Raising deer for reproduction and antlers is a long-standing model in Binh Phuoc province. Deer antlers have high nutritional value and are used to make oriental medicine, helping to nourish the body and increase resistance.

Because of its high nutritional value, the price of deer antlers on the market is not cheap. For many years, Mr. Nguyen Van Que in village 2, Thien Hung commune, Bu Dop district, Binh Phuoc province has invested in raising deer, earning hundreds of millions of dong each year.

Boldly turn to deer farming

Previously, Mr. Nguyen Van Que raised goats. Due to the falling price of meat goats, after deducting expenses, he only made a profit of a few tens of millions of dong each year. After researching information on social networks, he boldly invested in raising deer for reproduction and velvet collection.

Taking advantage of the large land, he built a barn on an area of ​​150 square meters. The barn is mainly made of wood, with a cement floor and a slope for drainage. The barn is built to be cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and ensures light.

At first, he raised 6 deer to test their growth habits. After many years, the herd grew to more than 20 deer, including 8 males that are being exploited for their velvet.

Mr. Que said that deer are easy to raise, have high economic value, and can be fed from waste products from plants, vegetables, and tubers in the garden. During the 18-month raising period, mature female deer are mated to reproduce, and male deer begin to sprout antlers.

A mature female deer weighs about 45-50kg, a male deer weighs from 65-90kg. Male deer raised for 24 months can be harvested for velvet, each weighing from 250-300g of velvet. The longer the deer is raised, the more velvet buds there are, the higher the profit.

Normally, the best time to raise deer for velvet is 5 years, at which time the velvet will reach a weight of about 800g, if well cared for, it will produce more velvet. Velvet has high nutritional value, used to process oriental medicine products, nutritious foods for health. 1kg of velvet has a selling price of 23-25 ​​million VND.

Mr. Que shared: “Deer antlers are expensive but not for sale. A pair of deer antlers costs about 18 million VND, a larger pair sells for a higher price. Antlers mainly grow in the spring and are collected from February to June every year. During this period, it is necessary to increase the amount of nutritious food for deer.”

Deer farming model for high income

Raising deer does not use industrial feed so the investment cost is low. A deer eats very little, only 1/3 of the feed of a cow. On average, a deer eats 5-6kg of grass per day. Every time he feeds deer grass and acacia leaves, Mr. Que often uses a machine to cut them into small pieces and put them in a trough.

In the garden, Mr. Que used about 3 sao of land to grow grass to proactively provide food for the deer. In addition, the deer also eat starchy foods such as corn, black beans, white beans, red beans, peanuts; vegetables such as water spinach, sweet potato leaves and some other wild vegetables.

Thanks to the abundant food source of vegetable, root and fruit waste in the garden, Mr. Que spends very little on food. During the period of pregnancy and velvet production, deer need to be supplemented with adequate nutrients and starchy foods, especially nuts.

Every day, add salt to the drinking water or hang a salt lick in the corner of the cage to add minerals for the deer to grow healthily. Mr. Que said: “Deer are easy to care for animals and have high resistance. However, breeders need to pay attention that if they feed them strange or spoiled food, the deer are very susceptible to diarrhea. When the deer have bloating and flatulence, I often feed them guava leaves and green bananas, and the disease gradually subsides and is cured after a few days.”

Not only raising deer for velvet, Mr. Que also raises deer for reproduction, providing deer breeds to people in the area. Female deer are pregnant for 7.5 months, giving birth to 1 baby deer per litter. Currently, deer breeds are sold at a very high price, a 6-month-old deer costs from 15-17 million VND. Deer meat is sold for 450 thousand VND/kg.

With the model of raising deer for reproduction and velvet collection, each year after deducting expenses, Mr. Que earns about 200 million VND in profit.

Mr. Que said that the model of raising deer for velvet antlers costs little, allows one to take the initiative in food sources, earns money, and takes advantage of free time to do other things.

After 8 years of starting a business with this model, Mr. Que's family's economy is growing. In the future, he will build more barns and expand livestock farming.

According to the Farmers' Association of Thien Hung Commune, the deer farming model is suitable for households with little land. Each household with 2-3 sao of land can grow grass and build livestock barns. In addition to Mr. Que's household, which is raising deer effectively, there is another household that also raises about 20 deer. After many years of development, the model has been promoting economic efficiency, bringing stable income to households.