My 22 year old has just had a baby!

Dama

Well-Known Member
Talk about an unwanted pregnancy! The wife was out feeding the deer this afternoon to find our pet 22 year old red hind, had two little feet sticking out her back end. She pulled a hind calf out and it started suckling. This hind has had a calf every year except last year and has practically no teeth, she gets by by getting plenty of nuts from the kids. I can only assume it was the extra feeding last winter in the bad weather that brought her into late oestrus.

Its a miserable night and for the sake of both the mother and calf we have decided to take it in and bottle rear it.

Has anyone seen a calf born this late before?

Dama
 
Wow !!hope all goes well really really late for a red deer calf, will be intresting as to what other people have experienced I look after a small herd of reds but have never seen anything anywhere near as late as this,maybe the xtra feeding had something to do with it ?? hope all goes well with the bottle rearing keep us posted as to how you get on:thumb:
 
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Hi Dama,

That's really interesting; I hope they both do ok. To have been born Nov 21st the hind must have been served last day of March (give or take a bit.) I am surprised that a stag would still be functioning then. We have found that even in January semen quantity and quality has dropped off considerably and when you think that the stags are casting antlers late Feb you would have thought that testosterone levels would have been too low. Just goes to show we can always be surprised by deer, especially the ones who don't read the rule book:)
 
I picked up a very young red calf dead (in wild.......low ground N. Devon) this time of year 4 years back. I reckoned it was still born but full term.
 
Dama

Got any photos would be very interested to see the hind and the wee one!

Never heard of calving this late, but the weather conditions this year have been somewhat strange!
 
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