Yes, you can milk a donkey (jenny), but it's a specialized, low-yield process requiring hand-milking and often the foal's presence to stimulate milk let-down, yielding small quantities (around 0.5-2.5 liters daily) for cosmetics, health foods, or as a breast milk substitute, making it expensive.
Due to the similarities between donkey milk and human breast milk it is not considered only food but as a nutracetical. Due to its health benefits it is not only used in early childhood nutrition, but also as a supplement in the diet of elderly people.
We evaluated the chemical quality of the milk obtained from a mule dam that had foaled after receiving a mule embryo transfer. The quality of the mule milk was similar to that of horse and donkey milk.
It was quite mild and more like ice milk than “cream.” We then tasted the milk itself, unadorned. To me, it was really close to skim milk from a cow. It was not thick or heavy or gamey at all. It was just slightly sweet, but not nasty in any way.
Donkey's milk was sold until the twentieth century to feed orphaned infants and to cure delicate children, the sick, and the elderly. For this reason, there were many donkey farms in Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland.
Gen Z isn't drinking as much milk due to health concerns (lactose intolerance, acne), ethical/environmental worries about dairy farming, the influence of social media promoting alternatives, increased awareness of dairy's downsides, and a desire for healthier, more personalized options like plant-based milks, though they still enjoy other dairy products like cheese and yogurt. They question traditional health advice and are swayed by peer culture and eco-consciousness, leading them toward alternatives for taste, values, and lifestyle fit.
We think sheep milk tastes good with its subtle, “clean” flavour and no gamey aftertaste. Sheep milk has a unique flavour that is often described as richer and more complex than cow's milk.
Goat's milk is super-healthy for goat kids but not so much for humans. It's full of cholesterol and saturated fat, which have been known to cause heart disease in humans. Most dairy-free milk (like almond milk), on the other hand, contains no saturated fat or cholesterol.
It has emerged that donkey milk compared with that of other animal species, is the nearest to human milk and an excellent substitute for it. Milk from various animal species shows substantial differences in nutritional composition and distinct metabolic effects.
A donkey was for normal travel. It meant the king was coming in peace. A king riding a horse meant the king was coming to make war. Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, just like it was prophesied in Zechariah 9: 9-10.
Did you know that donkey's milk is the most expensive milk in the world and could cost up to `5,000/litre in India?
Milking a donkey isn't anything like milking a cow, and that's part of what makes donkey dairies so unique and challenging. For starters, jennies (female donkeys) only produce milk when they have a foal by their side. No baby, no milk, similar to milking a camel. Even then, they don't give much.
Donkeys are highly intelligent
Scientific studies have shown that donkeys can solve complex problems and make decisions based on risk assessment. Unlike horses, who tend to flee when startled, donkeys pause to evaluate danger.
Despite its valuable properties, the development of donkey milk products remains limited due to low milk yield and high production costs. Further research and technological advancements are necessary to optimize its utilization and commercial potential.
The milk was white in appearance with a yellow tinge and a creamy consistency; it had a fishy odor when freshly drawn and the taste was oily and lacked sweetness. No change in consistency or appearance of the sample was observed during milking.
This scarce and valuable product comes from a donkey. Donkey milk is the costliest on Earth. Prices can vary, but to give an idea, one company that sells it in the U.S. charges $169.99 for 400 grams (just over 14 ounces) of powdered donkey milk and $7,999 for 20 kilos (just over 44 pounds).
Then, the volunteers kept a food diary for a day to record their diets, and the next day, repeated the tasting [1]. Overall, the research team found that human milk was most often described as having a neutral, creamy, and sweet odor, mostly sweet and some bitter tastes, and a thin, watery, smooth, and fatty mouthfeel.
The donkey is usually a docile animal, but its behavior can be aggressive during the mating season, and the possibility of biting should not be underestimated, as illustrated by the 2 cases published previously as well as by the case presented here.
Goat milk is the number-one consumed milk in the world. They only produce one gallon of milk per day, unlike cows, which produce four times that amount. The normal body temperature of a goat is between 102 and 104 degrees.
The most unhealthy meats are processed meats (bacon, hot dogs, salami, deli meats) due to high salt, fat, and preservatives (nitrates/nitrites) linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; followed by fatty red meats (beef, lamb, pork) and charred/burnt meats cooked at high temperatures, which form carcinogens; while even poultry becomes unhealthy with skin, heavy breading, and high sodium.
Pork, for example, is the most consumed meat globally, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, making up 36% of the world's meat intake. The popularity of pork is closely followed by poultry, which is a staple in many countries due to its versatility and affordability.
Generally, the salami is made with pork, i.e. trimmings deriving from other preparations including above all loin and shoulder: in Italy, however, there is also salami made of beef, goat, duck, goose, donkey, sheep, horse and even game (e.g. deer, wild boar, moose and hare).