BRC Fallow Deer

Take Home the Trophy…

One of the most important factors in the fallow deer breeding industry is pedigrees. The genetic lineage of a deer helps improve the quality of your herd. It is important when choosing semen to use for AI or which new animals to incorporate into your herd. It also helps place a price tag on the animal. Better genetics = bigger price tags $$$ 

Utilizing a deer registry is the best way to research and know a deer’s pedigree. We use the Exotic Wildlife Association registry to track and know the pedigree of our deer. We send one hair sample off of each deer to enter them into the registry. This registry is searchable by all Exotic Wildlife Association members; which is one amazing perk of being a member. This really helps to choose the genetics you’re looking to integrate into your stock. Some of the main genetic factors that are taken into consideration are antler height, antler width, antler paddle size as well as the placement and size of tines. Also the hide color, body size and shape of the deer are deciding factors for some.  

Sometimes, I swear, everyone in the deer world is speaking a different language.…. But I’m sure this is true of any industry. You gotta know the lingo! I am working hard at learning pedigree terminology. Here is what I have learned so far: 

“xyz doe over xyz buck” or “yadda yadda on top”
When you read the pedigree, it’s lined out very similar to a sports tournament bracket. It has a top half and bottom half that details the deer’s lineage. The top is reserved for the bucks and the bottom is for the does in each layer of the pedigree.  

Baseline
This means it’s a deer whose genetics haven’t been added to the registry before, hence it’s creating a new baseline of genetic information. 

Dam
The mother of the deer

Sire 
The father of the deer.

Outcross doe or buck 
A deer that does not share any genetics with the deer you are breeding it to.

Bred Doe 
(Not to be confused with bread dough) Is when a doe is pregnant. 

Now that we know how to speak the language and read the pedigree……. let’s talk about which bucks we WANT to see on a pedigree! This is the exciting part! 

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words…. So I am going to let these photos speak for themselves. (Permission to use these photos was obtained from the deer owners)

It is clear to see why you would like these genetics integrated into your stock. These bucks are monsters! Real Studs. 

Now it is not just about the bucks, there are does that you want to see in a pedigree as well.  Some of the gals we look for are Lady, KRB180 and RC Red 3. These ladies have produced great quality offspring and play just as vital of a role in herd genetics.  

Raising a quality herd of fallow deer really takes a keen eye.  Every semen and deer purchase needs to be vetted and researched with your herd goals in mind. Cultivating a higher genetic makeup is of the utmost importance. The ultimate goal is to breed and raise a trophy buck, produce animals with proven genetic backgrounds or unique crossing of proven animals.   

The Deer Wife
BRC Deer