Raising deer costs little and brings big profits, with products selling like hotcakes to thousands of households

A corner of Yingjun Deer Farm.

When we talk about sika deer, we cannot help but think of the Northeast specialty - velvet antler. In Xiduli Village, Wendengying Town, there is a Yingjun Deer Farm dedicated to raising sika deer. Nowadays, people in Wendeng can not only admire sika deer right at their doorstep, but also buy all kinds of pure, nourishing and health-promoting deer products.

Early in the morning on September 24, the reporter headed to Yingjun Deer Farm. Just as we reached the gate, we heard the calls of deer. Chen Yingjun, general manager of Yingjun Deer Farm, led the reporter to the doe pen, where several young sika deer, upon seeing strangers, immediately scampered around the pen in excitement. In the buck pen to the north of the doe pen, more than a dozen bucks were leisurely eating bran feed. Chen Yingjun told the reporter that he began raising deer in 2003, and the herd grew day by day, reaching a peak of more than 200.

The deer farming industry has enormous market potential. The sika deer is a treasure from head to toe, and velvet antler is one of the "Three Treasures of the Northeast," with high nutritional and medicinal value. When it comes to sika deer, Chen Yingjun has endless stories to tell.

More than a decade ago, Chen Yingjun had worked at a township-run deer farm, and this experience gave him some understanding of sika deer farming and a deep affection for the animals. As society developed, people placed increasing importance on health and wellness, and Chen Yingjun felt the deer farming market had broad prospects. In 2003, Chen Yingjun leased some idle school buildings, introduced high-quality sika deer breeds from the Northeast, and set up a closed breeding and farming operation for sika deer.

Raising Northeast sika deer in an eastern coastal city was something many people did not understand at first. Even Chen Yingjun's wife did not support him. With such a big climate difference between the Northeast and Wendeng, would the sika deer fail to adapt to the local environment?

"Facts have proven that Wendeng's climate is very suitable for raising sika deer," Chen Yingjun said. Not only that, but they are also very easy to care for. Sika deer have strong adaptability, and does take care of their own fawns, never allowing keepers to come near.

Sika deer are never picky eaters. The feed for sika deer is divided into two types: coarse grain and fine grain. Fine grain generally includes soybeans, corn, bran and so on, while coarse grain is mainly fresh corn stalks. Sika deer do not eat much. An adult deer generally eats 5 kg of food a day. Compared with other animals, farming them costs less, carries less risk and yields higher profits.

To take good care of these treasures, Chen Yingjun put all his energy into the deer farm, rising early and working late every day, tending to them with great care.

Like other farming industries, the biggest bottleneck in raising sika deer, besides technology, is market sales. When the deer farm was first established, it encountered a cold spell in the market, but Chen Yingjun managed to pull through. To improve his farming techniques, Chen Yingjun subscribed to several publications on deer farming and traveled to Changchun, Shijiazhuang and other places to study the sika deer market and accumulate experience. In the early years, he spent 16 hours a day at the deer farm, carefully observing and pondering, quickly mastering the deer's living habits. Now, if any deer is listless or has a bloated belly, he can spot it at a glance and, based on the knowledge he has gained, treat the sika deer.

Sika deer generally begin growing velvet antler in May and June each year. To give the sika deer sufficient nutrition, Chen Yingjun usually adds a suitable amount of soybeans or peanut cake two months before the antler grows. This way, the velvet antler not only looks good but is also larger in size. Hard work pays off. Under Chen Yingjun's careful care, the herd grew day by day, bringing him generous financial returns.

According to Chen Yingjun, in recent years the market for sika deer has gradually heated up, with the market price of velvet antler reaching more than 3,000 yuan per kg. Each adult deer can have its velvet antler cut twice a year, weighing about 1.5 kg. From selling velvet antler alone, each adult buck can generate about 5,000 yuan a year.

Opening Chen Yingjun's freezer, it was packed full of velvet antler, deer penis, deer placenta paste and more. Chen Yingjun casually took out a fresh frozen velvet antler. The antler was very tender, with the fine hairs clearly visible. Chen Yingjun said this is the velvet antler with the highest nutritional value, which can be directly put into liquor to soak. If preserved properly, the medicinal effects of the velvet antler will not change within three to five years.

Besides velvet antler, deer penis and deer meat can also be sold, and the blood and deer placenta can be processed into deer blood liquor and deer placenta paste. In 2009, Chen Yingjun seized the opportunity to jointly develop deep-processed products with some processing plants. A series of products such as dried velvet antler, velvet antler liquor and velvet antler blood emerged, and were sought after by many "wellness enthusiasts." To raise sika deer of excellent breed, Chen Yingjun updates his herd every few years, bringing higher-quality sika deer tonics into thousands of households.

During the interview, Mr. Chen, a resident of Rongcheng who came to buy velvet antler slices and velvet antler blood liquor, told the reporter that he comes here every year to buy some health products for his parents and relatives. Velvet antler contains more than a hundred active ingredients such as amino acids, nucleic acids, polyamines, enzymes and vitamins, and has the effects of enhancing immunity and beautifying the skin. He often stews soup with velvet antler and chicken, duck and other meats, and after persisting for many years, his health is much better than before.

As the farm's reputation grows, its farming profits are getting better and better. Many nearby villagers are interested in raising sika deer, and Chen Yingjun generously teaches them farming methods. Chen Yingjun said that in the future he will also consider letting villagers who are interested in farming join his farm, so that more villagers can become wealthy through raising sika deer.