Deer evolved to take advantage of short, plentiful summers, so good feeding during this period is vital. Once growth is lost in summer, it can’t be made up later.
Unweaned fawns can gain anywhere from 220–700g/day, but with top-quality feed at least 400g/day or more is common.
Lactating hinds require almost twice the energy of non-lactating animals – around 45–70MJME/day between hind and fawn.
To meet this, pastures must be green, leafy, and ideally legume-rich. As summer progresses, ryegrass/clover quality drops, so plan for alternative feeds such as good quality baleage, chicory, plantain, or summer brassicas.
If feed is short, hinds may “milk off their backs”, but prolonged condition loss and condition dropping below BCS 2.5 will affect next year’s mating.
Hinds also need up to 7L of clean water daily, or up to 10L when feeding concentrates.
Maintain pastures at 1800–2200kg DM/ha (5+ cm) with 60% green leaf. Provide supplements if covers fall below this level.
Give fawns access to quality feed before weaning to support rumen development and limit growth checks.
For help with feed planning, take a look on www.deerfeed.co.nz.
Source: www.deernz.org.nz
