Lighting for moving deer. Most of you that handle deer probably know how important it is to have the proper lighting to assist moving deer. But I still talk to some that don't realize it. Even during the day, if your handling system is dark, lighting can help. The red lights are great for viewing the deer without spooking 7them but the white light is what makes the deer easier to move. We have 17 holding pens by the barn connected to a 10' alley. If I'm moving them at night, I'll have lights at the end of the alley close to the barn. In the chute system, we put white lights on where we want the deer to go but not at the opening. When the get to the end of the alley we have a guillotine get entering the chute system. If it's dark they will look in the chute but hesitate going in. They go in much quicker if they can see the light ahead of them. Annette bought some LED lights about the size of a pack of cigarettes at Tractor Supply marked down to $3. The have a hook on them that swivels so you can hang it on the fence or something and rotate it to point in the direction you want them to go. Don't have the lights facing back toward the deer. Hope this helps.
Showing posts with label whitetails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whitetails. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Are Southern Deer Genetically More EHD Resistant?
EHD Resistant Southern Deer????
I keep seeing things about 'buy my deer because they are EHD resistant southern deer'. Everyone can have an opinion on something but when it's controversial sometimes people get a little overzealous in their arguements. I'm a scientist, not a mad scientist, and not one in a lab with bubbling bottles. I was trained as a wildlife biologist and studied deer behavior for two masters degrees. That doesn't make me smarter than anyone else but that much education does make your mind look at things a little differently.
In a scientific study, all variables not being manipulated for research should be controlled. For example, if I had two groups of deer in my study to determine if protein supplements produced bigger antlers and one group was my 'control' that didn't recieve the supplement but they had a food plot with high protein beans and the group that received the supplement had bermuda grass, then it wouldn't be a good scientific study because the variables in the food plot would make the study inaccurate.
A lot of what you hear about deer health and what works is anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal evidence is not scientific in nature. An example would be if I put vanilla extract in my deer water when they had pneumonia and they all got well, then vanilla being the cure for pneumonia would be anecdotal evidence. They may just have gotten over it on their own.
'Facts' that you hear about EHD resistance in deer is often anecdotal. There is some evidence but not much that proves a southern deer may be inherently more EHD resistant than a northern deer because of years of breeding to only southern deer. I haven't found the study again yet but I had read one a couple of years ago and if I do find it again I'll post it. The study was on passive immunity for EHD and I think southern deer were used. The study took a group of fawns as newborns to bottle feed. Titer levels were checked and found there was some EHD resistance. That was from passive immunity from the mother either through the placenta or immunoglobins in the cholostrum.
The fawns were divided into two groups. One was left outside and the other was moved inside to an insect-free environment. At weaning the two groups were checked for titer levels for EHD resistance again. The outside group showed resistance but the inside group did not. The results of the study showed that resistance exists from passive immunity when born but the passive immunity does not relate to permanent immunity. The difference in the two groups of fawns is that the outside group had exposure to the virus but the inside group did not. EXPOSURE is necessary either through direct exposure to the virus in the environment or through vaccines. Otherwise, after the passive immunity wears off the animal will be unprotected.
If the animals were EHD resistant because they were from the south and it was in their genetics passed down, then the EHD would have been there after weaning for both groups. The arguement is that if you buy northern deer and move them to the south, they won't survive. I have about 300 pure northern genetics deer in Louisiana. Did I lose many when I moved them here? You bet. I got sick of going out and dragging dead deer to my burn pile. The southern resistance guys will say that mine died because they weren't EHD resistant or weren't used to our insects or other diseases. I agree in part, but.....when deer are handled, they are stressed. If they are darted they are stressed even more. A study in South America on red deer showed lack of immune response 30-40 days after tranquilization. Hauling deer in a trailer for 20+ hours adds to the stress level they already have. Then you dump them out in foreign surroundings often mixed with deer that start pecking order fights. They are put abruptly on new feed. It's no wonder so many die. And stress doesn't just last 2-4 weeks. Some studies indicate that stress related illnesses can occur up to a year later.
I believe that moving northern deer south will result in some deaths. Minimizing stress through proper handling will help a great deal. Bringing feed from their origin and gradually changing the ratio of new/old feed will be less stressful. Pen size changes can cause stress. I use Aureomycin in my feed for a month after the deer are moved. Anything to mitigate the changes and stress that results from it will increase survival rates.
As for EHD, I believe that northern deer can survive very well in the south. They must have some exposure to the virus. There will be deaths. But, I know of many pure southern deer that have died from EHD. Ask a biologist from any southern state when there is a bad epidemic of EHD. Native deer are dying in the woods.
If you move northern deer south, just prepare for higher death rates. Once they get past that first year they do much better. The offspring don't know the difference. The advantages of northern bloodlines are worth what we went through initially. If you don't want that heartache and stress, buy northern bloodlines from someone who has suffered through it and has the strongest survivors.
EHD and BT viruses are killers no matter where the deer are from when it hits hard.
Please respond with your comments. I know there will be a lot of you that feel differently but at least try and find some scientific evidence to back up your arguements.
I keep seeing things about 'buy my deer because they are EHD resistant southern deer'. Everyone can have an opinion on something but when it's controversial sometimes people get a little overzealous in their arguements. I'm a scientist, not a mad scientist, and not one in a lab with bubbling bottles. I was trained as a wildlife biologist and studied deer behavior for two masters degrees. That doesn't make me smarter than anyone else but that much education does make your mind look at things a little differently.
In a scientific study, all variables not being manipulated for research should be controlled. For example, if I had two groups of deer in my study to determine if protein supplements produced bigger antlers and one group was my 'control' that didn't recieve the supplement but they had a food plot with high protein beans and the group that received the supplement had bermuda grass, then it wouldn't be a good scientific study because the variables in the food plot would make the study inaccurate.
A lot of what you hear about deer health and what works is anecdotal evidence. Anecdotal evidence is not scientific in nature. An example would be if I put vanilla extract in my deer water when they had pneumonia and they all got well, then vanilla being the cure for pneumonia would be anecdotal evidence. They may just have gotten over it on their own.
'Facts' that you hear about EHD resistance in deer is often anecdotal. There is some evidence but not much that proves a southern deer may be inherently more EHD resistant than a northern deer because of years of breeding to only southern deer. I haven't found the study again yet but I had read one a couple of years ago and if I do find it again I'll post it. The study was on passive immunity for EHD and I think southern deer were used. The study took a group of fawns as newborns to bottle feed. Titer levels were checked and found there was some EHD resistance. That was from passive immunity from the mother either through the placenta or immunoglobins in the cholostrum.
The fawns were divided into two groups. One was left outside and the other was moved inside to an insect-free environment. At weaning the two groups were checked for titer levels for EHD resistance again. The outside group showed resistance but the inside group did not. The results of the study showed that resistance exists from passive immunity when born but the passive immunity does not relate to permanent immunity. The difference in the two groups of fawns is that the outside group had exposure to the virus but the inside group did not. EXPOSURE is necessary either through direct exposure to the virus in the environment or through vaccines. Otherwise, after the passive immunity wears off the animal will be unprotected.
If the animals were EHD resistant because they were from the south and it was in their genetics passed down, then the EHD would have been there after weaning for both groups. The arguement is that if you buy northern deer and move them to the south, they won't survive. I have about 300 pure northern genetics deer in Louisiana. Did I lose many when I moved them here? You bet. I got sick of going out and dragging dead deer to my burn pile. The southern resistance guys will say that mine died because they weren't EHD resistant or weren't used to our insects or other diseases. I agree in part, but.....when deer are handled, they are stressed. If they are darted they are stressed even more. A study in South America on red deer showed lack of immune response 30-40 days after tranquilization. Hauling deer in a trailer for 20+ hours adds to the stress level they already have. Then you dump them out in foreign surroundings often mixed with deer that start pecking order fights. They are put abruptly on new feed. It's no wonder so many die. And stress doesn't just last 2-4 weeks. Some studies indicate that stress related illnesses can occur up to a year later.
I believe that moving northern deer south will result in some deaths. Minimizing stress through proper handling will help a great deal. Bringing feed from their origin and gradually changing the ratio of new/old feed will be less stressful. Pen size changes can cause stress. I use Aureomycin in my feed for a month after the deer are moved. Anything to mitigate the changes and stress that results from it will increase survival rates.
As for EHD, I believe that northern deer can survive very well in the south. They must have some exposure to the virus. There will be deaths. But, I know of many pure southern deer that have died from EHD. Ask a biologist from any southern state when there is a bad epidemic of EHD. Native deer are dying in the woods.
If you move northern deer south, just prepare for higher death rates. Once they get past that first year they do much better. The offspring don't know the difference. The advantages of northern bloodlines are worth what we went through initially. If you don't want that heartache and stress, buy northern bloodlines from someone who has suffered through it and has the strongest survivors.
EHD and BT viruses are killers no matter where the deer are from when it hits hard.
Please respond with your comments. I know there will be a lot of you that feel differently but at least try and find some scientific evidence to back up your arguements.
EHD: Northern vs. Southern Deer Resistance
I had a conversation with a friend about northern vs. southern EHD resistance. I wanted to share some of my thoughts. From the research I've read, I don't believe northerns with exposure to EHD will have any more trouble than southerns if their previous exposure history is the same. I hear it all the time that northerns aren't EHD resistant but I think that the people that have southerns are the ones promoting that view. If you bring northerns down south they likely won't have the resistance of deer born and raised in the south. I know someone in southern Louisiana who has said for years that it was a mistake to have northerns in the south. I haven't heard him say much since he lost a bunch of his southerns a few years ago when I was losing northerns. Even with southerns, research shows that fawns lose their immunity after weaning if they don't have continued exposure to the virus. It takes time for northerns to build their immunity because of the cyclic nature of EHD. If you bring northerns down and there is no significant EHD present for a few years, when it hits hard I would expect northerns to have somewhat higher death losses. Likewise, though, if fawns lose their immunity without having contact with the virus wouldn't the southern ones have higher death losses later in life too? I personally believe we're going to see EHD worsen for southerns in the future. If someone puts up a mister system around their pens, they eliminate the chance for building immunity to the virus. Animals MUST be exposed and get the virus to have immunity. One thing that you may be seeing in your southerns with flu-like symptoms, rather than more severe symptoms with northerns, is their history. Research shows if a deer gets EHD-1 it will have SOME cross protection but NOT immunity to EHD-2. Once the animal has the virus it should have lifetime immunity for that particular serotype. That's why live virus vaccines are only given once without the need for annual boosters as compared to killed virus vaccines. The problems facing us with EHDV and BTV is similar to humans and the flu. Mutations each year present the animals with slightly different viruses. The permanent immunity to one serotype doesn't prevent infection from a different one. Give northerns in the south some time to build their immunity and lets hope mister systems don't cause our southerns to lose their resistance. Something else I hear people promote is buying semen from their EHD resistant southern bucks. I have seen NO evidence of EHD protection passed down from the sire. Think about it just from a common sense perspective. Why do we vaccinate for BRSV, BVD, IBR, PI3, C&D, etc. if there is passdown immunity from the mother. We should be able to vaccinate a doe and all of her offspring would have immunity without ever needing to be vaccinated. Immunity doesn't work that way!!! Feel free to comment.
Friday, May 20, 2011
X-Factor Watch 'Em Grow
X-Factor is already 2 1/2 to 3 weeks ahead of his growth at this time last year. He's looking great and he's bigger. Will he be the first 600"? Get his semen at $4000/straw now. NO guarantees about future pricing or availability.
E-mail Me
http://www.whitetailrackranch.com/
E-mail Me
MC Ranger semen $1000/straw
MC Ranger is a great looking Maxbo Ranger son and his mother is from the Charlie line. Maxbo Ranger is half brother to Dream Ranger. Read more about him below. Semen is $1000/straw.
E-mail Me
E-mail Me
BamBam 1 straw/$3000
BamBam 1 straw/$3000
AGN BamBam is huge with his score of 448" at 5 with 11 6/8" base measurements! He was 341" at 2 years old. This Avalanche son has a lot of bone on his head.
We only have one straw of his semen left. Price is just $3000. A steal for a buck like this!! Look at his picture and tell me size doesn't matter.
We only have one straw of his semen left. Price is just $3000. A steal for a buck like this!! Look at his picture and tell me size doesn't matter.
E-mail Me
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Shock Effect Conditioner for improving deer performance
Shock Effect Conditioner is great for keeping weight on your does during the summer as they experience stress from nursing fawns. The fawns will also benefit in health and weight gain as they begin to eat feed with the Conditioner added. During the rut Conditioner will help keep weight on your bucks so they will be in top shape when they start new growth in the spring. Read about it and E-mail Me for more information or to order some.
http://www.whitetailrackranch.com/
Shock Effect Genetic Enhancer for Bucks
Shock Effect Genetic Enhancer gives your bucks a boost to grow bigger antlers. Read about it's benefits and E-mail Me for more information or to order some.
http://www.whitetailrackranch.com/
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Louisiana Bred Does for Sale
We have some more Louisiana bred does and fawns for sale from our 200"+ pen. We need to make more room for our new additions from our 2-year old breeders and X-Factor. Great deals on group sales.
Comment on this post and I'll get the notice to contact you.
http://www.whitetailrackranch.com/
Comment on this post and I'll get the notice to contact you.
http://www.whitetailrackranch.com/
Monday, January 24, 2011
Whitetail Rack Ranch fawn edema
We have had problems with this little guy and his brother off and on since they were born. We found both of them in the pen and didn't appear that they had nursed. Both were premature and weak. Their front legs bent backwards at the joint and they couldn't stand without assistance. We immediately took them in and gave them colostrum. This one is Heat Stroke. My wife, Annette, gave him the name because when he could finally walk he would wobble around the yard until he got tired and collapse. He would often be hot in in full sun. Once when she found him he had convulsions. She said he must have had a heat stroke, thus his name. She would often pick him up, limp, with his head drooping and drooling. We've had conversations with Dr. Chris Sullivan, at Sullivan Veterinary Clinic as we were recently treating Heat Stroke for diarrhea. He would look great and then have health issues like pneumonia or diarrhea. We'd turn him around and then have problems again. Dr. Chris and I think it's because they never got colostrum before we gave it to them. We check the pens daily for new fawns but the first 12 hours is critical.
The swelling in this picture is edema, a swelling cause by fluid trapped under the skin. This picture is typical of a large parasite load. We had a fecal sample run but it didn't show parasites were exceptionally heavy. We had wormed him with Ivomec and Safeguard within the last month. Since he did show 2 strongyles, Dr. Chris suggested we worm him again with Cydectin. We always worm for more than one day. You should ask your vet but I usually worm at twice the cattle dose for 3 days. Deer have a higher metabolism rate than cattle and I want to make sure they keep the drug in their system long enough to work.
Heat Stroke's edema could have been from parasites but since the load was not severe I think it may have been because of his lack of nutrient uptake from the diarrhea. He may have poor immune system response because of his lack of colostrum at birth.
We finally got the diarrhea under control using Arrest. We used Banamine for inflammation in the gut on a limited basis. He had 104.1 fever one day and the Banamine had it down to normal the next. Talk to your vet before using Banamine about the complications from stomach irritation. He finally got to the point he would not eat. We lost his brother a couple of days earlier with the same symptoms. Dr. Chris had me give Heat Stroke one dose of Dexamethasone and some B-12. He said it would stimulate his appetite. Dexamethasone can cause immune system compromise from multiple doses so weigh the options with your vet. It took about 48 hours but Heat Stroke started eating voraciously! I gave him Karo syrup and some molasses. His edema was gone the next day. His stool had started firming up but the Karo and molasses loosened him up again for about a day. He's going pellets now and has gained weight. We may always have trouble with him but he's turned the corner from death again. Being bottle fed makes him easier to handle. He'll come out of the handler and stand there for you to pet him.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sullivan Veterinary Clinic in Winnsboro, Louisiana
I've worked with several veterinarians in Louisiana when the need arises for managing the health of my whitetails. I recently had my first experience with Dr. Chris Sullivan, DVM at Sullivan Veterinary Clinic in Winnsboro, Louisiana. I was pleasantly surprised with the attention I received in assisting me with two sick fawns. I've had veterinarians that have been willing to help but they just didn't have experience with whitetails. Dr. Chris not only has some deer familiarity but he has a great contact to assist him. His brother, Brad Sullivan, owns Sullivan Whitetail Ranch near Dallas, TX. Brad has a large breeding operation raising some great whitetails, but more importantly for me, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Dr. Chris consults with Brad on cases that may be complicated. Having a veterinarian close by is important but expertise with deer health issues is another qualification you should look for. With so few veterinarians in Louisiana having knowledge of white-tailed deer, I highly recommend seeking your health care needs from Dr. Sullivan. Contact information is:
Winnsboro, Louisiana 71295
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 789
Phone: 318-435-4585
Fax: 318-435-7965
Email: info@sullivanvet.com
website: www.sullivanvet.com
Sullivan Veterinary Clinic
6355 Hwy. 4Winnsboro, Louisiana 71295
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 789
Phone: 318-435-4585
Fax: 318-435-7965
Email: info@sullivanvet.com
website: www.sullivanvet.com
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