Deer vs Cow Farming: The Similarities and Differences

Deer Farming

Cattle Farming

They eat a wide range of fodders and do have the process of regurgitation.

They attain puberty at an early stage of age ranging between sixteen to eighteen months. They are likely to conceive their first pregnancy at the age of twenty -four months. The puberty age depends upon the nutrition breed and environmental conditions. Early age at puberty means it is better for the source of earning earlier.

They usually attain puberty at the age of thirteen to fourteen months of age. They usually conceive at fifteen months of age. Age at puberty does vary with breed, weight and, nutrition.

Deer live fifteen to twenty-five years of age on the average. They get pregnant eight to ten times in their lifetime. They usually have two to three babies at each parturition and mostly have two babies at each parturition. So the number of fawns received by a female deer is almost double as compared to cattle. So it is more profitable.

Cattle on the average can breed up to eight to ten times. cattle can have eight to ten parturition in its lifetime. But this does depend upon the nutrition and management conditions in which they are raised. The average life span of cattle is usually eighteen to twenty years. They usually have one baby at each parturition and occasionally may have two.

The gestation period in deer differs in different breeds of deer as it is 290 days in Roe deer and it is 210 days in Indian muntjac. So the average gestation period in deer is considered seven and a half months. They have the breeding season in months or September October and November. They usually mate in the month of October and give birth to babies in the month of late May and up to the month of June.

As deer have shorter gestation period than that of cattle so they are easy to manage and it is more profitable and it requires less time to give birth to the baby so it decreases the per capita cost on feeding and nutrition so it is more profitable.

The gestation period in cows also does vary but in a smaller range. Its variation mainly depends upon the breed and sex of calf. It ranges between 279 days to 287 days. Cows at an older age tend to have more gestation period. They usually breed in the months of June July so they will have calves being born in the months of March and April.

Cattle have a longer gestation period so per capita cost is increased. As of increased pregnancy days, cattle farming is considered less profitable as compared to deer farming.

The number of parturition in the lifetime of deer is approximately the same as that of cattle but the number of babies in parturition is mostly two in number and maybe three. So in the same period of time, the number of deer is almost double to that of cattle so deer farming is more profitable.

The cattle in its lifetime particulates almost eight to ten times and has one baby on average or may have two calves. So a number of calves at the same time as compared to the deer is almost half. So cattle farming is considered less profitable as its production capacity is half as compared to deer.

Deer are considered less damaging to pastures as they are intermediate feeder between grazer and browser and are adapted to grazing grasses, forbs, and woody plants. They can also take feed intended for cattle.

As deer are less damaging so can be allowed to graze in wet fields and considered more profitable.

Cows like to graze on rolling lands although they can graze anywhere as a heavier animal, they can cause more damage to pasture as compared to lighter animals like sheep, goat, and deer.   Wet pasture is more vulnerable to damage so wet fields are more damaged than that of dry fields.

As they are damaging to pastures so the cost of feed is increased so it is less profitable as compared to deer farming

Daily feed intake in deer is much less as compared to smaller bodies. If the live body weight of deer is a hundred kilogram then daily energy requirement is thirty-six and daily dry matter intake

nine.

It is almost six to eight kg per deer per day.

The cost of feed intake in deer is much less as compared to cattle so it is considered more profitable than that of cattle.

Less cost on feed means less investment as it is single purpose farming clearly meaning to say it is done for meat purposes. It is liked by the upper economic class.  It is affordable by the upper economic class too.

Cows consume dry matter intake almost two percent of their body weight. If a mature cow is 400 kg then 2 percent of its body weight will be eight-kilo grams of dry matter. If the moisture content included in this feed intake it is almost thirty to forty kg in each cow.

As daily feed intake cost is high in cattle because daily feed intake is almost three times the deer so it is less economical. But in cattle, there is the advantage of milk production so the cost on feed can be ignored as it is doing good along with high expense. Cattle farming has a plus point of milk production over deer farming but this enhances the problems in management as it becomes difficult to milk the cows two or three times a day and labor cost is increased. Any how management is difficult but is profitable.

Deer farming is considered a single purpose as it is done to meet the increasing demand for meat. It provides high- quality meat with a high level of proteins and other essential nutrients.

It is a highly economical business as deer meat is only affordable by the upper economy class so it is highly affordable.

Cattle farming is considered multidimensional as it can be done for the purpose of many profitable sources of earning. It can be done to meet the growing demand for meat and can also be done to increase milk production and can be reared to enhance the generation streak of valuable animals generation after generation by preserving their sperm and to fertilize with thousands of female cows. It can also be done to produce healthy animals that can be employed for the purpose of draught.

In this aspect, cattle farming is more vast and profitable as compared to deer farming.

The livelihood of many people can be related to this type of farming.

Apparently space required by deer is much less as compared to cattle as the body size is much smaller as compared to cattle so a larger number of deer can be raised in the same area. Its body size is almost half as compared to cattle. For deer to move freely and live without stress it requires 15,000 square feet and with each deer added the space required increases by 3000 square feet up to the addition of total number four. For more than four then an additional 20,000 square feet is required by each deer.

Space required by a cow on the ground surface is 3.5 square meters per cow and the height required is almost six feet.

It is much greater than that of deer but much more land is reserved is for cattle to meet its feed requirements.

It is generally considered a thumb rule that approximately 1.5 to 2 acres of land must be reserved for a cow pair calf to feed for the time of 12 months. If it is considered on mature cow this land is 1.8 acres per cow. It is still less than that of deer and is considered a plus point in cattle farming.