What key points must be grasped for scientific roe deer farming?
The roe deer is a precious ruminant herbivorous animal of the Cervidae family, commonly known as "grass-on-the-fly," and was a game delicacy favored by royals for hunting in feudal society. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was once a foreign-exchange-earning product purchased and exported by foreign trade departments. In the late 1970s, due to neglect of wild roe deer resource protection, the number of roe deer in our country declined sharply. In order to save roe deer resources and expand our country's roe deer population, Chinese scientific and technical personnel carried out artificial domestication and breeding techniques for wild roe deer and achieved success. The experience of artificial roe deer farming is now introduced to readers for reference only.
Seed selection
Purchasing excellent breeding roe deer is the mother of successful roe deer farming. In recent years, many new roe deer farmers, because they did not understand the basic knowledge and quality standards of roe deer farming, bought breeding roe deer at low prices from some roe deer farmers, resulting in heavy losses. For example, Ji Chunsheng of Wuchang City, Heilongjiang, spent 130,000 yuan to purchase 34 breeding roe deer; 3 died on the way, and because the breeding stock paperwork was incomplete, he was fined 5,000 yuan on the way. After arriving home, he found that half were unqualified, and because they were thin and small, they did not come into estrus for two years, causing great losses. In Fengning County, Hebei Province, two farmers in Nanguan, because they disliked the high price of high-quality breeding roe deer, privately bought back more than 10 unqualified thin and weak breeding roe deer. As a result, after 4 months of home farming, all died, with a loss of more than 20,000 yuan. In order to avoid repeating these mistakes, when selecting breeding roe deer, be sure to remember:
1. Be sure to introduce breeding stock from qualified farms, and it is best to inspect first and understand the basic knowledge of roe deer farming and breeding roe deer standards. 2. When selecting breeding stock, seriously master the standards: medium individual size, spirited, responsive, straight front legs, arched hind legs, smooth and glossy coat, medium body condition, no disease or disability; the best age is 5-month-old to 6-month-old grower roe deer born that year, and for purchasing pregnant roe deer, those that have had 1 to 4 litters (can produce 16 litters) are best. 3. Never covet cheap prices and buy breeding roe deer from scalpers. 4. For purchased breeding roe deer, the male-to-female ratio of 1 male to 2 females is best, and they can also be bought in pairs. Because female roe deer come into estrus only once a year and the estrus period is concentrated, there should not be too few males, in case individual male roe deer have poor performance due to feeding and other reasons and cannot mate, so they can be used in rotation. When purchasing grower male and female roe deer, it is best to include a small number of 2-year-old to 3-year-old male roe deer.
Adaptation
Grasping the adaptation stage of feeding and management after introducing breeding stock into the pen is also the foundation of success. From being caught and caged, transported, to living and breeding in a new home, because it is a new person and new environment, newly purchased breeding roe deer are difficult to adapt to for a time. Therefore, careful management is necessary so that the breeding roe deer can adapt to the new living environment as soon as possible.
1. Before purchasing breeding stock, suitable pens should be built. 2. Before the breeding roe deer enter the pen, forage for 1 day and night should be prepared in advance in the pen (mainly tree leaves, with an appropriate amount of cornmeal and wheat bran) and clean drinking water, so that the roe deer are not disturbed and can become familiar with the environment. Generally, after 1 day and night, the breeding roe deer can adapt to the new environment. 3. In the early stage after introduction into the pen, a dedicated person should be assigned to raise them, and strangers should be prohibited from visiting, to prevent the breeding roe deer from being frightened. 4. In the early stage after entering the pen, attention should be paid to preventing diarrhea in breeding roe deer caused by failure to adapt to local water and soil and improper feeding. After about 10 days, gradually shift to normal feeding. In the feed for breeding roe deer, broadleaf tree leaves such as poplar, willow, oak, birch, elm, apricot, fruit tree, and locust are mainly used (in summer, branches are used instead of leaves, or leaves are gathered; after autumn, dry leaves are collected for winter and spring consumption), about 600 grams per animal per day, plus about 300 grams of mixed concentrate: 150 grams of cornmeal, 75 grams of wheat bran, 75 grams of sunflower cake or soybean cake, and 50 grams of sorghum meal, fed in 3 portions.
Feeding
Roe deer are raised by people, and success lies in how people feed them. Providing feed with complete nutrition is the foundation of successful roe deer farming.
1. On the basis of adaptive feeding after introduction into the pen, and based on the actual physique and body condition of the roe deer, slightly increase or decrease the mixed coarse and fine feed. Determine according to the amount of tree leaves in rural mountain fields, mainly using various broadleaf tree leaves; where conditions permit, supplement an appropriate amount of non-toxic green pepper, eggplant seedling leaves, sunflower heads, green mung bean plants, forage grass, sesame, peanut, sweet potato vines, etc., while supplementing mixed concentrate. 2. The coarse feed for roe deer is mainly tree leaves, and processed coarse grass meal or autumn-cut millet straw, soybean stalks, soybean hulls, sunflower stalks, corn stalks, etc. can also be used, at 40%, plus 25%-30% cornmeal, 15% wheat bran, 15% soybean cake or sunflower cake, and 5%-10% sorghum meal, mixed evenly; about 500 grams per adult roe deer per day, added in 3 portions, about 150 grams each time. Twenty minutes before feeding, mix with water into a semi-dry, semi-wet state, with the principle that the roe deer eat their fill, lie down and ruminate, with a small amount of leftover feed. Usually pay attention to keeping the feed trough clean; in winter, add less water to prevent freezing. 3. To adapt to the roe deer's nocturnal feeding habit, an appropriate amount of leaves should be added every night; in winter and spring, freshly cut brushwood and branches can be added, allowing them to eat freely to maintain condition and build strength. 4. Clean drinking water should always be available in the pen so that the roe deer can drink at any time. In summer, the water bucket should be cleaned and disinfected once a day, and the water changed at noon; in winter, provide water during the day and collect the bucket at night to prevent freezing, or place ice blocks for them to lick freely. 5. Roe deer, like cattle, sheep, and deer, also need supplements of minerals and salt. Licking bricks for deer can be purchased and hung in the pen for the roe deer to lick freely. 6. Pay attention to controlling body condition; breeding roe deer should not be too fat, and maintaining normal body condition is best. Individual weak roe deer should be fed separately.
Disease prevention
Although wild roe deer have strong disease resistance and rarely get sick, domestic roe deer should also adopt comprehensive measures to prevent the occurrence of disease.
1. Grasp the gate of disease entering through the mouth. The forage, leaves, concentrate, etc. eaten by roe deer must be free of rot and residual toxins, and drinking water must remain clean.
2. In spring, summer, and autumn, the pen should be cleaned 1 to 2 times a day, so that no feces accumulate and no water or urine accumulates. The place where the roe deer lie should be padded with sun-dried, disinfected clean soil. In winter, do not clean the pen, to help keep it warm.