PRACTICAL information

Feeding

On our ranch we curry out ecological breeding. We feed our fallow deer with naturally grown vegetables, corn, hay or hay-silage mixture. We must also provide for our animals permanent access to water. Chestnuts and acorns are real delicacies for deer, just like sweets for children. One must also remember to provide on the plots easily accessible deer-licks with micro~ and macro-elements. Main and basic forage for fallow deer is pasturage (from April to October). Feeding animals during winter is another matter, where maintenance costs range from 100 to 120 PLN. Then one animal, let's say one doe, eats 0,5 kg of corn (oats and maize) and 2 kg of hay or, interchangeably, hay-silage mixture. Hay is a "filler" for animals and they should have permanent access to it (it mustn't be rationed out). Forage may be additionally enriched with carrots, beetroots, potatoes or cabbage. One must remember that during severe frosty weather amounts of corn which we feed to animals must be increased, even up to 50%. Carrying out professional, good breeding, it's important to additionally feed does on pasturages in April and May. This ensures their better form during fawnings and bigger weight of calves. Bucks should be fed similarly to does, but after rutting time, when they ate very little, we suggest to increase amounts of corn and as for hay, let them eat at will (don't ration out).

Reproduction

As we mentioned before, fallow deer are gregarious animals . A doe is sexually mature at the age of 16 months. Adult does stay on the plots together with fawns and yearlings. The whole herd is led by one older doe, called "face doe". Older bucks then, create small groups and establish hierarchy among one another. Very old bucks, carrying shovel-shaped antlers, most often hold themselves aloof, seeking for peace and quiet. Before rutting time bucks dig, with their front hoofs, big holes in the ground into which they urinate, and repeat that for a couple of days. In these very pits (rutting-grounds) bucks fertilize does. When rut starts, groups of animals mingle. This lasts from October to mid-December and bucks choose then appropriate number of does (as many as one buck can service). Bucks are very menacing in this period, they utter specific guttural groaning call resembling bleating, and during the whole rut they may hardly eat. There's no need to feed them by force, because they are going to complete their weight after rut, after middle of December. It is at this time, at mid-December, that the breeder must separate bucks from does, to prevent does from late fawnings, and ensure that fawns are strong. Unfortunately not all breeders abide by this rule, animals at some farms run loose together all the year round, and nobody knows what, when, with whom? Most fawnings take place at the break of May and June and most often a doe gives birth to one fawn, weighing 3 to 6 kg. Young fawns are fed with milk up to beginning of winter. Maximum age of fallow deer is about 18 years.