# Farming deer



## I’m A Jinxi (Jan 11, 2020)

Anyone have any experience raising/farming deer? Fallow deer more specifically. I’m thinking of getting on the ground floor on this since almost no one does it, especially in California where I live. There’s not a lot of information on the subject besides basics. I hope plan to talk to deer farmers soon but wanted to know if other people had any experience.


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## farmerjan (Jan 12, 2020)

A good friend that has since passed away raised fallow deer here in Va.  Can no longer do it here, only if still grandfathered in.  You could try to see if you can get in touch with "Lolli Bros"  I think they are in Missouri.  They have the biggest auction for "unusual livestock" in the country.  We got our original Dall sheep through them when my son went out with this friend on a deer buying trip.  There are alot of rules and regulations.  I do know that he had fences that were 10 FEET high.  Not only to prevent the deer from getting out but to prevent the whitetails from getting in.. Disease issues.  There is special liscensing for deer.  Do you live near any zoos or animal parks?  Many of them have them.   I know that he had to get them bangs (brucellosis) vaccinated  just like cattle.  Other than that I can't think of much else off hand.  I never did anything with them.


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## Baymule (Jan 12, 2020)

There is a high wired fenced ranch behind us that has exotic deer and high dollar whitetails. It's pretty common here in Texas, but I don't know the laws on it. You should check out the laws in your state.


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## Ridgetop (Jan 12, 2020)

Deer, buffalo, elk etc. carry Brucellosis.  They are considered a scourge near Yellowstone among cattle and livestock producers because of the Brucellosis.  They also require minimum 10' fencing.    Where are you located in California and why are you interested in raising deer?  Is it to supply meat to specialty restaurants?


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 17, 2020)

I’m A Jinxi said:


> Anyone have any experience raising/farming deer? Fallow deer more specifically. I’m thinking of getting on the ground floor on this since almost no one does it, especially in California where I live. There’s not a lot of information on the subject besides basics. I hope plan to talk to deer farmers soon but wanted to know if other people had any experience.


People get involved in deer farming in part because they enjoy being around deer and the lifestyle associated with raising them. There is also a profit motive for most farmers. Deer can be raised as livestock for food. They can be raised for hunting preserves.
In most of the deer parks around the world, the average is 1 deer to 5 acres.


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 17, 2020)

There are two men in my town that raise these deer.  They buy their feed where we do, so I see them time and again.  There’s talk about antlers, so on.  Chris and I went to a deer park this summer.  They had these interesting ones...I’ll show the pictures...I don’t think they were fallow.


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## Baymule (Jan 17, 2020)

Haha, that's the color of a Hereford cow. There are Hereford pigs, why not Hereford deer? Love it!


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## Ridgetop (Jan 21, 2020)

Those horns are interesting.  Most antlers are sharpened when the bucks rub off the velvet before rut.  I have seen horns like those and they had a special name for the bulbous shaped ones.  I thought they might have been an anomaly.  are those horns natural to that species?  Are they always blunt and rounded like that?  What kind of deer are they?


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 22, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> There are two men in my town that raise these deer.  They buy their feed where we do, so I see them time and again.  There’s talk about antlers, so on.  Chris and I went to a deer park this summer.  They had these interesting ones...I’ll show the pictures...I don’t think they were fallow.  View attachment 68994


Seriously, If you guys can send that here where I'm at. (Philippines)... Give me a year or 2... I will show you how I took care of her... I'll Even place a wager..


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## Duckfarmerpa1 (Jan 22, 2020)

Ridgetop said:


> Those horns are interesting.  Most antlers are sharpened when the bucks rub off the velvet before rut.  I have seen horns like those and they had a special name for the bulbous shaped ones.  I thought they might have been an anomaly.  are those horns natural to that species?  Are they always blunt and rounded like that?  What kind of deer are they?


I forget...I’ll find out...


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 22, 2020)

Ridgetop said:


> Those horns are interesting.  Most antlers are sharpened when the bucks rub off the velvet before rut.  I have seen horns like those and they had a special name for the bulbous shaped ones.  I thought they might have been an anomaly.  are those horns natural to that species?  Are they always blunt and rounded like that?  What kind of deer are they?


Thats how deer antlers grow, they dont get pointy until they are almost done growing and ready to shed. Search "deer in velvet" and you can see tons of pics of blunt looking horns in velvet and some partially shed that are pointy and some right before shed that are pointy looking under the velvet.


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## farmerjan (Jan 22, 2020)

@misfitmorgan  is right.  When horns are growing they are much rounder and all and as they reach the point where they have reached their full growth for that year, they will "slender out" and then they will get their points just before they start to rub the velvet.  My brother raised reindeer and it was interesting to see how their horns grew. The females also grow horns in the reindeer.  He preferred the females because they would have their horns all through the "Christmas tree season" which is the reason he raised them.  He would use them at his Christmas tree lot, and rent them out to other places that sold trees.  People loved to see them, and to take their pictures with the deer in the background.  No,  people were not allowed in with them.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Jan 23, 2020)

Duckfarmerpa1 said:


> I forget...I’ll find out...


I agree, thats wy i would love to raise one... It would be an interesting breed, I hope we can cultivate it here in the Philippines...


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