What Kind of Animal Is the Sika Deer? A Detailed Guide to Farming Methods

We have all read fairy tales. And in those stories there are often little sika deer. But today, due to excessive hunting and capture, the number of wild sika deer is extremely small, and their distribution range has become fragmented, so they have been listed as an endangered animal. In Northeast China's Liaoning, Jilin and other places, captive breeding of sika deer has already appeared, with breeding numbers reaching hundreds of thousands. So what exactly is a sika deer? How should we farm sika deer?

1. What Is a Sika Deer?

The sika deer is a small to medium-sized deer species. Its head is slightly round, its face is relatively long, it has a pair of large round eyes, a black nose, slit-shaped infraorbital glands, a pair of obvious tear pits, long upright ears, a relatively long neck and limbs, and a short tail. Because along both sides of the spine and the lower edge of the flanks there are many orderly arranged white spots that look like plum blossoms, it is named “sika deer” (plum blossom deer).

The sika deer is a deer species unique to East Asia, mainly distributed in China, Japan and the eastern part of Russia. In China it is mainly distributed in several limited areas such as Heilongjiang, western Zhejiang, southern Anhui, northern Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guangzhou, Jilin and Liaoning. Many countries in the world, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Poland, New Zealand, Ireland and so on, have already introduced sika deer. In China

2. How to Farm Sika Deer

1. Seed selection

Excellent breeds can make the farming process twice as effective with half the effort, and choosing a suitable and outstanding sika deer breed is also the most basic part of farming. We should choose breeds with strong disease resistance, a lively temperament and high production performance. It is best that the selected sika deer breed has no previous history of disease, and the choice also needs to be made according to the specific market situation, such as price and demand, and so on.

2. Site

Generally, for a sika deer farm we choose a site built in a high, dry, wind-sheltered and sunny location, and it needs a clean and sufficient water source, as well as an area with relatively good drainage and irrigation when needed. Also, farming should not be too dense, because the sika deer is a relatively active animal, and every sika deer must be guaranteed at least 3 sq m of activity space. Our farm also needs a supporting sika deer exercise yard, which is good for the sika deer's activity. Generally, the fence of the deer farm should be above 4 m, because sika deer can jump very high, and we must prevent the sika deer from jumping over the fence and escaping.

3. Feed

The feed problem for artificially farmed sika deer is relatively easy to solve. Sika deer have strong adaptability, and in order to reduce farming costs we can choose locally suitable feed with a moderate price and sufficient resources. Be careful not to feed moldy or spoiled feed, and do not feed blindly; you need to understand the habits of sika deer before making a choice.

4. Disease

The disease resistance of sika deer is still relatively strong. As long as correct management methods are used during the artificial farming process, sika deer are regularly vaccinated, the deer sheds are cleaned on schedule, and cleaning and disinfection are carried out, ensuring that the sika deer have a clean and tidy growing environment can reduce the incidence of disease in sika deer