DEER AHW Flashcards
What are the three main breeds of deer?
Roe
Red
Fallow
What is the main breed of deer farmed in the UK
Red
What dangers are posed?
Males very aggressive
Charge with heads and antlers
What are the scientific terms for red deer?
Herd-
Female-
Male (entire)
Male castrated
Fibre
Scientific
Herd
Hind
Stag
Havier
Fawn
Venison
What are the two different types husbandry systems?
- park
- farming
How does park husbandry systems work?
Roam freely with minimum input
Calves not weaned or antlers removed
Stock not housed
Classed as wild
How does the farm housing system work?
Farmed following conventional agricultural practices
Calves are weaned and young stock have antlers removef
How does identification work?
Transponder chip must be place at base of left ear
What breeding type is deer?
Short day seasonal polyoestrus
When are they typically born
May- late june
How long is oestrus cycle
18-21 days
How long is gestation length?
228-243 days
What is fecundity of deer
1
How long is puberty?
16 months
How long does oestrus last
12 hours
What are signs a deer is in oestrus?
frequent preening by rubbing her chin over her back and rump. Occasionally she will approach and mount the stag, or rub her chin over his back
How high should a deer fence be?
1.9-2m
What should mesh be like?
About 150mm gaps
When shouldn’t you use an electric fence
Stags with antlers
What voltage should fences have?
4kv
What is the recommended time after weaning before transporting deer
10 days
What are stag warning signs of aggression/
Grinding teeth
Lolling tongue
Rolling eyes
Flattening ears against their head
What are the three most popular restraint devices?
Crush (normally one of the sides is moveable)
Cradle (best for dealing with feet)
Weighing systems
What is the most serious parasitic disease a deer can face?
Lungworm (Dictyocaulus eckerti)
What is the most common sign of lungworm?
Coughing
Which deer typically suffer with lungworm the most?
Young stock (three to six months old) in their first autumn
What is Johne’s disease
A common bacterial infection that causes death and reduced growth rates in deer
It can cause intestine walls to thicken , which can affect digestion and absorption of nutrients
What are the symptoms of johnes disease
Diarrhoea
Enlarged lymph nodes
How is johnes disease spread?
Most commonly through new purchased deer
Deer eating pasture
Contaminated water
What is the breeding life for hinds?
From 2-17
What is the best shaped pen for handling a deer?
Circular
What is the rut?
The rut is the 3-4 week period of hyper-sexual activity in autumn (i.e. late September to late November) when stags actively and aggressively compete for access to hinds for mating
What is the best stag;hind ratio
1;50
What are the pros and cons of pre rut weaning
are 3-4 months of age.
The advantages of pre-rut weaning are that it allows-
• optimisation and prioritisation of feeding management for different stock classes well before the onset of winter;
• pre-winter accustomisation of calves to desired grazing systems and suplimentry feeds;
• simplification and implemention of a targeted health management regimen for calves (e.g. anthelmintic treatments);
RED DEER IN A FARM SYSTEM
• simplification of mating management of hinds (especially for setting up single-sire mating programmes); and
• terminatation of lactation to allow hinds to improve condition before mating (i.e. improve mating success).
Disadvantages of pre-rut weaning may include the following things:
• stress on young calves due to physical separation from dams; growth rates can be checked for several weeks;
• compromisation of feed planning for newly weaned calves in dry conditions; and.
• physical injury of young calves if there has been no prior habituation to movements/handling
What are the three different types of weaning
Pre rut- 3-4months
Post run- 6-7 months
Natural- 9-10 months
When are deer slaughtered for venison?
1-2 years
Max 27 months
What is the rut
The breeding season
When is deer sexual behaviour at its peak?
October
When does calving normally take place?
May/ June
When do red hind reach puberty
2-3 years
Where do any,ears grow from
The tip
When are calves typically weaned
100 days
What is the weaning weight of calves
25-45kg
