Elk and Deer Flashcards
what species of deer and elk do we see on farms here
white-tailed deer, mule deer, fallow deer, reindeer ie. caribou, wapiti
are elk different from deer
no.
elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) are conspecific with European red deer (Cervus elaphus)
what are some wapiti products
stags for hunt farms, meat, semen, breeding stock, hides, and (what started it), velvet antler
give some basics of wapiti nutrition
intermediate selectors/browsers
medium quality hay adequate for winter
copper deficiency
lose 10% BW during winter, seasonal weight loss is normal
stags gain in summer, stop eating during rut, need supplemental feed after rut and should be within 10% August weight going into January
what are the equivalent terms for a wapiti heifer, cow, bulls
jinnochs = heifers
hinds = cows
stags = bulls
how is pregnancy diagnosis made in wapiti
rectal palpation, transrectal US, blood sample PSPB
talk about wapiti repro
seasonally polyestrous, breed in Sept to Oct, estrous cycle is 21 days
how long is wapiti gestation? when is calving season
gestation length 256 days, calving period late may to early July
repro: how many waves in wapiti
2 or 3 waves is typical
talk about wapiti reproduction: what is the rut? when to introduce stags to hinds, and when to replace them?
rut begins 3rd week of September, introduce stags in early September, and replace stags in mid-October before removing all in early November
how is semen testing conducted in wapiti? what times of the year would you expect normal sperm?
electroejaculation w/o sedation (as in cattle)
August to March should be normal sperm; spermatogenesis stops other months
how can AI be performed in wapiti
sync protocol similar to sheep:
sheep or goat CIRD placed for 12 days, PG given day 9, PMSG given on CIDR removal, and inset 50-65 hours after CIDR removal
transcervical - more cervical rings so a little trickier than in cattle (who have 3 rings)
how has the price for wapiti meat changed over the last few decades? how was the number of animals changed?
price went up since 2001, became viable to raise for meat, dipped a little due to disease, is still fairly high
the number of animals has decreased since 2009, concern for CWD currently
how has the velvet antler price changed in the last few decades
Asian market demand largely drives price
price dip in 2000s due to BSE, increased, decreased, now is lower than peak in late 2010s but stable/maybe increase
Asia import ban due to BSE not lifted, so is smuggled
talk about elk antler removal: what kind of block is necessary? what drug?
unlike cattle, cannot only block auricopalpebral nerve, since there are contributions from C1 and back of head, so must perform RING BLOCK
use 2% lidocaine neat (epinephrine can cause necrosis and sloughing of velvet)
what is the range of the white-tailed deer
from NAm through Central Am to norther parts SAm
breeding season is earlier in north, and stature is larger in north
what are some white-tailed deer products
bucks for hunt farms, neat, hides, breeding stock, semen
talk about white-tailed deer nutrition
concentrate selectors (more so than elk) or browsers
skin nutrients, expel the rest
smaller rumen, so faster transit time
need 17% protein levels, alfalfa diet ideal
seasonal weight gain and loss
milk options for white-tailed deer
bottle raising: bottle raise the does so they are docile, but NOT males bc they will imprint and become dangerous
goats milk, preferably pasteurized and with added egg yolk
ungulate milk replacer works, lamb replacer good too
frequent feedings - about 1 cup, up to 6x/day
how has the number of white-tailed deer farms, and number of farmed deer, changed in last few decades
since 2008, both number of farms and number of animals has decreased
talk about white-tailed deer repro
seasonally polyestrous
rut mid Nov to early Dec, extends to late Feb or Mar
estrous cycle 21 to 30 days and gestation 200 days
doe fawns will breed in first year if 70% of adult weight (can’t keep with males)
talk about white-tailed deer AI
sync protocol similar to sheep
CIDR placed for 12 days, PG given day 9, PMSG given on CIDR removal, inset 50 to 65 hours after CIDR removal (all same as with wapiti)
can do laparoscopic semen in uterine horn, or semen within external cervical ostium
