first time raising fawn need help

I have been raising a buck fawn since he was approx 1 wk old. Most all has gone well with only a few hick ups. Which brings me to my questions. He is now about 2 months old and is eating grasses along with a bottle. How does it go from here? Like at what point do I look to set him free and before that, how soon and fast should I be weaning him? Will he stay around my home property? ect.



Any other tips you all could give me to make this easier for us both, would be soooooo much appreciated.



Thanks. T

He needs access to fresh dirt from the area he will be living along with calf manna from a feed store. You can also introduce him to small amounts of a sweet feed for horses. I feed me fawns 3 times a day, every 8 hours. In the 7th week I slowly faze out the middle bottle and give it water in the bottle. The fawns have access to fresh water daily. In a couple of weeks I will faze out one more bottle and by the 12th week I faze out the last bottle. That slowly pushes them to the dry feed and water. They will be weaned at that point or close. He will probably stay around for awhile but the call of the wild will probably pull him away. You may see him from time to time but eventually nature will take its course. Just what works for me and just my opinion. P.S. I have never done the wild thing just what stories I've heard.

My fawn already eats grass and dirt what I wonder most is does he have to completely weaned before he is turned out or will he stick oround to get the occasional end of the day bottle? He is only 9weeks old. Is that too young to wean and leave him in the wild unprotected? Right now he is in a lg pen 24 hrs a day.

too young to be alone, no momma to make smart decisions for him. Won't wean off bottle till 12 weeks at earliest. Turning him out on his own at 9, or 12, weeks is a death sentence.

Ok so won't b weaned til 12 wks ad can't turn out til after 13 wks. But how will I know? And since I have been leaving him out in the pen 24 hrs have had trouble with bloat. Twice once cleared with mineral oil and enema but today did it again but having bowel movement so I am clueless... I am walking him a few hrs with massage. Hope I don't find a dead fawn in the morning..

what milk/replacer are you feeding??

ultra 24...

Def not an expert and have only had a few fawns, however, we had a doe fawn two+ years back that bloated terribly and I tubed her. Stomach sounded like drum. Used clear soft nylon hose 3/8" dia. like aquarium airline, 36" long, heated the end with a lighter and let it curl and cool then inserted it and ler her start to swallow it then eased it down. Looked like a hose under pressure when it hit the stomach. Prior to it she had quit eating and was huge, mylacon and/or baking soda had failed to help during the day and this was a last ditch effort. We were told she wouldn't make it so I was willing to try anything, a goat farmer had listed doing this on a goat forum. Within hours she was up and running and playing. Never had another problem with her afterwards.

I was told the same thing about tubing him but trying to avoid it. so far mineral oil and gas drops have held it at bay but he gets re-bloated easily. I guess you can say it is never completely gone at least from where I can see to look at him. anyway,

I have another question, what grasses or hay should I be giving him. He didnt get bloated until I started to leave him in his pen 24/7. So I am wondering if he is eating a bad kind of grass? again any help would be appreciated.



also do I REALLY have to wait 4 to 6 months to turn him out? that would put it right in the middle of hunting season here. so what do I do and he is of course a buck?

My wife and I are fostering for a rehabber locally and we have been doing the deer for a short period. We have the same dilemma, one that will need to go the middle of the season. We can only have them for 180 days unless something happens and they have to stay longer for illness, kinda hoping he gets the sniffles. If you are not prohibited from keeping him longer, why not? Also can't help you on the grass we have 1/2 acre of woods fenced for the fawns so they eat whatever is there when they start. All of the other animals get timothy only for the most part.

I am sure others with far more experience than I, will weigh in this morning and give you the advice you need, with the variety of wildlife we are working with, these boards are a life safer...literally!!!.



Oh, as a side note, listen to what people on here tell you about the danger of wild animals, we had a doe stay around for a few years and she would stomp a mud puddle in your #$$ if she decided to spar with you just playing, I can't imagine what a racked buck could do to someone unaware. I have seen first hand what they do to leary owners who halfway anticipate it, luckily he got his hands on the horns and was a big bad dude but the buck still whipped him and poked holes in him. Yours may sooner or later try you, our two month old is rearing up flailing to play already. I am sitting here typing this with a swollen lip and sore mouth from a headbutt by one of the smaller fawns I picked up this afternoon during a storm, he was scared and I was not careful, 100% my fault.



God bless you, and all who help these little guys!!

First time posting here, so I hope I'm doing it right I have been "stawking" this site for about 6 years so 1st and foremost - thank you all.

I am a rehabber in CT and hoping I can help here. First I would get my hands on some C&D Antitoxin for the bloat; him having "all he cat eat" could be the problem. As far as your other concern with release during hunting season, we have the same issue as well as the threat of coyotes. When you're at the point of weaning him, you might want to hold one bottle for the evening. Once he's released he'll come back looking for it at night in the pen - then you lock him up overnight and let him loose in the morning. That's what's worked the best for me through a lot of trial and error. Hope it all works out, feel free to contact me.

Regards,



Sue

Thank you all.... still wondering when to start to seriously wean him.... I have him down to two bottles twice a day... but lately he has been acting like he is starved... could he need wormed? I guess I am a worry wort...lol

How many ounces are in the 2 bottles you're feeding? Other than the grasses in the pen, are you feeding him anything else? If he hasn't been dewormed it wouldn't hurt. Any idea about how much he weighs? Sorry for so many questions, just trying to help you figure it out.

Well there are about 10 oz in each bottle and I give him 2 bottles in the morning and two at night each with 1/2 replacer and red cap. He also has sweet feed he can get to if he wants it but only about 1 cup at a time, which he only eachs a few bites here and there. I also make available to him hay and clover. I dont watch him eat 24/7 but he is pooing now reg deer poop but still does better with stimulation. He weighs about 20 lbs up from 11 about 2 1/2 weeks ago. But he acts like he is starved to death when I go out to give him the bottles.. He never even when younger acted this 'hungry' . And no he hasnt ever been dewormed. but I dont know how?...

Did he act like he was starving when you were doing 3 feedings a day and how many ounces was he eating then at each feeding? When did you switch to 2 feedings? I think you may have a couple things going on that are contributing to the bloat. I think two 20oz feedings may be too much for an 8 week old fawn, between the time gap, the amount he's consuming in one shot which I'm sure he's guzzling it down - can lead to bloat. Our fawns are about that age and are being fed between 12 - 16oz depending on their weight 3 times a day. My other concern is him having access to all the grass he can eat all day. Some fawns will literally overeat until they bloat and die. That is where the C&D antitoxin would come in that I mentioned earlier. Is he getting any branches to nibble on? Thats important but some are poisonous to deer so check that out. As far as deworming, I would certainly be happy to help you. My thoughts and suggestions are based on what I've learned here reading this forum and through my own trial and error. Believe me there's no judgement, we've all been there. I would like to hear some input from all of those people who have helped me in the past. One last thing - sorry, didn't mean for this to be so long - there should be no need to stimulate a fawn that age.

Good luck!!

keep him penned up till after season closes that just gives you more time to enjoy his company cause eventualy when the rut hits and he starts chasing you see him anymore

the doe we raised last year comes up every morn. and night for her feeding. but the one we are raising this year is a buck and i know one day he will wonder off and not come back so enjoy the time ya have with them

Hello, in WV it is not legal to take a fawn from the wild, there is one place that is allowed to have them that have been abandon. I hesitate to recommend you turn that baby out in the yard/woods, and take out the bottles at his normal time and feed him. Since its a him you will not want to encourage him to stick around more than feedings. He will come less and less for them bottles and wean himself. You can get a license to buy and keep deer in WV but those in the wild will still be off limits. Also I would not feed more than 8oz at a time due to the possibility of bloat and adding baby gas drops (especially on these hot days) cant hurt. If a DNR sees you in your yard with him they will shoot him. If they see him pined in you could be facing court. A great book to read on the subject is Bambi and the Supremes by the fellow that dose have the ability to raise them in WV.

im really not sure what to say. I am aware at least of the law in WV against removing and raising a fawn from the wild, however, the part about if he is in my yard and they shoot on sight???? really. seem silly to me that they would do that but forbid people to shoot deer from destroying their gardens ect... but be that as it may. I am fine with court rather than to sit idle by and know that this fawns mom was dead (my ex was tasked with picking her up because of his job) and when the area was passed again this fawn was there where she had been killed by the side of the road starving... so court whatever. I would rather do what I could to save him than to know that I let it die a horrible death through inaction because my state doesnt even have a rescue facility...



He is doing great now and I only feel anxious about hunters... but seems now I have to worry about my own hometown DNR shooting him for being in my yard... wow. I didnt realize..... I have no desire to make a habit of this. I dont want a pet.... I just want him to have a chance after I let him free and that should be very soon.

Thanks for your input.

I would disregard MCWLLC post, no one is going to shoot that fawn on sight. Geeze.