Deer Production

Deer Production - Upper North Island

Deer farms have three main production systems, all of which can take place on the one property or farms can be built around just one system as a result of topography or resources:

Breeding units - these are properties, often with natural landscapes that are suitable for high fawn or calf survival. Often they only have a proportion of area that is capable for improvement or easy development
Finishing units – these are often found on flatter land and can be more easily intensified
Velveting operations – often a stock class rotated amongst a breeding or finishing unit. They have a very distinctive feed supply need dominated by late winter and early spring feeding, peaking with an increase in quality and quantity required in October.

Note: When sowing grass in the Upper North Island, it is essential that a cultivar with insecticide treated seed is used, as insect pest pressure in this region is extensive.

BREEDING UNITS

This is a critical time to provide both quality lactation feed for hinds and help maintain pasture composition quality on a broadacre country. Hind body condition at weaning or prior to mating is also an important consideration.

Aerial oversowing

Will often benefit from a legume, with white clovers such as Emblem and Attribute with red clovers such as Relish providing an important pasture quality improvement through the following summer and early autumn

WINTERING CROPS

Wintering of both capital stock and finishing stock can be based on several crops or pastures. It's important to note that this is not a time of high appetite and liveweight gain potential is moderate through June and July.

Fodder beet

Fodder beet can make an excellent winter option for both capital stock with the low drymatter fodder beet Feldherr having a great place as a winter feed for all ages of deer

Brassica

Kales like SovGold, with a high quality stem, make an excellent wintering option that maintains good protein levels. This is important for longer-term wintering programmes
Swedes like Triumph and Massie and pelleted precision sown crops make excellent winter feed options
Autumn sown rape and rape and grass mixes with Spitfire forage rape and Manta Italian ryegrass or Jivet annual ryegrass are excellent options from a late January/February (rainfall dependent) sowing

Ryegrass

Italian or hybrid ryegrasses such as Manta or Mohaka AR1 make excellent wintering pastures that are particularly important in August and September for finishing weaners. Finishing of weaners is heavily influenced by their weaning weight and liveweight gain post-weaning until June

FINISHING PASTURES

Individual weaners’ appetites increase dramatically through August so this is an important time to supply high volumes of good quality forage. Capturing this opportunity will increase liveweight gain.

Ryegrass

*It is important to note that deer can only tolerate AR1 endophyte.

Italian and hybrid ryegrass pastures such as Manta and Mohaka AR1 with Relish red clover and Attribute white clover are an ideal fit for late winter/spring finishing programmes. The addition of autumn sown annual clovers such as Resal Persian clover and Viper balansa clover add increased drymatter and quality to the spring period
Perennial ryegrasses such as Legion* AR1 or a mix of Mohaka AR1 hybrid ryegrass in combination with Relish red clover, Attribute white clover, Ecotain^® environmental plantain and Choice chicory make excellent mixes for finishing pastures particularly through late autumn and spring

Herbs and legumes

Chicory/red clover crops with Choice chicory and Relish red clover and Attribute white clover make particularly good spring and late spring/early summer finishing paddocks, while Ecotain^® environmental plantain, Relish red clover and Attribute white clover make good finishing pastures

* Legion has been bred, selected and successfully tested as a perennial and will function as a perennial ryegrass. Due to a small number of tip awns Legion is certified as Lolium Boucheanum.