John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
It makes my blood boil to see these freaks
they will sell to the rich I suppose.
- Thread starter John Gryphon
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Bo Diddley
Well-Known Member
Sad how everything seems to boil down to money... someones going to make a few buck$ more out of those unfortunates.
Treat things with a little respect is my motto.
Treat things with a little respect is my motto.
They keep them in continual artificial daylight, I've read. Apparently it forces antler growth. Personally, I find those antlers hideous
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
alberta boy
Well-Known Member
That's gross . I just don't get it I suppose .......... and I'm OK with that .
AB
AB
Where did you read that, if you don't mind me asking? Do you have a link? I would be interested to see it.
I just googled it. There are probably nutritional and hormone supplements too, but the long and short of it is that constant daylight apparently messes with the hormone cycle. I'll see if I can find it 
Edit: I Googled 'forcing antler growth by keeping stags in constant daylight' and it came up with a fairly decent AI response
Edit: I Googled 'forcing antler growth by keeping stags in constant daylight' and it came up with a fairly decent AI response
bottletopbill
Well-Known Member
We don't need that Antis will blame us all for this.
I just read that AI response.
While it appears that artificial daylight can accelerate antler growth and/or promote out-of-season growth, the ultimate size of the antlers remains governed by genetics and good nutrition. I don’t have a problem with either of those things, as they're both just elements of straightforward good stockmanship, unless or until the "desired" trait becomes a welfare issue in its own right (like flat-faced dogs). In the case of these extreme antlers, I should say that the potential for welfare issues is quite high as I should think they're very prone to velvet infections and fly-strike.
I don’t really see how an assumption led AI response is relevant to these deer? There is two videos of deer enclosed and many more outside. I suspect there is a genetic reason for the growth and don’t believe for a minute artificial light could produce such extreme mutations unless it is already in the genes.
If it’s a genetic trait, how is it different from encouraging albino or melanistic genes?
Yes it can be taken too far as said before, inbreeding is never a good idea.
If it’s a genetic trait, how is it different from encouraging albino or melanistic genes?
Yes it can be taken too far as said before, inbreeding is never a good idea.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Periodicity. Keeping them in a continuous state of day light will cause their antlers to grow. Up to or more than 3 Full sets in 2 years. Study noted in the book deer of the world by Valerius Geist, Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behaviour, and Ecology
The periodicity of deer antlers refers to their unique cycle of being shed and regrown annually. This cycle is primarily controlled by changes in the length of daylight (photoperiodicity) which regulate the deer's hormone levels, specifically testosterone.
Some more on it.
Hormonal Manipulation: Antler growth is triggered by changes in day length, which affects hormone levels (specifically testosterone and IGF1). Researchers have artificially changed the amount of daylight indoors to cause bucks to grow multiple sets of antlers per year or grow them at unnatural times.
Yes, that's the way I understood it.
The artificial light will cause faster growth, and out of season growth, potentially resulting in additional sets of antlers being produced over a given time frame, but it won't result in bigger antlers. That's down to genetics and nutrition.
But combining those things (daylight+genetics+nutrition) would clearly be attractive to anyone keeping deer for the purpose of harvesting velvet.
Freeforester
Well-Known Member
I’m pretty sure those involved with trophy production would judge the input of a high protein diet at time of antler development as being of rather greater importance than daylight considerations.
Yes, I think that's correct.
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