Measure the Height


​1.  Stand the donkey on flat level ground with all four feet square.

2.   Place your toe on the height side of the tape where instructed and read off the height in centimetres by sight.
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To be the most accurate, align the top of the tape at the withers.
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There are three height groups of donkeys used for this tape and you need to decide which height group your donkey is in.

     (i)    Under 95cm at the  
            withers (small donkeys
            and miniatures)
     (ii)   Between 95cm and  
            115cm at the withers  
            (standard donkeys)
     (iii)  Over 115cm at the withers          
            (large donkeys)

Measure the Girth


​3. Turn the tape measure over and place the beginning of the tape around the heart girth of the donkey, ie over the lowest part of the withers and around the girth by the elbow.














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Read-Off Weight


​4. Read off the estimation of weight in Kilograms.

​This depends upon which height group the donkey is in.



​Download Printable
​Instructions Here
donkey_weigh_tape_instructions.pdf
File Size: 882 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

To make the donkey weigh tape as accurate as possible, note the following points.

(i)    Every time you measure your donkey, try to measure him at the same part of the day.  
During the day the donkey can gain or lose weight due hydration, amount of feed the donkey has consumed, his ability to break down the food, his exercise programme, the climate and the donkey’s medical condition. 

(ii)    Make sure that the tape is in the correct position.
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(iii) Do not read off the weight estimation whilst leaving your hand underneath the tape.
(iv) The best weight estimation is when the donkey has a body condition score (bcs) of 3.  
Donkeys are scored from 0 to 5.
    0 = Thin / starving  
    3 = Good  
    5 = Obese
If the donkey is thinner than 3 or  fatter than a bcs of 3, then average the weight of either the lower or higher weight dependent on the bcs.
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(v) If the donkey (usually an older donkey), has an unusually large umbilical girth circumference, then these donkeys weigh heavier than ones of a normal circumference.  
Therefore, this must also be taken into account and a larger next estimated weight or even the next two should be averaged.  
These donkeys can also have a bcs of 3.