Growth in calves of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus)

Abstract

Body weight evolution was studied for 55 Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) during their first year of life. Deer (30 males and 25 females) were born between April 27 and June 20 at the Experimental Farm of Castilla-La Mancha University in Albacete, Spain (38°57′10″N, 1°47′00″W, 690 m altitude). Animals were kept in an opendoor enclosure on an irrigated pasture mixed of fescue, cocksfoot, lucerne and white clover. They were also fed with a concentrated feed (16% of crude protein) and had free access to water and cereal straw, provided ad libitum.To characterize its growth, deer were weighed weekly (±100g) from their birth to the age of a year and a descriptive analysis was performed. Besides this, an ANOVA was performed to assess the sex-dependent differences. Mean weight at birth was 7.91±0.14(5.6-10.4)kg. Weaning was realized at the age of 18 weeks, which marks the end of the effective lactation in red deer. At this point, body weight was 37.89±0.78(23.5-48.8). At one year of age, body weight was 75.17±12.95(40.70-98.20)kg, being 67.48±1.88kg for females and 81.52±2.27kg for males deer. Despite males were heavier in all weeks, differences were not always significant between weeks 1 and 16. From week 17 to the end of the controlled time, differences were always significant. Weights curve showed that, during lactation, the growth was maximum, decreasing about weaning and increasing when deer recovered of the stress due to it. Weight differences between sexes increased as deer become older. In this first year of life, the phases with the fastest growth rate were the first weeks of life and the last controlled weeks, when deer were almost one year old, timing with spring. Phases with the slowest growth took place at weaning and on autumn.