Urgent~need advice on fawning

A couple years back there was a thread regarding fawn pens within the doe pens intended to keep fawns where they could be imprinted by handling daily. I've only had two fawns so far, born last Thursday, and 10 more to go. I couldn't find either of the first fawns this evening. I have two problems: the pens are 1/2 acre or more, and the common "rut" that has developed adjacent to the fence has caused some gaps. Some I was able to fix, others are still waiting for me to take the skid steer to them. With as dry as the weather has been, my little skid won't hardly push the concrete-like soil.



So, if keeping fawns in smaller pens where the doe can come and go as she pleases works, what is a good dimension for such a pen? I imagined ripping hog panels and bracing with T-posts. How tall should the panels be, will all does willingly jump in to care for the fawns? How long can fawns stay in?



Please help; the sooner, the better...

Look at this thread as I had an similar idea last year but it did not work out as expected.



www.deerforums.com/vbforums/showthread.php?t=4653



Hope it helps.

Here's what I tried........



I put all my fawns in an adjacent 100'x100' pen with my existing gates left open. At those gate openings I went about 16" high with a 2x4, left a gap, another 2x4, left a gap etc.



The reason I took down my SOLID plywood barrier and went with the 2x4's is so that when the does "blindly" jumped over to come in to feed thier fawns they wouldn't accidentally stomp on the fawns that were always snuggled up against the "blind" side of the barrier. When they come up to the 2x4's they look and sniff and see the fawns laying there.



The only other issue I had was that my normally "great" mothers now only had to feed them when THEY wanted to. The fawns couldn't go find mom if they decided to get up for a mid day meal, they were jailed inside thier pen.



So I tore it all down, and went back to free range for everybody, and only seperated the weak or sick ones to bottle feed. They learned, very quickly, like all my other deer, that this funny looking guy with the treat bucket is someone safe to come up to. My absolute worse does (2 bought from another farm) are 20 footers. Everybody else is ear scratching, eat out of your hand, or 5 footers.

Put some skirting around these low areas on the perimeter of your pen. That will keep fawns in and predators out, with no need to push dirt. Keeping does and fawns together is the best route.

Sounds like good advice. Good news, found the two original fawns while tagging new ones tonight. It still amazes me how well those dudes can hide, even when mowed to 10"