article · Preventive Veterinary Medicine Regional Studies and Reports
Working donkeys in Mwea subcounty, Kenya, spend an average of 2.59 hours per day lying down, with individual times varying widely from 0.19 to 11.72 hours daily. Lying behaviour was monitored across 355 donkeys from 120 owners using tri-axial accelerometers attached to the lower right leg, combined with questionnaires detailing animal and farm characteristics. Donkeys whose owners engaged in mixed crop and livestock farming experienced a 26.7 percent reduction in daily lying time compared to others. Transport duties also directly decreased rest, with the carrying of water, rice, and animal feed linked to drops of 23.7 percent, 28.8 percent, and 28.1 percent in lying duration, respectively. Because insufficient lying time limits rest and physical recovery, heavy workloads pose significant risks to donkey welfare, highlighting the necessity for targeted management interventions.
Working donkeys provide vital transport and draught power for rural communities, yet heavy workloads can severely restrict their physical rest. Measuring lying time using wearable sensors establishes an objective baseline for animal fatigue. Demonstrating how specific transport tasks cut rest enables veterinary and agricultural development organisations to design informed interventions that protect working animal health and rural livelihoods.
The findings demonstrate the applied use of tri-axial accelerometers as objective monitoring tools to evaluate working animal welfare in the field. Veterinary agencies, animal welfare non-governmental organisations, and agricultural extension services could use wearable sensor methodologies to track rest patterns and guide livestock management guidelines. While the monitoring approach has been tested in a working environment, establishing standard diagnostic services or commercial welfare monitoring systems remains at an applied research stage.
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Limited information exists on the lying behaviour of working donkeys, restricting understanding of whether this behaviour is adequately expressed under working conditions. This study investigated lying behaviour and factors associated with its expression among working donkeys in Mwea subcounty, Kenya. A cross-sectional study involving 355 donkeys from 120 donkey users/owners was conducted. Lying behaviour was recorded using tri-axial accelerometers secured to the lateral aspect of the right metatarsal region. Questionnaires captured animal- and farm-level factors. Univariable and multivariable multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to identify factors associated with average daily lying time, with farm identification number included as a random effect. Working donkeys had an average daily lying time of 2.59 ± 1.94 hrs/day (median 2.04 hrs/day, range 0.19–11.72 hrs/day). In the multivariable model, engagement in crop and livestock farming alongside donkey use was associated with a 26.7% decrease in lying time. Donkeys transporting water, rice, and animal feed had 23.7%, 28.8%, and 28.1% reductions in lying time, respectively, compared with those not transporting these loads. Specific workload-related factors, including engagement in additional farming activities and transportation of water, rice, and animal feed, were associated with reduced lying time. Reduced lying time may compromise adequate rest and recovery, potentially affecting the welfare and wellbeing of working donkeys. Targeted management interventions are needed to safeguard the health and welfare of working donkeys.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.pvmrsr.2026.100044
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