Behavior Modification

This is one of our buck fawns. He wasn't bottle fed. We’ve been working on behavior modification with our deer and we’ve seen some amazing results. They aren’t normally this tame unless they’ve been bottle fed and handled when young. This one was only touched once when newborn and we did our initial tagging, microchipping, etc. I started working with him about 1 month ago. He'll start standing on his back legs for a cookie as soon as I walk in the pen. I was in the pen yesterday and "felt" someone was looking at me. He was behind me on his back legs looking over my shoulder!

If we can alter behavior to make the deer more tame we believe stress levels will be lower and health will be improved. I also believe the bucks will have more antler growth. Less stress should also result in higher growth rates, better milk production, and better body condition. The main disadvantage for tame bucks is they are more dangerous during the breeding season. NEVER trust a buck in hard antler!

Ruptured udder

We ran a doe through our Papa handler to insert a CIDR. She was very tame. Once in the handler she kicked violently until the hood was on and she calmed down. When she came out, her bag was loose and hanging.

The next day, her bag was swollen. We were able to milk her while she stood in the pen. She had a little blood in the front quarters. There are many blood vessels in the udder area and we assume some of these had ruptured. We started her on antibiotics and Banamine using our veterinarians' suggestions.

After two weeks, the sides of the udder were raw where her legs had been rubbing. She seemed to be developing sores that we thought may be abscesses. We put her back in the handler to inspect and doctor it. Once she was in the handler and she was squeezed in the wedge, her bag ruptured and the entire bottom opened up. Several pieces of baseball sized tissue came out with bloody liquid. There must have been an abscess inside the bag. We disinfected the area and sprayed it with AlumShield to protect it. The next morning she had cleaned all of the Alum coating off.

We kept her on antibiotics and sprayed for insect control. She gradually healed and within 2 weeks was almost back to normal. She may not be able to produce milk next year but her genetics are good enough that we'll bottle feed her fawns if necessary.

If she had not been tame, we may not have been able to save her. Being persistent after an injury can end with good results. Tame animals make treating them more successful as well.