,” he says.

A division of the business that is taking off is the provision of dwarf livestock like miniature cattle and goats, which can be kept by homesteaders on smaller properties.

“We’ve seen an increasing trend of people wanting to produce their own food or have control over where their food comes from. Keeping a dairy cow is not always feasible because of the space they require and the high volumes of daily milk they provide.

“Dwarf species have provided the solution. Dwarf goats’ milk has a higher butterfat content than that of standard goats, so it makes for good butter and cheese production. Dwarf cattle produce up to 8ℓ of milk a day, which is manageable.”

Christelis breeds dwarf goats, and Dexter, miniature Zebu, Nguni, and Kentshire cattle.

A new undertaking

He purchased a 34ha farm in Magaliesburg, which contained much natural grazing, providing 70% of the donkeys’ feed needs. The rest is supplemented with lucerne, and they also receive vitamin licks. Jennies in milk receive additional lucerne cubes.

Donkeys prefer a diet that is high in roughage but not in protein, and can be stocked at a rate of three donkeys per hectare if there is sufficient grazing.

Today, the herd stands at 136 jennies and three jacks. The farm also has a host of other animals like camels, llamas, and alpacas that form part of the petting zoo, and miniature livestock breeds that are bred for the homesteader market.

Christelis notes that donkeys in South Africa have been heavily inbred over the years, making it difficult to find purebreds or distinguish which breeds have higher milk production. The farm has mostly Sicilian-type breeds, which are the most commonly found donkeys in South Africa.

There are also the rare Mammoth and Blue-Eyed spotted breeds, which Christelis is working to expand and improve.

Donkeys are suited to most climates, but high temperatures above 35°C negatively impact milk production. Wetter climates can increase the incidence of hoof rot.

The Magaliesburg region is home to tickborne diseases and African horse sickness, which requires monitoring and dosing when rainfall is high. If the donkeys have been dipped to protect them against ticks, their milk can’t be used for 21 days.

Internal parasites like worms are challenging. Diatomaceous earth is used as a dewormer, as Christelis favours natural products.

Learning how to farm donkeys has been challenging, since little information is available in South Africa. “We use European information where we can, but since the climates differ, it is often a case of trial and error.

“Donkeys are very different from horses, yet many vets will lump them together in their treatment approach. Donkeys, for example, metabolise medicines differently and even though they are smaller than horses, require higher doses,” he explains.

Liquid gold

While donkey milk is highly sought after and fetches high prices, production is a fraction of the 40ℓ that can be produced by a commercial dairy cow every day.

“If a jenny is well looked after, she’ll provide 250ml/day. So, we’d need to milk 160 donkeys to get the equivalent of one cow,” says Christelis.

Cheese production is therefore not feasible, since 160ℓ of donkey milk is required to make 1kg of cheese.

To make matters more challenging, donkeys have a 12- to 14-month gestation cycle, providing a maximum of two foals every three years, resulting in eight months of commercial milk production.

Donkeys are sensitive animals and any environmental stressors reduce production. When Christelis moved to the Magaliesburg farm, the jennies did not come into heat for six months. “After a lot of research, we realised it was because of the stress of the move,” he says.

This stress extends to jennies being removed from their foals, which complicates the milking process. “In cow dairies, the [calves] are removed from their mothers after birth, but if we do this with a donkey, the mother experiences so much stress that her milk dries up. So, we never split mothers and foals.

“The foal has to be present during milking or the mother will not release her milk. There is an oxytocin release when the foal and mother are together that stimulates milk let-down. I read a study where researchers injected jennies with oxytocin to stimulate milk release in the absence of their foals and it was not very successful. Donkey dairying is an animal-first kind of farming – you can’t do it any other way, because the donkeys simply won’t produce when they are stressed.”

The foals are placed in a camp adjacent to where the jennies are milked, so that the mothers have full sight of their foals.

The jennies are milked twice a day using a mobile milking machine. Since jennies don’t have reserve udders like cows, they get uncomfortable when their udders are too full, and a strict milking schedule needs to be adhered to.

While jennies produce milk for up to nine months, the first two months’ milk is exclusively for their foals, as the two are not split up during this time. Milk for the dairy can be collected for the next four months.

Christelis explains that during the last few months of milk production, the nutrient content drops, making it unsuitable for health products. The milk can, however, be used to make soap and moisturisers, since the retinol content is not affected.

The milk’s nutritional value is at its highest up to three days after milking. The milk is therefore frozen to maintain the nutrition, and thereafter has a shelf life of six months. The milk is not pasteurised since this process destroys the good proteins and lysozymes. Each batch is, however, tested to ensure it meets health safety standards.

The milk is sold from the farm and at selected pharmacies in Johannesburg. There are also collection points in Gauteng, Mahikeng, and Cape Town. A 225ml jar sells for between R75 and R115, depending on the retailer.

The jennies are naturally mated, since the artificial insemination success rate in donkeys is low. Mating is staggered throughout the year to ensure that around 32 jennies are being milked at any given time. Demand for donkey milk peaks in winter from consumers seeking immune boosters, so Christelis is working towards increasing production in winter.

Donkeys mature at three years and can live into their 40s, which means donkeys can provide around 37 years of production if well taken care of. Since Christelis’s herd is still being expanded, female foals are kept back and the males sold.

Diversifying income

With milk production being so low, Christelis admits that a donkey dairy is not a profitable business if it only sells milk. He therefore produces a variety of products, including soap, a skincare range, and value-added items like donkey milk brownies, liqueur and ice cream.

The farm’s income is also largely supplemented by a tourism component, where city dwellers can enjoy a day out on the farm, children can interact with the animals, and the donkey products can be marketed.

Christelis admits that it can be challenging to get people to try donkey milk for the first time.

“There is a weirdness factor that people need to get past. But once they taste it, they are sold. Donkey milk is very sweet, and many liken its taste to almond milk.”

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic brought mixed blessings for The Donkey Dairy. The move to the Magaliesburg farm took place five days before the nationwide lockdown. “We were so excited to get the tourism aspect of the farm going, and then suddenly everything came to a halt.

“But when the lockdown starting easing, outdoor venues were the first to be allowed to open. People from the city were desperate to get out and we were inundated with families looking for an escape from their homes. Children were longing for space and freedom to run around. It turned out to be a really beautiful period for the farm because we could provide an experience in nature that everyone was longing for,” he says.

The farm also hosts school groups and special needs schools, the latter of which are particularly drawn to the miniature animals. “The smaller animals aren’t as scary and work well as therapy animals, especially for those who are tactile sensitive.”

Mutually beneficial relationship

The Donkey Dairy has continued its growth spurt since the lockdown, with both products and the venue growing in popularity. Christelis notes that word of mouth has played a big role in increasing the demand for the dairy products.

“I think there is still a lot more room for growth, especially if we were to start marketing it. We have had our hands full with production and the tourism side of things, but will now start giving more attention to expanding our range of products and marketing it. There is especially a big demand for the skincare range for babies and those with skin conditions like psoriasis,” he says.

Christelis’s venture into donkey farming began as a result of a desire to rescue destitute donkeys. The progression of the business into a dairy has, however, meant that the donkeys are providing a health rescue for its consumers, proving the value of this often-neglected animal.

For more info email The Donkey Dairy [email protected].