A Detailed Explanation of Reindeer Breeding Methods and Key Technical Points
1 Age of sexual maturity Female reindeer reach sexual maturity at 1.5 years of age; some well-developed individuals can mate in the same year, and their reproductive capacity is very strong, with a general reproductive lifespan of up to 14 years. Male reindeer reach sexual maturity at 2.5 years of age and can be used for breeding at 3 years of age. In the Harbin area, reindeer can live to about 20 years of age.
2 Estrus The estrus period of reindeer runs from mid-September to mid-November each year, with mid-October being the peak. During this period, male reindeer are extremely fierce, often fighting over mates and actively attacking people; they also show obvious thickening of the neck, chase females all day long, sniff their genital area, and often roar with "how, how" sounds, urinate frequently, and eat very little apart from drinking more water. After the mating period, male reindeer become greatly emaciated. The signs of estrus in female reindeer are not very obvious: the vulva is slightly swollen, with a small amount of mucus, and they actively approach males; changes in food intake are not obvious. The conception rate of female reindeer is relatively high 13-22 days after estrus, and the peak of estrus lasts 2-4 days.
3 Mating For reindeer breeding, healthy male reindeer should be selected, using a polygynous (one male to multiple females) method. Reindeer mating mostly takes place in the early morning or evening, when the environment is quiet and the weather is cool. Mating lasts about 20 seconds, and the number of matings per day varies. During the breeding period, some apples and vitamin E should be appropriately added to the feed to increase the conception rate.
4 Pregnancy and Fawning
4.1 Pregnancy The gestation period of reindeer is 225-240 days. In the early stage of pregnancy, changes in the female's feeding and activity are not obvious; in the late stage of pregnancy, feed intake increases, she gradually becomes fatter, the coat becomes glossy, and the temperament becomes gentle and quiet. During pregnancy, attention should be paid to supplementing vitamins and minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus supplementation and adjustment of their ratio. In addition, care should be taken not to startle the animals and to avoid catching them as much as possible, so as to prevent miscarriage.
4.2 Fawning Reindeer generally give birth in early May to June, mostly to 1 fawn; twins are rare. One month before birth, the abdominal circumference increases noticeably and the udder becomes slightly swollen. One week before parturition, the female likes quiet or slow walking, the vulva is slightly swollen with a small amount of mucus discharge, the udder is swollen, and the teats protrude. One to two days before birth, she likes to lie quietly in the indoor enclosure, has reduced appetite, and is sometimes restless and frequently raises her tail. During parturition, the doe mostly stands, sometimes lying down; birth mostly occurs at midnight or in the early morning. First the front hooves of the fawn emerge, then the head, and finally the whole body; the entire process takes 1-2 hours. For first-time does, it is sometimes a little longer. After birth, the doe licks the fawn, and after 10 minutes has a desire to eat. After 40-90 minutes, the placenta is expelled, and it is generally eaten by the doe herself. After birth, the fawn's coat is soft and fine, coffee-colored, with no coarse, shaggy hair.
5 Rearing the Young After birth, with about 20 minutes of licking by the doe, the fawn can stand up, and after about 2 hours it can consume colostrum. If the doe has insufficient milk after birth, lactation-promoting tablets for humans can be given to the doe to increase milk production, at 2 times the human dosage. Some does, especially first-time mothers, have weak maternal instincts and do not nurse the fawn; the doe can be caught and restrained to force her to nurse the fawn. After a few times, she can generally nurse on her own, but care should be taken to ensure the fawn gets colostrum in time. About half a month after birth, the fawn can play with grass in its mouth, and after 1 month it can eat a small amount of green grass. The young reindeer has horn marks on its head at birth; after 7 days, velvet-covered buds grow; at 1 month of age, the antlers are 5-10 cm long; at 2 months of age, they grow to 10-20 cm; at 4 months of age, the velvet sheds and they become dry antlers.
Results and Discussion
1 The reindeer is a near-Arctic animal, cold-tolerant and heat-intolerant. Therefore, when kept in a zoo, a good living environment must be created for it; in summer, water should be sprinkled to cool it down or a bathing pool should be built.
2 As reindeer go from wild to captive, the feed should, as far as possible, satisfy the balance of their absorption and metabolism, with appropriate supplementation of complete-price feed. Feed should be adjusted in a timely manner for different individuals at different stages.
3 During the estrus and mating period, the male reindeer's antlers should be sawed off to avoid casualties to both animals and people. The estrus period of reindeer is from mid-September to mid-October each year, the female's sexual cycle is 13-22 days, the peak of estrus lasts 2-4 days, the gestation period is 225-240 days, and the lactation period is 165-180 days.
4 Reindeer breeding uses a polygynous (one male to multiple females) method; one healthy male reindeer can form a breeding group with more than 10 female reindeer.