Many deer enthusiasts love watching the bucks run freely in the spring and summer months. One of the common activities of people living in the rural farmlands is the breeding of deer along with other animals such as cattle and poultry. The deer population is the result of both natural and captive breeding.
The Things to Consider for a Deer Farm
The trend of deer farming is on the rise, and it consists of a fenced area populated by different deer species such as reindeer, elk, and moose. Deer are mostly thought to be a wild animal, but a few decades ago, their breeding and farming became quite common. However, if you want to start a deer farm, you must comply with the livestock regulations.
A buck is a male deer and is prominent, with antlers not present on the female deer. The things you need depend on the size of the farm, whether it’s a small size, mid-size, or large size farm. The things you need to plan to start breeding include
- Roll for foot fencing
- Post and clips
- Food and water troughs
A small-sized farm includes four pens of 15000 square feet and one pen of 30000 feet. The pens are arranged in a block fashion with one central area. The alley area is 12 feet, and there is a guillotine gate to allow the deer to move between the pens.
Apart from the material, the most important thing for the farm is the deer itself. Most breeders look for a stocker or shooter buck, a deer released to enhance genetics. Due to its purpose, the exotic stockers for sale are very expensive, and you need to contact expert breeders.
The main reason for getting an exotic stocker is to improve the quality of the herd that you will be raising. Stocker deer allows you to raise a deer herd that has beautiful looks and improved genetics. Once these buck stockers are set free on the farm, they can breed doe and pass their genes.
The Various Stocker Bucks Available
If you are looking for exotic stockers, you will need to find a ranch that can give you one or more of them. Many ranches advertise stocker bucks with the finest genes. You can book the stockers online, and the deer will be transported to your ranch. Most of the bucks can even be delivered within two days.
However, the price of the stocker bucks depends on the size of the animal. There is a list that includes a range of deer for stocking along with the price.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife impose stringent rules on the release of stocker deer into the pasture. One rule is to get pasture doe and transfer them into a 5-acre pen. This is done to diversify the genetic impact of the deer on the ranch.
Apart from stocker bucks, a breeder buck also has superior genes and can be a part of the breeding program. The selection of the breeder buck is of utmost importance that can breed the doe on the ranch.
The stocker bucks are generally not up to the sale as breeders. However, they are put on a ranch to improve the herd’s genetics, trophy hunting, and sometimes DMP programs. The standard age of stocker bucks is 6 months old when they arrive on the ranch.
The Details You Need to Know About Deer Breeding Programs
The deer breeding business is rising with its financial advantages, but one has to put in substantial money. Some of the factors that you need to consider are
- They are securing the ranch with a solid fencing wall. As deer have the ability to jump at a considerable height, the ranch must have 8-foot game fencing.
- There are two ways to breed a deer. One of the ways is to put the buck and doe in the pasture where natural breeding can take place. The other way is extracting semen from the buck and inseminating the doe. It would be best if you employed a vet that has experience in performing this procedure.
- The bucks have to be darted to extract semen and then put in a pen that is calm and away from other animals. Once the medication wears off, the bucks can be put in another pen and then released into the outside pen.
- You can even raise stocker bucks and sell them off to other ranches. Some breeders may use the stockers to develop deer with superior genes further.
- The deer transport to other ranches is a challenging and costly operation. It is better to hire a car company that can haul and control the deer and safely transport
Conclusion
A stocker buck is necessary to ensure that you breed a herd of deer with superior genes. The whitetail deer also increase the trophy bucks. The stocker bucks are selected after close inspection of their height, weight, and size. One of the fastest ways to increase bucks is to get exotic stockers.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Tyler is a passionate writer and dreams of becoming an established writer. She currently writes on her blog and recently wrote on her Hunting and how Animal, a exotic stockers for sale helped her immensely.