Hello after two year of thinking about starting a deer farm. My wife and I have decided we are going to do it. I am in the process i writing a business plan and have downloaded the sample plan that are on this sight. But i was would like to look at some more. If anyone has one they would be willing to share i would greatly appreciate it. I'm looking to start small with a couple of pins and four deer and growing from there. Thanks
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
Welcome and congrats Wetfeet! If your interested in looking at an operation your welcome to visit my farm which is near Laurie, MO. I got into the business 3 years ago and can show you how to spend 2 million dollars really quickly!
Man if you got two million to throw away ....hang on to it and stay out of the deer business......lol....get a couple for pets and enjoy them.......just a thought.....
Thanks for the replies. I hope to get over that way soon Bret and see a couple farms I will defiantly put your farm on the list.
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
Brett, I too am working on my second million!........................Seeing how I gave up on making my first one!!!!
........................Seeing how I gave up on making my first one!!!!Sure thing...
1. Never take quantity over quality.
2. Don't drive your first post until you have seen and talked to as many farmers as possible.
3. Know exactly what you want to accomplish. If you don't know where you're going, you don't know how to get there.
4. Don't make a straight work alley between pens, and don't make it wider than necessary. If you can get by with 12' or less, it will be worth it. At least the last 50' leading into your handling facility (if you decide to build one) should have some sort of solid walls and gates that you can cut deer off as they get closer to the building. If you do build a facility, put it at or near the edge of the farm, not the middle. Deer inside often make plenty of noise and cause your outside nearby deer to be stressed.
5. Trench any necessary wiring or water before erecting fence. It is tougher digging or trenching beneath fences while maintaining a safe depth.
6. Judge the contours on the property where you are building. If you have terraces, consider installing drain horns under or through the fence so that when the deer run along the fence, they don't stop up the trough above your terrace, causing standing water in one pen while the adjacent pens drain well.
7. Find a good source for buying hay and feed before you need either.
8. Don't use shade cloth in areas succeptable to high winds. If you don't think your wooden posts can snap or your steel posts can bend, you're wrong! Lots of guys say that used pipeline pipe is good for posts.
9. Gillotine gates are good, but hard for you to get through while driving animals, and some deer don't like going under them, either.
10. Think outside the box. Square pens are tougher to drive deer out of, while pie-shaped pens have high traffic where you feed (normally in the narrowest part of the pen) and deer will wear it out, mud it up in the spring, and be down-right nasty for you to walk through when you're choring. If you build square pens, consider putting in a gate in each corner that connects the pen with your work alley, and gates that block the alley, allowing you to make the deer's exit directional, based on your needs.
Most of these were "do's" and not "don'ts", but it's a start.
1. Never take quantity over quality.
2. Don't drive your first post until you have seen and talked to as many farmers as possible.
3. Know exactly what you want to accomplish. If you don't know where you're going, you don't know how to get there.
4. Don't make a straight work alley between pens, and don't make it wider than necessary. If you can get by with 12' or less, it will be worth it. At least the last 50' leading into your handling facility (if you decide to build one) should have some sort of solid walls and gates that you can cut deer off as they get closer to the building. If you do build a facility, put it at or near the edge of the farm, not the middle. Deer inside often make plenty of noise and cause your outside nearby deer to be stressed.
5. Trench any necessary wiring or water before erecting fence. It is tougher digging or trenching beneath fences while maintaining a safe depth.
6. Judge the contours on the property where you are building. If you have terraces, consider installing drain horns under or through the fence so that when the deer run along the fence, they don't stop up the trough above your terrace, causing standing water in one pen while the adjacent pens drain well.
7. Find a good source for buying hay and feed before you need either.
8. Don't use shade cloth in areas succeptable to high winds. If you don't think your wooden posts can snap or your steel posts can bend, you're wrong! Lots of guys say that used pipeline pipe is good for posts.
9. Gillotine gates are good, but hard for you to get through while driving animals, and some deer don't like going under them, either.
10. Think outside the box. Square pens are tougher to drive deer out of, while pie-shaped pens have high traffic where you feed (normally in the narrowest part of the pen) and deer will wear it out, mud it up in the spring, and be down-right nasty for you to walk through when you're choring. If you build square pens, consider putting in a gate in each corner that connects the pen with your work alley, and gates that block the alley, allowing you to make the deer's exit directional, based on your needs.
Most of these were "do's" and not "don'ts", but it's a start.
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Welcome Wetfeet! I don't know if you're intending to make money at deer farmig or if you just want to sell enough deer to pay the feed bills (that is a personal subject, you don't have to tell us), but let's be honest, no one here wants to lose money doing this, but it can and will likely happen if you don't research you're animals before you buy. You will struggle to sell deer if you don't go for producing the best deer you can afford to, and even buying good deer now, can turn turn out hard to sell in a few years if the deer turn out to not prove themselves, there are no guaratees as gene trends move fast, but if you can get consitant big bucks in your pens you'll be ok. Visting other farms and seeing what there buck pens look like and asking questions about what lines the deer are out of is the best way to find the genetic lines you want to start with. One thing you and you're wife need to be aware of that is important, don't expect to break even or make any money for at least 5 years! I was told this when i started and i didn't believe it, but this fall is 7 years for me and I still haven't broke even, I am getting close, but not quite there. It takes time to grow stocker bucks and show people what you have and are capable of producing. I know my post may come off negative, but believe me i am not trying to steer you away, i just wanted you to hear some turths I've encountered over the years. I feel every newcomer should be aware that it does take time to get established and make some money at this, I know the money side is not important to everyone, but despite what anyone says, we all need to make enough money to keep the feed coming!
Also another bit of advice, buy tame deer to start! nothing gets you more excited to be a deer farmer than coming home from work and going out to pet a couple does, it never gets old.
Also another bit of advice, buy tame deer to start! nothing gets you more excited to be a deer farmer than coming home from work and going out to pet a couple does, it never gets old.
Hi there,
I've been searching the site for an example deer farm business plan. Would anyone like to share their plan? I would really appreciate the help. Trying to work my regular job and start the farm consumes a lot of my time. Any help I can get I will take it.
Thanks
James
I've been searching the site for an example deer farm business plan. Would anyone like to share their plan? I would really appreciate the help. Trying to work my regular job and start the farm consumes a lot of my time. Any help I can get I will take it.
Thanks
James
Try looking for Construction and operating costs for whitetail deer farming from Mr Eric A. DeVuyst hope that helps..