Start your own deer farm ...how difficult ?

[stevenedwards]

I have looked into this a little and i agree with paul it is not a case of negativity but economic reality. No one so far has coster in the handling facility, building and enclose yards which allow single handed de antlering, weighing, meds etc, say £60,000 for a proven facility which will handle an economically viable number. Who is the buyer ? selling to game dealers is a non starter I understand the only slaughter house is in Yorkshire so it depends where you are based. At the moment waitrose seem to be the best game in town if not the only one. So you want to process and sell direct to improve margins then we are into meat hygiene, premises, means of transport and the small matter of marketing. None of these thing present insurmountable barriers if there is sufficient margin to begin with. Why do those who are best placed not do it ? Existing farm owners who might be giving up dairy or looking to diversify have land, buildings,equipment, knowledge and hopefully income to cover the establishment period are not rushing in, why. It would be good if it were not so as many people are attracted by the idea.

 

[howa243]

Lets be honest, you need 30k to start up a medium operation that won't pay positive return for at least 2 years and that's if you're renting. To buy land you need a massive investment for the land but then the start up costs on top of that. No problem if you have a cool million to play with and keep you going til you get a return (unless it's a hobby farm and you don't care)

Sure the business can work but there's a threshold of investment for stock you must cross or you simply don't have enough deer to make a profit. Forget the land, structures, fixtures and fittings for a moment. If you cleared 100 young red deer (year 2) for culling at 50kg larder weight because you're prepping too before transfer you'd expect say £5 kilo (generous). So that's 5,000kg @ £5 (£25,000). Now start taking off man hours, fuel, feed, interest on investment + loans etc etc and you see where this is going.

It's good to have dreams but the reality of business is a killer.

Good points. Questions: How many would you have to start with in year 1 in order to clear 100 in year 2? Where can you get £5/kilo. In reality your proposition is still very optimistic.

 

[MJ75]

Good points. Questions: How many would you have to start with in year 1 in order to clear 100 in year 2? Where can you get £5/kilo. In reality your proposition is still very optimistic.

You won't get £5 per kilo, you need more deer.

Anyway, here's what you do, you forget about daft semantics. Forget all about costs per kilo. Learn all about the explosive growth of the exotic pet industry. Forget the fact that deer make completely unsuitable pets, so bin any ethics and morality you may have had. Move to the US and start farming munties. You'll sell fawns for upto $1000 each :-

http://www.back40gamefarm.com/back_40_game_farm_newest_document_012.htm

How's that compare to current game dealer rates?

I've seen racoons, serval cats, meerkats and coatamundis appear for sale here in the UK. Not something I agree with at all, but can't help wondering if people will start keeping deer as pets lawfully here one day like they do in the states.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

Howa, yes I was pitching the example as way over optimistic just to prove a point really about costs. To clear a hundred assuming you started with good hinds you'd be looking at over 130 breeding stock assuming you're slaughtering both stags and hinds. Usually it's really only the stags you're looking to slaughter at about 16 months as the hinds are not as heavy. So nearer 200 really is what you want if clearing 100 to give an excess of hinds that can be sold or part kept as additional breeding stock but can also slaughtered where needed. Depends on your business plan and direction.

 

[Jinga]

I would advise going to see john fletcher John Fletcher

i once thought about the idea and I went for a day with him to see his operation. He gives great advice and processes all his own meat. All the numbers already talked about are great but do go and have a look at an existing operation, john has the added bonus of already being a vet so saving some money there. His wife is a serious chef so they have thrown themselves into this space.

My impression was that you needed land and a good lump of cash to start with, there is also the dimension of killing your hobby when you make it work - and that also quotes directly my game dealer!

good luck

 

[howa243]

there is also the dimension of killing your hobby when you make it work - and that also quotes directly my game dealer!
good luck

Got to agree with this. I spend a great deal of time with mine trying to create an environment which is agreeable to them and as a consequence have no real desire to go stalking and shoot deer.

 

[MJ75]

Got to agree with this. I spend a great deal of time with mine trying to create an environment which is agreeable to them and as a consequence have no real desire to go stalking and shoot deer.

How many and what species do you have Howa, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[sharkey]

It seems to me that your land prices are the killer, I couldn't comprehend how to make any farm business repay the land value & turn a profit. We are allowed to velvet here ,but even with this cash flow deer struggle to return a profit on expensive land. On less expensive land species like chital can return more venison to the acre than reds & fallow as they are better browsers, they are also the second best of all deer species to eat, however they are just the most difficult deer to work. In heavy tick & wet costal areas rusa do better & then there is sambar which are better than goats in hard country with a lot of woody weeds. Sambar will produce plenty of venison but its tough & chewey.

Reds are easy they have a great temperament & are forgiving in the paddock & the yards. I believe this along with the velvet potential is why they are the most popular to farm. Fallow are a hardy deer that can be a little madder in the yards & balk at gates, but some patience will see them teach the farmer how to work them. If size is an issue with fallow a couple of Persian bucks can increase size by up to 50% when put over european does. This is a pretty efficient venison production as the dams are small with appetites to match, yet throw much larger fawns. Need to check your regs there though, as I'm sure there would be some red tape. The advantage I see with farming sika there would be that fine grained venison it produces, this should be able to fetch a higher value than red deer venison.

As for yards they don't have to be elaborate or expensive. They can be knocked up out of second hand materials if money is tight. As long as its dark, has the ability to draught animals, has a load out ramp & some way of handling the deer. The handler doesn't even need to be a crush. A "Y" shaped tunnel which is about chest height (for reds, lower for fallow) at the top, with a 30cm opening where the stockman can reach in & pull to the deers head out to tag, drench, etc can do most jobs & also can be much faster than a crush when there are a lot of deer to do.

An interesting topic, hope my thoughts & "experience" can add something.

Cheers Sharkey