About Sicilian Grey Donkeys

Sicilian grey Donkeys, or the ‘Grey from Sicily’ are also commonly known as ‘Ferrante’. They are a very ancient breed. We have some news in Chicoli (1870) about two donkey breeds in Sicily: an ordinary working breed (Sicilian) of small size with an uneven coat and the lower parts of the body constantly white and the breed of Pantelleria, a saddle breed from upper-class stables. Later about the Sicilian donkey Mascheroni (1927) considers two subbreeds, the one from the eastern provinces (similar to the Apulian donkey – Martina Franca) and the other from the western provinces (similar to the Pantesco donkey), which is described with a totally grey coat, of small size, with proportions that are not as elegant or perfect as those of the Pantelleria donkey.

Today there are about a hundred examples between 4 months and 14 years of age, very rustic and frugal, accustomed to live in the wild, sharing the grazing land with other autochthonous animals.

They are 120-128 cm high at the withers. They are naturally gifted for work and endurance, this special feature has been ratified by biometric indexes which show the difference with the most common Ragusa breed.

Content and Photo source: Agraria.org.