With venison being one of the few red meats seeing consumption grow in the UK, rising numbers of livestock farmers are looking into setting up a deer enterprise as their farm diversification project.

Venison prices of £5-£6/kg are one of the main attractions to new entrants into the industry.  However, fencing costs, health and safety and a lack of knowledge are considerable barriers stopping people from getting into deer farming.

British Deer Farms and Parks Association (BDFPA) training officer Deidre Dyer, explains what is required to set up a 200-hind deer enterprise on 48.5ha of lowland pasture.

“There is growing interest in deer farming but you must do your homework before getting started,” says Mrs Dyer. “Sourcing breeding stock is very difficult and handling systems, fences and gates represent a significant outlay.”

What can fencing cost?

Fencing can with be with wooden or steel posts but it must be 1.9-2m high. Recently, deer farmers have fenced 11ha (five fields) for £6,000 with wooden stakes.

Savings can be made by being economical with strainer posts, doing erection work yourself and adding to existing fencing, “topping up” internal field boundaries.

Steel fencing can be guaranteed to last longer (30 years) and can cost £10-£15/m including labour. Erecting steel fencing yourself can bring the cost down to below £6/m for materials.

How many deer can I run on my farm diversification?

A broad rule of thumb is one red deer hind eats as much as two large ewes. Upland improved pasture receiving 200kg of nitrogen and occasional lime should support 10-12 hinds and their calves a hectare from May to November or 15-18 yearling stags a hectare.

Lowland pasture under the same programme should manage 12-16 hinds a hectare with calves from April to November or 18-22 yearling stags.

Can I winter/finish deer inside?

Yes. Farms in the North or in exposed areas often winter calves and often hinds. Feed barriers and shed gates should all be at least 2m high.

What does breeding stock cost?

Deer are rising in price due to interest from new breeders. This is one of the main challenges in setting up a deer enterprise. Yearling hinds are about the £400 mark and mature hinds can cost £500. Stags cost about £1,500, with two-year olds at £2,500.

What is the cost of keeping deer?

Variable costs (excluding, for example, labour, utilities and machinery) and including buying in silage are about £2.70-£3.20/kg. Injectable and oral wormers, trace element and copper boluses and salt and mineral blocks leave an annual health budget of £18 a hind (including youngstock and stags).

Feeding is mainly grass and forage-based, although a typical concentrate feeding system will require 18t/year of concentrate for wintering stags and growing calves and finishing calves at a cost of £18 a hind.

What breeds are there?

British deer farming typically centres around the red deer as a maternal starting point, with European strains from Hungary, Poland and Romania added for an F1 cross, hybrid vigour and a slightly bigger carcass.

Wapiti stags can then be used to increase size and carcass weights even more, although as you breed for size you tend to lose prolificacy and hardiness.

How much is a carcass worth?

A 55kg carcass killing out at 50% and graded on the Europ grid at £5.40/kg is worth £297.

Red deer and F1 animals might average 51kg but aim for 55-60kg. In a bad year, they might be nearer the 45kg mark. Wapiti stags can add more frame and lean muscle into your stock and give a 65-70kg carcass.

What performance should I expect?

Pure English deer calves can be weaned at about 52kg, with a 25% increase expected for hybrids. A two-year old stag can serve 40 hinds and an older one can serve 60.

Deer have a 228-day gestation period. Growth rates of 200-250g/day can be expected to 115-135kg liveweight at 14 months. Start with low expectations about production, aiming for 60% calving rate but you should expect 70% calving rates on a yearling group, with good mature hinds to give you 85% or more.

What management do antlers need?

Stag testosterone levels increase through August ahead of the October rutting season, making males more likely to be aggressive and dangerous. Some de-antler stags as soon as the antler is hard. It is best to get an experienced deer farmer to do this the first few years.

How can I stay safe around deer?

Raceways and pens funnelling deer into handling systems need to be boarded up. If they can see the outside they will try and make a break for it so obscure the views with plywood.

Handling systems can be designed with multiple gates so a gate is always between you and the stag. Pens can have cages installed to step inside for protection and most deer farmers take a plywood shield with them.