Key Technical Points for Feeding and Management of Does During the Breeding Period

The purpose of raising female sika deer is to require does to have high fertility, a healthy constitution, and to produce superior offspring. Whether does can produce superior offspring is not only related to the breed of the doe, but also extremely closely related to feeding and management. Only good feeding and management can enable does to give full play to their superior production performance.

According to the nutritional needs and feeding and management characteristics of does at different stages, doe feeding and management can be divided into three periods, described as follows:

I. Feeding and Management of Does During the Mating Period

After the fawns are weaned in late August each year, the does stop lactating and enter the physical recovery stage before mating. The mating period runs from mid-September to late November.

Before mating, the deer herd should first be adjusted: does that are infertile, have vicious habits, are too old, or have serious diseases should be culled. Groups should be formed according to breed and bloodline relationships, age, and physical health status, and can be divided into a core group, a general breeding group, and a first-mating doe group. Each mating deer group should generally be 25-30 animals.

The level of feeding and management of does during the mating period has an important influence on speeding up mating progress and increasing the conception rate of does. If does are thin and malnourished during the mating period, they will come into estrus late or not at all, and the mating period will be prolonged, possibly even causing infertility in does. Does in plump body condition and with good nutrition have fast oocyte growth and development, strong sexual desire, and obvious estrus, and can come into estrus earlier and more concentratedly, so mating progress is faster, and the conception rate and twin rate are also higher.

The daily ration of does during the mating period should be adapted to local conditions, mainly using bulky roughage and succulent feed, with concentrate as a supplement. The concentrate is mainly soybean cake, corn, sorghum, etc. The daily concentrate feeding amount for does is 1.0-1.2 kg; roughage 2.5-3.5 kg; salt 18 g; dicalcium phosphate 15-20 g; trace elements and vitamins should be added appropriately according to the instructions of the brand used.

II. Feeding and Management of Does During Pregnancy

The gestation period of does is generally 7 and a half months, mainly referring to December of the current year to April of the following year. In the early and middle stages of gestation, fetal growth and development are relatively slow, but in the later stage fetal growth and development are very fast, and the maternal uterus and mammary glands also enlarge accordingly. More than 80% of the fetal body weight is gained during the last 3 months of gestation. In the late stage of gestation, the daily ration should be formulated according to the characteristics of different stages of fetal growth and development. Especially in the late stage of gestation, the rumen capacity of does gradually becomes smaller and digestive function weakens, so the daily ration of does should choose feed of good quality and strong palatability. Protein feed such as soybean cake in the concentrate should account for 30%-35%, and corn, sorghum, bran, etc. should account for 50%-70%. The daily amount of roughage for pregnant does is 2.5-3.0 kg of crushed corn stalks. If conditions permit, silage can be fed, but it must absolutely not be too acidic, to prevent miscarriage.

Pregnant does are fed concentrate and roughage 2 or 3 times during the day. If fed 2 times during the day, roughage should be supplemented once at night.

In the middle stage of gestation, all does should be examined once, the deer herd adjusted, and weak and malnourished does transferred into corresponding deer groups for feeding and management.

In order to enhance the physical health of does, they should exercise regularly every day, the deer shed should have good lighting, and the bedding should often be covered with 10 cm thick dry grass; the livestock shed and exercise yard should be cleaned frequently, and regular drug disinfection should be carried out; the training and domestication of pregnant does should be strengthened; attention should be paid to keeping the herd stable to prevent miscarriage.

III. Feeding and Management of Does During Lactation

Does begin giving birth in early May and weaning occurs in late August, with a lactation period of about 90 d. Fawns gain 6.0 kg in weight one month after birth, with an average daily weight gain of about 0.5 kg. Lactating does need to absorb large amounts of protein, fat, minerals, various vitamins, and water from feed every day, and convert them into milk in the body.

After does give birth, rumen volume increases and gastrointestinal digestive capacity strengthens. Therefore, among the concentrate for lactating does, protein feed should account for 65%-75% of the daily ration; feed roughage 2-3 times a day, concentrate 3 times, and supplement roughage once at night.

In summer, the doe shed should be kept clean and sanitary to avoid harmful microorganisms contaminating the doe's udder and milk, which could cause diseases in fawns. Keepers should clean the deer shed regularly and carry out drug spray disinfection.

Does and fawns should be trained and domesticated in a timely manner. Timid and panicked does and fawns should not be forcibly driven; when necessary, gentle does should be used to lead them.