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kalessinsdaughter · 2 years

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The other day, I went down the rabbit hole of "cute donkeys" and came up with my head full of things I didn't know about mules (the hybrid offspring of a horse and a donkey), and why they were once so coveted as work animals.

Brace for info dump, while enjoying this lovely photo of a trio of draft mules.

The explanation is hybrid vigour (when hybrid offspring have enhanced traits compared to its parents):

Mules are stronger, hardier, healthier, have better endurance, harder hooves, sturdier skin and can handle extreme weather better than horses or donkeys. They are also more patient, more intelligent, and easier to handle than either of their parent species. Horses may be faster, but that's about the single thing they're better at than a mule of the same size.

So mules, being all around nicer to work with and getting you more work for the same amount of feed, and with less hassle, were preferred for just about every job purpose.

Habby du Magnou, a Poitevin Mulassier mare, and her daughter Lady du Magnou, a rare Poitevin mule

But since horses have 64 chromosomes and donkeys have 62, mules end up with 63 chromosomes, which means they are almost invariably sterile. That's because biology gets very confused when trying to split an uneven number of chromosomes neatly in half to create germ cells. There are a few documented exceptions of fertile mule mares (never stallions), but they are very, very rare. So you have to keep crossbreeding the two parent species to produce them, usually by breeding a donkey sire (jack) to a horse dam (mare). This is because it's easier for a 32 chromosome egg to incorporate a 31 chromosome sperm into a viable zygote (fertilised egg) than vice versa.

Because of this, there was (and still is) in France a breed of absolutely massive draft horses, the Poitevin Mulassier, and a breed of big-ass donkeys (pun intended, but honestly they're arguably the largest donkeys in the world, and shaggy like Highland cattle), the Baudet du Poitou, two breeds whose main purpose was to breed the enormous and super-strong Poitevin mule.

The Poitevin mule

This absolute unit was the must-have work-animal for all kinds of farm and industrial work for centuries, and a significant French export, until mechanisation made these magnificent creatures obsolete.

With no demand for the Poitevin mule , its parent breeds dwindled, almost to the brink of extinction. Determined conservation efforts during the last few decades are slowly bringing their numbers back up, but they're very far from their heyday, when some 20,000 Poitevin mules were born annually.

The Poitevin Mulassier

Both the parent breeds are still endangered, which means most of the current effort is directed into bringing up the numbers of Poitevin horses and Poitou donkeys. This means breeding horses to horses and donkeys to donkeys, with very few breeding opportunities allowed to produce the Poitevin mule. Only about 20 of those are born each year.

The Baudet du Poitou

#mules #poitevin mule #mule poitevine #donkeys #baudet du poitou #poitou donkey #horses #draft horse #poitevin mulassier #trait poitevin #trait poitevin mulassier

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kt--extinction · 1 year

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Can I interest you in:

A Wooly Beast

(Poitou donkey)

#donkey #poitou donkey #equines #beasts #creatureposting

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dharmaart · 6 months

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Today's inktober on the same page as Thursday's inktober painting. The donkey at the top of the page is a Baudet du Poitou. They are both painted with various calligraphy inks.

#baudet du poitou #art #artist #artists on tumblr #animal art #inktober #inktober 2023 #equine art #ink #ink painting #calligraphy ink #donkey #donkeys #donkey art

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cypherdecypher · 1 year

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Animal of the Day!

Baudet du Poitou (Equus asinus)

(Photo from Donkeys of Wales)

Conservation Status- Unlisted

Habitat- Domesticated

Size (Weight/Length)- 400 kg; 150 cm tall

Diet- Grasses

Cool Facts- Being one of the largest donkey breeds, the Baudet du Poitou is iconic for their dreadlocks. Being a sought after breed through much of Europe, one of these purebred donkeys can sell for thousands. Originally bred for pulling plows due to their large size, Baudet du Poitou are now mostly used as show animals. They are typically extremely friendly towards their owners, although they require more care than the typical donkey. Their constantly growing coat must be maintained so that it doesn’t drag on the ground and pick up all sorts of dirt and grass.

Rating- 12/10 (Crazy hair, doesn’t care.)

#animal of the day #animals #mammals #donkeys #horses #saturday #december 24 #Baudet du Poitou #biology #science #conservation #the more you know #merry christmas eve

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laf-outloud · 7 months

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@Tee-Spud Poitou Donkeys We had the pleasure of delivering Tee-Spud PoiTou Merlin and Texas Poitou Donkeys Montana today. They are already loved and will be well taken care of. Thank you Gen and Jared for your hospitality and for being a part of saving this incredible breed.

Donkeys!!! Awe! Merlin and Montana are so cute! (So are the Padaleckis!)

(I'm guessing the goats will still reign as assholes, though!)

#jared padalecki #gen padalecki #tee-spud poitou donkeys #padaranch

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yore-donatsu · 11 months

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I wanted to draw Poseidon!Ramattra and King Conrard between each commission and... this interaction was born in my mind 😅

The version without dialog

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thors-daughtersthoughts · 2 years

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Saving an endangered breed of donkey https://phys.org/news/2022-06-endangered-donkey.html

#donkey #baudet du poitou #endangered #farm animal

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adrianthevampire · 11 months

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I had 180+ foals born today. Here's a few of the highlights! I had a few foals that are cool because of stats rather than appearance.

First up, we have a zebra that has 'quagga' markings. In this cage, that's a combination of genes. I used to breed them regularly but I took a break and most of my zebras got too old to breed so I feared I lost the gene. This is my first quagga born since restarting! Very exciting!

Next is a Poitou Donkey. She was a big surprise because she's a different color than every other Poitou. Apparently it's rare for them to be this color, so I'm excited to see if I can get more.

Then we have a mule that has really cool markings!

And then a Zorse! The mother is a Przewalski Horse and the father is a zebra. I think it turned out very cute! I actually had two of these but they're identical so I only posted one.

Then we have a mixed breed horse that turned out BEAUTIFULLY. Her father is Ghost, my Friesian cross, and her mother is an Artistic Baroque (a madeup breed with funky conformation). She's so stunning and she has blue eyes! I love her!!!

Next is a Pintabian! An arabian with pinto markings! Also, you may notice it's very very small. I'm breeding miniature arabians and that's one of them!

The next one may not look like much, but she's a very very fast donkey. I'm breeding for donkeys to be fast enough to be worth riding. Most donkeys in Horse Isle don't go more than 15mph, but this little girl, when she's grown, will be able to go 16mph! That's the fastest I've gotten so far! Also weirdly, her mother is just a random wild-caught donkey with funky conformation. I almost didn't keep her. I'm glad I did because she gave me one of my best donkeys!

The last two are from my 'fast horse' line. I'm breeding a line of horses that go decently fast (19-20mph) and have neat colors. The purpose of this line is mainly to eventually cross with my fast zebras and fast donkeys to make high quality hybrids. Because of that, I mainly aim to breed colors that cross well with donkeys and zebras, namely dun. Here are the two most flashy foals I got from that line today.

#adrian the vampire original post

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allennewssource · 1 year

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Height: 55–63 inches Weight: 750–950 pounds Lifespan: 30–40 years Colors: Dark-brown or black shaggy coat...

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stoneageproductions · 1 year

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Award Winning, Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary - Visiting Donkeys in Devon

There’s a tranquil corner of the Jurassic Coast near Sidmouth that hundreds of friendly donkeys call home, and they’re all waiting to meet you. From humble beginnings as a UK rescue mission over 50 years ago, The Donkey Sanctuary has grown into the world’s largest equine welfare charities. This free-to-visit, award–wining attraction has something special to offer, whether you’re looking for quality time with the kids, or somewhere calming to kick back with coffee and cake. Set in the heart of the East Devon countryside in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the main attraction for most visitors is its resident donkeys. People can look at the shelters and barns around the site to discover who lives where, including the Mediterranean miniature donkeys, the main herd and adoption donkeys, and the giant long-haired Poitou donkeys. Explore everything the sanctuary has to offer, from scenic walks and award-winning gardens, to a new play area, hedge maze and engaging exhibits. With activities, trails and talks there’s so much to explore with your own herd, whatever the weather. Friendly dogs on leads are welcome too!