Do Donkeys Need Stalls & What Size Should They Be?

Donkeys have a reputation for being hardy animals, but even donkeys can benefit from a stall. If you’re designing your barn with plans of housing a donkey, understanding the common donkey stall dimensions can help you to create a stall that works well for your animals.

Why Donkeys Need Stalls?

Donkeys can benefit from stalls in several ways. At the most basic level, stalls shelter a donkey from harsh weather, like rain, snow and ice storms, and wind.



That shelter means that donkeys don’t have to rely on their bodies to shiver to stay warm, and it can help to prevent health issues like rain rot and scratches. Stalls give donkeys a chance to get out of wet mud, and by drying their feet off, stalls can help to prevent hoof issues like abscesses and thrush.



Stalls also provide a space that your donkey will come to recognize as being safe. Some donkeys choose to sleep in their stalls, and they get a better quality rest than they would if out in a pasture alone.

A stall also provides safety, particularly if you have a donkey who’s an escape artist that you don’t want to leave in a field overnight. Stalls can also provide protection against predators and horse thieves.

If you don’t like the thought of confining your donkey to a stall all night, a run-in stall can offer your donkey a chance to get out of the weather and lie down on soft bedding without restricting their movement. Your donkey will be able to come and go as he pleases, and can use the stall when he wants or needs it.

Donkey Stall Dimensions

If you’re thinking of building a barn and stalls for your donkey, you’ll need to determine how big to make the stalls. Those dimensions depend on your donkey’s size.



If you have a miniature donkey or are adopting a wild burro, an 8x8 foot stall may be plenty of space. A standard donkey would fit better in an 8x10 or 10x10 stall, while a breed like the American Mammoth Jackstock will need a larger space of at least 12x12 feet.

You can also get by with in-between sizes, too. Smaller donkeys will have extra space in a 6x12 foot stall, which can help to preserve your bedding and prevent manure from being trampled down into the stall floor.

Don’t forget to plan for adequate stall height, too. While miniature donkeys won’t need any more height than you, yourself, need to comfortably stand in the stall, taller breeds need more height.

If you’ll be housing a standard or mammoth donkey, then opt for high ceilings of at least eight feet, though 10- or 12-foot ceilings are best.

Paying attention to the design of your floor can also help to make the stall safe and comfortable for your donkey. While packed dirt floors are popular, you might also consider concrete floors.

Regardless of the type of your floor, investing in stall mats can pay off in multiple ways. Stall mats can help to make your floors more comfortable, and they can protect your donkey from the cold of the floor in the winter.

Stall mats often provide traction, and if a human or animal falls, they offer valuable shock absorption. The mats also prevent your donkey from digging down into the flooring, so the stall floor remains flat and even.

Mats help to streamline the stall cleaning process. They prevent the bedding from getting mixed into a dirt floor, and since they’re flat, it’s easier to scoop up bedding.

By reducing your bedding usage and even the staff time required to clean stalls, your investment in stall mats can pay off in multiple ways.

Pre-sized Stall Mat Kits

At Greatmats, we carry stall mat kits that can simplify the installation process. These kits feature ¾-inch rubber mats that are highly durable and suitable for use with horses and donkeys.



Made in the USA, the mats feature a non-slip diamond top to maximize traction and safety for humans and donkeys. They’re made of recycled rubber, so they’re an environmentally friendly choice, and are also backed by a 12-year manufacturer’s warranty.

The mats feature interlocking edges that allow you to fit them together. The seams interlock tightly, so the mats won’t pull apart and bedding won’t work its way down in between the mats.

Because the mats are available in pre-sized kits, you can order them to fit your stalls, which saves you the time and hassle of cutting mats to your stall dimensions. This makes for a faster and easier installation process, which is particularly important if you’ll be installing mats in multiple stalls or are performing the installation with limited help.

These kits are available in standard dimensions like 6x12, 8x10, and 8x12donkey feet. They’re also available in custom sizes, ideal if you have a non-traditional stall size.