Start your own deer farm ...how difficult ?

[digger9523]

Further to my last, depending on the ground, you might be looking at only being able to sustain 1 deer per acre without feeding.

This will determine how many beasts you can realistically have on whatever piece of ground you get hold of.

 

[ion]

Out of curiousity I googled ' deeer farming uk '. There's no end of links, as per Orions post.

Theres a world of difference between a deer park and a deer farm - not sure what the poster has in mind.

Sadly one of the major features of the early days of deer farming in Ireland was overstocking / bare ground / repetitive behaviour.

I've lived in rented houses all my life but my pipedream is to live in a house with a deer park!!

Ion

 

[Wingers243]

Trouble with renting anything is that at some stage the owner may need you to leave. In terms of your proposition, to start a deer park/farm, you would have to spend a not insubstantial amount of shekels on fencing, not to mention your animals and everything that goes with them.

Imagine that you get everything in place, fences are up, your beasts are in, then the land owner dies/sells up/decides he wants his daughter to keep her ponies on it....

At that point you suddenly have deer to be moved somewhere else, fencing to either take down or leave behind at a loss.

That's when you realise that renting is a risk, and so not really viable. Even if you didn't have to move, the feeding over winter, potential vet fees, fence repairs and the likely loss of animals that go with a downed fence would make your outgoings prohibitive.

Renting is a very practical way of making an entry to farming risks apply but can be managed.

Deer farming can be profitable subject to good management, same as any other livestock rearing enterprise.

What you need is a good agent to get you set up. Anymore help than that will cost you £150 / hour plus VAT!

 

[Johno100]

Further to my last, depending on the ground, you might be looking at only being able to sustain 1 deer per acre without feeding.

This will determine how many beasts you can realistically have on whatever piece of ground you get hold of.

This pdf shows suggested stocking levels, interesting ... http://www.bdfpa.org/deerfarming/5RjInNHlbM8qXe3.pdf

 

[Pedro]

Helpful, funny, or not... It's still a canned hunt..... Call it what it is....

Canned "hunting" is where animals are put into enclosures obviously too small for them for the purpose of locating them easily and popping them off. The OP simply hasn't said that's what he wants to do at all. That is why what you said isn't helpful, or indeed relevant.

Name me an area that isn't restricted because of boundaries the animal can't cross, whether that be fencing, urban sprawl, the sea, or any other natural or man-made feature. There isn't one, or you'd see red deer on Regent Street or herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across Clapham Common.

 

[MJ75]

I`ve often toyed with the idea of setting up my own deer park / farm , Im interested in peoples views , especially those who have done it ,heres a few questions to get us started:

Whats the minimum viable acreage you would recommend.?

How much rent per acre pa would be reasonable ?

How much does deer fencing generally cost , per meter ?

What would be the minimum facilities needed on site?

What is the going rate for live stock ?

And so on.

I think it's not so much a question if it can be done, more can the individual concerned do it.

There are deer parks in the UK faming venison, so yes, it absolutely can be done, no question what so ever there.

The real question is, do you have what it takes to learn what is needed and do it?

The best advise I can give is to ignore all of the negativity and try and live your dreams. Whereabouts in the Midlands were you thinking of setting up?

 

[Essexsussex]

He never mentioned hunting/shooting them, only farming them.

In Edit:
The Nix manual shows a good return for farmed deer in the uk at the moment, rented ground or not

Limulus, I haven't read Nix since Uni and forgot of its existence. Thanks so much for reminding me. I used to plot all sorts of enterprises (including snail farming) using it. The rabbit farm got off the ground actually. It is a highly recommended text for anyone who loves buggering around in the countryside, or is generally interested in the pratcial application of rural economics. And i think real farmers use it too!
Genuinely could be useful for the OP, but make sure you get an up to date copy.

 

[howa243]

I think it's not so much a question if it can be done, more can the individual concerned do it.

There are deer parks in the UK faming venison, so yes, it absolutely can be done, no question what so ever there.

The real question is, do you have what it takes to learn what is needed and do it?

The best advise I can give is to ignore all of the negativity and try and live your dreams. Whereabouts in the Midlands were you thinking of setting up?

Of course it can be done. Its a question of whether it is commercially viable and if so how long it will take to get there.

 

[charlieg43]

I`ve often toyed with the idea of setting up my own deer park / farm , Im interested in peoples views , especially those who have done it ,heres a few questions to get us started:

Whats the minimum viable acreage you would recommend.?

How much rent per acre pa would be reasonable ?

How much does deer fencing generally cost , per meter ?

What would be the minimum facilities needed on site?

What is the going rate for live stock ?

And so on.

Have you looked at getting a farm business tenancy (FBT) on a small piece of land? Its a much better way to go if your serious about that kinda thing. Deer fencing is NOT cheap, and the capital required to set up such an operation can be large. Facilities such as winter indoor housing, a race for handling the animals if needed, storage facilities for supplementary feed etc. are all required (plus many more!!!)

If you can, pick up a copy of the John Nix Farm Management pocketbook (2014) or the Agricultural Costings Book. You should be able to get on online, they will give you a much better idea of costing for all types of operations, including deer farming. This will include pretty much all the answers for the questions your looking at.

Vet and med is also something to consider, and from working on an arable estate with a deer farming enterprise, they behave slightly like sheep in the "escape, die or both combined" style of life.

Hope this is helpful, PM me if you would like to chat about it

 

[MJ75]

Of course it can be done.

Errrrrr, that's what I said.....

Its a question of whether it is commercially viable and if so how long it will take to get there.

And that's pretty much what I said to the OP too....

Not really sure what the point of your post is to be honest, bear in mind my post was in reply to his.

But, to throw a curve ball into the equation, I'll ask you and the OP the same thing. There is an abundance of wild venison out there, with various respected authorities stating that we need to cull more deer than we already are doing. So how 'green' would it be to commercially farm deer? And how would your sell the benefits of farmed over wild venison to your potential customer base.

Those who saw the Valentine Warner TV show may be put off by farmed venison after similar comments to mine above as one example.

 

[limulus]

Limulus, I haven't read Nix since Uni and forgot of its existence. Thanks so much for reminding me. I used to plot all sorts of enterprises (including snail farming) using it. The rabbit farm got off the ground actually. It is a highly recommended text for anyone who loves buggering around in the countryside, or is generally interested in the pratcial application of rural economics. And i think real farmers use it too!
Genuinely could be useful for the OP, but make sure you get an up to date copy.

Thats why I mentioned it. Absolutely invaluable for just about any farming enterprise.
Land here is now being sold at 10-12k/ACRE! Thats right...almost 30k a hectare, making deer farming in this area untenable.
A friend is in his final year his degree and has the latest copy.

 

[howa243]

I wouldn't try and sell the benefits of farmed venison. I have a few acres under deer wire and am not trying to make an income from it. So I do understand very well the costs associated with it and the likelihood of making an income from it should I wish to do so.

 

[Essexsussex]

Errrrrr, that's what I said.....



And that's pretty much what I said to the OP too....

Not really sure what the point of your post is to be honest, bear in mind my post was in reply to his.

But, to throw a curve ball into the equation, I'll ask you and the OP the same thing. There is an abundance of wild venison out there, with various respected authorities stating that we need to cull more deer than we already are doing. So how 'green' would it be to commercially farm deer? And how would your sell the benefits of farmed over wild venison to your potential customer base.

Those who saw the Valentine Warner TV show may be put off by farmed venison after similar comments to mine above as one example.

Two reminders of long forgotten experiences in one post.....! I went to school with Val Warner. He, I and about 2 others were into fishing, shooting etc, never forget him carrying a dead hare across the school to give to one of the teachers, and the response it revealed from the notoriously vegetarian element of the school.

 

[MJ75]

I wouldn't try and sell the benefits of farmed venison. I have a few acres under deer wire and am not trying to make an income from it. So I do understand very well the costs associated with it and the likelihood of making an income from it should I wish to do so.

Fair enough. But forget all about your own personal circumstances, and imagine you're a marketing manager for a new deer farm. Can you think of a way to sell it?

On a personal note, Red deer venison is my least favourite compared to other species. I much prefer sika or muntjac, but I don't think these species could be commercially farmed easily. I did wonder if there are any non native species that could be farmed that offer a better quality of venison and would have a unique selling point, though the legalities of that would be an absolute nightmare I would imagine.

 

[howa243]

Fair enough. But forget all about your own personal circumstances, and imagine you're a marketing manager for a new deer farm. Can you think of a way to sell it?

On a personal note, Red deer venison is my least favourite compared to other species. I much prefer sika or muntjac, but I don't think these species could be commercially farmed easily. I did wonder if there are any non native species that could be farmed that offer a better quality of venison and would have a unique selling point, though the legalities of that would be an absolute nightmare I would imagine.

But it is my personal circumstances that puts me in a position to say that unless you have a significant amount of money and have a way of selling the venison for top prices (not to a game dealer) then the costs associated with doing it are really prohibitive. As I said (and irritated you with) some do make a living at it, but I think it is true to say that the money is in selling deer as breeding stock not as venison.

Not sure why you think that about Sika. The reason that people farm Red or Fallow is that that the size of the animal suits the market best I believe. I am basically giving a home to some animals that were about to be destroyed at a wildlife park so although I have an understanding of the industry I am not attempting to earn a living from it. My experience is such that I would not try (certainly not in the short term).

 

[MJ75]

But it is my personal circumstances that puts me in a position to say that unless you have a significant amount of money and have a way of selling the venison for top prices (not to a game dealer) then the costs associated with doing it are really prohibitive. As I said (and irritated you with) some do make a living at it, but I think it is true to say that the money is in selling deer as breeding stock not as venison.

Not sure why you think that about Sika. The reason that people farm Red or Fallow is that that the size of the animal suits the market best I believe. I am basically giving a home to some animals that were about to be destroyed at a wildlife park so although I have an understanding of the industry I am not attempting to earn a living from it. My experience is such that I would not try (certainly not in the short term).

You didn't irritate me at all, I'm just trying to understand the seemingly contradictory comments in your posts.

I said what I did about sika as I find them a lot better eating than reds. In fact if I remember correctly I started a poll on here discussing the best species for venison. Reds cam last by a mile, so it's not just me. I'm certain that reds and fallow will be the most productive, if they were not, you'd not always see these two being 'farmed'. I suppose the point I was making was, could a better quality of venison be farmed as a premium product for premium prices? I think it would depend massively on the marketing skills of the company to be honest, as well as a huge challenge. But then again people are prepared to pay more for Angus and Hereford beef as opposed to 'lesser' breeds.

 

[howa243]

but I don't think these species could be commercially farmed easily.

Twas this that I was remarking upon. Am not aware of any reasons why Sika would be difficult.

 

[N.F.W.M]

But it is my personal circumstances that puts me in a position to say that unless you have a significant amount of money and have a way of selling the venison for top prices (not to a game dealer) then the costs associated with doing it are really prohibitive. As I said (and irritated you with) some do make a living at it, but I think it is true to say that the money is in selling deer as breeding stock not as venison.

Not sure why you think that about Sika. The reason that people farm Red or Fallow is that that the size of the animal suits the market best I believe. I am basically giving a home to some animals that were about to be destroyed at a wildlife park so although I have an understanding of the industry I am not attempting to earn a living from it. My experience is such that I would not try (certainly not in the short term).

The prices quoted by game dealers are always open to negotiation when you can supply to them at an arranged time a good number of head shot deer, particularly reds. Dealers will travel a long way to collect a decent product. Or go the route of some of the larger farms/parks and become Farm Assured and start supplying the supermarkets with live deer. I am lead to believe they now have their own slaughter houses and processing plants.

Regards

Ed

 

[MJ75]

Twas this that I was remarking upon. Am not aware of any reasons why Sika would be difficult.

I should have explained myself better, what I mean is, farmed in a commercially viable way. This is 100% assumption on my part, but if the cost of producing a kilo of sika venison was less than producing 1 kilo of red venison, others would have already been doing it by now. Does that make sense?

 

[daven]

Daven he is not looking to have a canned hunt as i understand it, only to farm deer
You jump in fast in many posts, chill a little buddy
Regards
TH

Sorry johno..... That wasn't called for....... I get a little touchy about these things and sometimes put all in the same boat...... Place not far from me has a bunch of fallow raised like cattle and fed nice & fat..... Turns a couple loose now and then and lets someone come in & pay a bunch to "hunt" them while they are trying to figure out how to get back to the feeders..... Good luck with your project.....