Methods of Artificial Nursing for Fawns and Key Points of Deer Farming Techniques

Every year during the production season, some newborn fawns are abandoned by their mothers, or weak fawns cannot get their mother's milk. Artificial nursing is the only way to save these fawns.

1. Location The artificial nursing room for fawns should be spacious and bright, with plenty of sunlight, clean and dry, and insulated (above 15°C), with 1-2 sq m of space per deer and an appropriate exercise area.

2. Equipment Such as buckets, baby bottles, nipples, milk basins, fire stoves or electric stoves, brushes, thermometers, aluminum pots, colostrum, regular milk, milk powder, towels, soap, etc.

3. The Importance of Colostrum Colostrum is the milk produced within 3 days after an animal gives birth. Colostrum is rich in globulin, albumin, immune substances, enzymes, vitamins, lysozyme, etc. Newborn fawns acquire immunity through colostrum, which enables them to resist infectious diseases, and colostrum contains magnesium salts, which can promote the excretion of meconium. If artificially nursed fawns are not fed colostrum, the survival rate is only 10%; if fed colostrum, the survival rate can reach 97%. Deer farms should prepare colostrum from cattle, sheep and other livestock before the fawning season arrives. Using cups, plastic bowls or food bags, freeze and store 50 ml portions in the refrigerator for later use. If livestock colostrum has not been prepared, deer colostrum can be collected.

Use yannaining to anesthetize the abandoned fawn's mother deer, and wipe the udder clean with a clean wet towel. Use the glass tube of a 50-100 ml metal syringe, insert the plunger into one end, adjust the tightness, and cover the other end over the mother deer's teat. Pull the plunger back, and colostrum will be drawn out. Then push the plunger back 1-2 cm, remove the glass tube from the teat, and pour the colostrum into a sterilized milk bottle. It can be fed directly to the fawn or frozen for storage.

Colostrum is yellow-red in color and relatively viscous, and coagulates when heated to 60°C. Frozen milk can be warmed in warm water. It is best to collect and feed immediately. A mother deer can yield 50-80 ml of colostrum in one collection, and at most 300 ml.

4. Method Wipe the mucus off the fawn's body with a towel, and feed colostrum inside the nursing room. It is better if the fawn can suckle on its own; if not, feed by pouring. The feeder squats on the ground, holds the fawn between their legs, opens the fawn's mouth with one hand, and inserts the nipple from one side of the mouth with the other hand, squeezing milk into the oral cavity. The fawn will then make sucking movements. After 2-3 times of training, the fawn will feed on its own. If the first feeding with a milk basin is successful, continue using the milk basin regularly, as it is more convenient than a bottle. When feeding, use fingers or cotton balls to rub the anal area to stimulate the excretion of meconium.

The success rate of artificial nursing depends largely on sanitary conditions, so nursing equipment should be boiled and sterilized in water once a day. The nursing room should be disinfected with hot alkaline water or disinfectants such as jundusha. Bedding straw should be frequently replaced and dried in the sun.

5. Feeding Frequency and Amount In the first month, feed 4 times a day, at 5:30, 9:30, 14:30 and 20:30. After one month, reduce to 3 times; at 60 days, 2 times; wean at 75 days.

The feeding amount is crucial. Insufficient milk will affect development; excessive milk and poor digestion can easily lead to gastrointestinal diseases. The feeding amounts for sika fawns are: 1-3 days, 700-900 ml per day; 4-10 days, 900-1100 ml per day; 10-20 days, 1100-1300 ml per day; 20-30 days, 1300-1500 ml per day; 30-45 days, 1100-1250 ml per day; 46-60 days, 1150-1200 ml per day; 61-70 days, 600-700 ml per day; after 71 days, 300 ml per day.

Regarding milk temperature, in the past it was emphasized that it should be 37°C-38°C. Practice has proven that milk temperature is not important. Feeding warm milk at 37°C-38°C, low-temperature milk at 3°C-4°C, or medium-temperature milk at 10°C-20°C are all acceptable. Consistently feeding milk at the same temperature to let the fawn get used to it is sufficient, but fawns are unwilling to drink cold milk, while they drink warm milk quickly.

6. Artificially Nursed Fawns At one week of age, a water trough should be set up for artificially nursed fawns to allow them to drink water freely. At 15 days of age, begin feeding fresh tender leaves, vegetable leaves, etc., to exercise their feeding ability and gastrointestinal function. At 20 days of age, begin feeding a small amount of concentrated feed, such as 30%-40% cornmeal, 30%-40% soybean cake meal, 10%-20% wheat bran, 0.5% salt, 0.1% bone meal, made into wet feed or steamed buns, fed 3 times a day, with no fixed amount; remove leftover feed after 30 minutes. The fawns can be taken outdoors for activity every day, preferably grazed on grassland.