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Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
Performance of Red Deer Calves after Early Weaning
January 2002
RIRDC Publication No 02/010 RIRDC Project No UQ78A
Red deer (Cervus elaphus) calves were weaned, i.e. separated from their dams and given solid food, in January when they were either seven or nine weeks old. They were held in pairs in small pens. They were given, as much as they would eat, a good quality lucerne hay, and a pelleted concentrate. These ingredients were fed in separate containers. Animals of both ages grew at approximately the same rate, but the younger calves were smaller at the end of the experiment in March (40.2 v. 46.1 kg; P=0.023). This reflected their differing liveweights at the start of the experiment. After nine months of grazing, through a typically dry Queensland winter and the following spring, the liveweights of the two groups were similar.
It is concluded that (1) weaning at seven weeks is feasible, if a high-quality weaning ration is used, (2) early-weaned calves will show the effects of a growth check at weaning, and may be smaller than their normally-weaned counterparts for several months, (3) these effects will be largely overcome during the next season of good pasture growth (e.g. summer in Queensland).
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