Deer Production

The methods of production used for cattle and sheep in Ireland are also suitable and similar to what is required for deer. Deer breeding stock can be kept like a herd of suckler cows or a flock of ewes for producing young which can then be sold off as weaners or they can be kept for finishing out of a house at a year old or finished off grass at 12 to 18months of age. The main differences between cattle, sheep and deer are that deer have to be kept behind 6 to 7 feet high fences and that the calving time is May – June.
Like most other farming enterprises scale is important in deer farming, both at an individual farm level and from a national critical mass point of view.
One person could manage a 300 red breeding herd or 600 fallow herd with their followers on roughly 40 – 50 hectares of good quality farm land. The minimum size recommended to start off with is 10 hectares. People who are unsure of the suitability of deer for their situation could consider finishing only (possibly indoors or on a stand off pad) for a couple of years. This will allow them to build up experience without an initial large capital outlay for establishment.