Our hinds are part Eastern European, part English breeding.  Purely English deer are known to be generally quieter and easier to handle, while the Eastern Europeans have a larger, more muscular build – this means that when crossed, they provide the perfect animal for deer farming.

Red deer breeding season is known as the rut.  This is when the stags can be heard roaring to warn others off and to attract the attention of the females.

The stags will spend most of the rut rounding up hinds and when they’re in season mate with them.  During the rut, the hinds will come into season every 3 weeks.  This usually takes place between the end of September and mid-November.

On the farm, we wean the calves in late winter to then give the hinds a good break before they calve again.  Calving usually starts towards the end of May when ideally the weather is milder and there is an abundance of good quality grass!
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During the first weeks of life, the young calves are hidden by their mothers in tall grass, woodlands or hedgerows, away from their natural predators.  Our farm provides plenty of perfect hiding places, which can make keeping an eye on them a tricky business!