{"id":1035,"date":"2026-07-22T06:37:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/?p=1035"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:50:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:50:29","slug":"silage-for-deer-farms-feed-planning-on-venison-properties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/application\/silage-for-deer-farms-feed-planning-on-venison-properties\/","title":{"rendered":"Silage for Deer Farms: Feed Planning on Venison Properties"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deer Farming \u00b7 Vic & Tasmania \u00b7 Silage Planning<\/div>\n

How Victoria and Tasmania’s deer farmers are managing winter silage programmes \u2014 the nutritional differences from sheep and cattle, bale sizing for mob management, and the crops that work best.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Deer Silage: Why the Standard Cattle Rules Don’t Apply<\/h2>\n

Australia’s deer industry \u2014 primarily Red deer (Cervus elaphus<\/em>) and Fallow deer (Dama dama<\/em>) for venison, and Red deer for velvet production \u2014 is concentrated in Victoria’s Western District and high country, Tasmania’s midlands, and parts of South Australia and NSW tablelands. Total farmed deer numbers in Australia are estimated at 200,000 to 280,000 head, managed on properties ranging from 50 to 1,500 head.<\/p>\n

Deer silage management differs from cattle and sheep practice in three important ways. First, deer are highly selective feeders with a very strong refusal response to poor-quality or off-smelling silage \u2014 a herd of Red deer offered clostridially spoiled silage will walk away entirely and go hungry rather than adapt as cattle would. Second, deer’s seasonal nutritional requirements vary more dramatically than cattle through the year, driven by the antler cycle in stags and the strict seasonality of calving in hinds. Third, mob management in deer fencing systems often requires moving silage to feeding points in areas where conventional bale handling equipment cannot easily operate \u2014 making bale size and weight a genuine field logistics consideration.<\/p>\n

This article covers the practical silage programme for a 100 to 400 head deer property in Victoria or Tasmania, including which forage crops produce the most acceptable silage for deer, how to manage bale size for deer mob feeding without excessive aerobic deterioration, and what fermentation quality standards deer actually require relative to cattle. For general baling solutions for sheep-scale mixed livestock properties with similar mob sizes, our article on round baler solutions for sheep and wool farms<\/a> covers the equipment context for small ruminant-scale operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9YG-1.0C<\/p>\n

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Deer Nutritional Requirements Through the Season<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Period<\/th>\nHinds<\/th>\nStags<\/th>\nSilage Role<\/th>\nQuality Priority<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Jun\u2013Aug (late winter)<\/td>\nLate pregnancy \u2014 peak ME demand<\/td>\nAntler drop \u2014 maintenance<\/td>\nPrimary roughage + energy<\/td>\nHigh ME, \u226510 MJ\/kg DM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sep\u2013Oct (calving\/fawning)<\/td>\nLactation \u2014 highest demands<\/td>\nVelvet growth begins<\/td>\nSupplement to spring pasture<\/td>\nHigh protein, \u226518% CP<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nov\u2013Jan (summer)<\/td>\nRearing fawns \u2014 moderate<\/td>\nVelvet hardening<\/td>\nSupplement only if dry<\/td>\nModerate \u2014 back-up<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Feb\u2013Apr (weaning\/autumn)<\/td>\nHind recovery + re-breeding<\/td>\nRut preparation<\/td>\nBody condition maintenance<\/td>\nME important<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May\u2013Jun (early winter)<\/td>\nEarly pregnancy \u2014 lower demands<\/td>\nPost-rut recovery<\/td>\nMain silage season begins<\/td>\nAcceptable quality<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

The Late-Pregnancy Energy Critical Period<\/h3>\n

Hinds in late pregnancy (June to August in southern Australia) have the highest metabolic energy demand of their annual cycle \u2014 the foetal growth rate is maximal and the hind’s own body condition must be maintained for birth weight and milk production outcomes. At this stage, silage ME below 9.0 MJ\/kg DM causes body condition score loss in late-pregnancy hinds that directly reduces fawn birth weights and post-partum hind milk output. Well-made grass-legume silage at 9.5 to 11.0 MJ ME and 14 to 18% CP covers this critical period well; lower-quality silage from mature or poorly fermented material does not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Crop Selection and Silage Quality for Deer<\/h2>\n

What Deer Will and Won’t Eat \u2014 Palatability First<\/h3>\n

Deer are more palatable-selective than sheep or cattle. The smell of silage is the first acceptance or rejection trigger \u2014 deer approach a new silage bale cautiously, smell it at close range, and make an immediate decision. Well-made ryegrass or mixed grass silage with a clean lactic acid aroma and pH below 4.5 is generally accepted within 15 to 30 minutes of introduction. Silage with any butyric or ammonia odour \u2014 the hallmarks of clostridial fermentation \u2014 is rejected immediately and consistently by all deer age classes.<\/p>\n

The most reliably acceptable silage types for deer in Victorian and Tasmanian conditions are: perennial ryegrass silage cut at flag leaf (clean fermentation, familiar grass smell), mixed ryegrass-clover baleage (protein boost from the clover fraction, high palatability), and oaten silage at the flag-leaf to early-head stage (moderate protein, high ME, familiar cereal smell). Avoid: pure legume silage at high inclusion rates as the primary forage (the more intense fermentation aroma from legume silage is less familiar to deer and causes greater initial refusal), and any silage made at above 70% moisture without inoculant (clostridial risk is significant and the consequences for deer intake are severe).<\/p>\n

Fermentation Quality Standards for Deer Silage<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Parameter<\/th>\nDeer Standard<\/th>\nCattle Standard<\/th>\nWhy Stricter for Deer?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
pH at opening<\/td>\n3.9\u20134.5<\/td>\n3.8\u20135.0<\/td>\nDeer reject silage above 4.8 \u2014 butyric smell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ammonia-N (% of total N)<\/td>\n<7%<\/td>\n<10%<\/td>\nAmmonia odour triggers immediate refusal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Butyric acid<\/td>\nNot detectable<\/td>\n<0.3% DM<\/td>\nStrong refusal response at any detectable level<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DM at baling<\/td>\n32\u201345%<\/td>\n28\u201350%<\/td>\nNarrower window \u2014 below 30% increases clostridial risk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Bale Size: The Field Logistics Challenge on Deer Properties<\/h2>\n

Why the 1.0 m Format Suits Deer Mob Feeding Better<\/h3>\n

A mob of 80 to 120 deer eating 3.0 to 4.5 kg DM silage per head per day consumes 240 to 540 kg DM per day. A 1.25 m silage bale at 45% DM contains approximately 200 to 260 kg DM \u2014 1 to 2 days of consumption for a mob of this size. In warm conditions (above 15\u00b0C ambient), a silage bale opened and consumed over 2 days shows measurable aerobic deterioration on the face from the second day onward \u2014 heating, visual mould colonies forming, and increased off-odours that deer detect and respond to with reduced intake.<\/p>\n

The 1.0 m bale at 90 to 120 kg DM is consumed by the same mob in less than a day \u2014 eliminating the aerobic deterioration window entirely. This smaller format also weighs 220 to 300 kg fresh weight, which is within the handling capacity of the compact farm quad-bike trailers and small telehandlers that are the standard handling equipment on deer properties where fencing constraints and hilly terrain prevent conventional tractor-loader access to all feeding points. The 9YG-1.0 round baler<\/a> produces the correct format for deer property silage \u2014 compact, light enough for property handling equipment, and fermentation-appropriate for the quality standards deer require.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"9YG-1.0<\/p>\n

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Common Silage Mistakes on Deer Properties<\/h2>\n
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\u274c Feeding Clostridial Silage and Assuming Deer Will Adapt<\/div>\n

They won’t. Unlike cattle that reduce intake but persist, deer will go off feed entirely from clostridially spoiled silage and maintain the refusal for the duration of exposure to that batch. A herd that goes off silage in late pregnancy in June is a welfare and production emergency. Test every batch: pH above 4.8 and visible brown-black discolouration are the field indicators of a problem batch that should not be offered to deer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u26a0 Using the Same Bale Size as for Your Cattle Operation<\/div>\n

A 1.25 m silage bale that fits a cattle operation’s daily intake pattern is too large for most deer mob sizes. The aerobic deterioration that occurs from the second day of exposure on a partially consumed bale is severe enough in warm Australian conditions to cause detectable palatability problems for deer \u2014 animals that will already avoid mildly off-smelling feed. Right-size your bales to your mob’s 24-hour intake capacity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Not Applying LAB Inoculant on Grass-Clover Mixtures<\/div>\n

Mixed grass-clover silage has a more challenging fermentation profile than pure grass because the legume fraction raises buffering capacity and reduces WSC relative to pure grass. LAB inoculant is particularly important for grass-clover baleage at inclusion rates above 30% clover \u2014 without it, the risk of pH plateau above 4.8 is significant, and the resulting silage will be rejected by deer at first smell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\nHow much silage does a Red deer hind require per day in late pregnancy?+<\/span><\/summary>\n
A Red deer hind at 110 to 130 kg live weight in late pregnancy (months 6 to 8 of gestation) requires approximately 3.5 to 5.0 kg DM per day from all feed sources. If silage is providing 60% of the diet alongside maintenance pasture: 2.1 to 3.0 kg DM silage per head per day. For a mob of 100 hinds: 210 to 300 kg DM per day, or approximately 2 to 3 standard 1.0 m bales at 100 to 120 kg DM per bale. Plan your silage programme on this basis and add 20% buffer for fawns-at-foot from October onward.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nCan deer be fed silage in paddock using conventional bale feeders?+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 standard rectangular or circular bale feeders that prevent deer from walking on or contaminating the silage are the most practical feeding infrastructure. Round feeders with horizontal bar spacing of 22 to 28 cm allow deer access without excessive wastage. Avoid feeding silage directly on the ground in deer yards \u2014 deer are reluctant to eat from ground level in a confined area and the contamination and waste rate is significantly higher. Elevate the silage opening point above ground level with a simple pallet or tyre stack if conventional feeders are unavailable.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nHow long can 1.0 m deer silage bales be stored in Victorian conditions?+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Well-made 1.0 m bales at 40 to 45% DM with 6-layer film stored on a gravel pad in shade in Victoria’s Western District or midlands maintain acceptable quality for 12 to 16 months. The smaller bale diameter means a proportionally larger surface area to volume ratio compared to 1.25 m bales \u2014 which slightly increases the risk of UV film degradation affecting quality. Inspect 1.0 m bales every 6 weeks during storage and apply repair tape to any detected film breaches promptly.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nIs velvet production affected by silage quality?+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 stag velvet growth from August to December is nutritionally demanding, and silage quality directly affects velvet weight and growth rate in this period. Well-made silage at 18%+ crude protein and 10.0+ MJ ME supports maximum velvet growth; poor-quality silage at below 9 MJ ME causes measurable reductions in velvet weight at harvest. The velvet harvest premium (AUD $80 to $180 per kg dried velvet) makes silage quality during the August to December period a genuine financial issue for velvet-focused producers.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nCan fawns be introduced to silage, and at what age?+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Fawns can begin sampling silage from approximately 4 to 6 weeks of age as rumen development allows. Full silage inclusion in the diet is appropriate from 12 to 16 weeks onward. Ensure silage quality is high for fawns’ first introduction \u2014 a negative first experience with poor-quality silage can create aversion responses that persist into adult feeding behaviour in deer, which are highly neophobic animals.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

\"9YCM-850<\/p>\n

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EverPower Baling Machinery \u00b7 Condell Park NSW 2200<\/div>\n

Discuss Your Deer Farm Silage Programme<\/h2>\n

Tell us your herd size, feeding months, and available forage area \u2014 we’ll specify the right baler format for your venison or velvet operation.<\/p>\n

Request a Quote<\/a> About EverPower<\/a><\/div>\n
+61 2 9708 3322<\/a> \u00a0|\u00a0 \u2709 sales@silage-baler.com<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deer Farming \u00b7 Vic & Tasmania \u00b7 Silage Planning How Victoria and Tasmania’s deer farmers are managing winter silage programmes \u2014 the nutritional differences from sheep and cattle, bale sizing for mob management, and the crops that work best. Deer Silage: Why the Standard Cattle Rules Don’t Apply Australia’s deer industry \u2014 primarily Red deer […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1035"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1046,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1035\/revisions\/1046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/bn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}