Energy requirements of red deer

P.F. Fennessy, G.H. Moore, I.D. Corson

Invermay Agricultural Research Centre, Mosgiel

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1981, 41: 167-173

Relationships between liveweight gain and metabolisable energy intake for stags indoors (in pens) and outdoors during winter have been derived. The winter maintenance requirement of 0.85 MJ ME/kg ^0.75/d for stags outdoors was 50% higher than that for stags indoors.

After making allowances for velvet antler growth in stags and lactation in hinds and using assumptions derived from indoor feeding, estimates of the energy requirements of farmed red deer have been derived on a seasonal basis and compared with those of a ewe rearing 1.1 lambs (1 stock unit). Although on an annual basis, adult deer are equivalent to about 2 stock units, stags have a relatively high energy demand during winter, while hinds have relatively low demands during spring and high demands in summer (lactation). The implications for the seasonal management of grazing deer are discussed.

Keywords: NZSAPAB;

Last Updated 12-09-1998