Nursing and feeding behaviour of confined red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) in the Mexican highlands

Abstract

Red deer (Cervus elaphus scoticus) hinds were confined before parturition in 20 x 30 m earth-floored pens and offered freshly cut legume-grass mixed pasture (Experiment 1) or lucerne hay (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, four hinds were placed in a single pen

all parturitions took place within 24 h. Animals were monitored by a single observer for 24-h periods twice weekly for 10 weeks. Number of daily suckling episodes increased with age while their duration decreased. Consumption of forage started around the fourth week and, by weaning, calves had spent an average of 105.5 min eating forage and 44.2 min ruminating daily, compared with hinds, which consumed forage for 6.05 h and ruminated for 1.77 h per day. In Experiment 2, 24 hinds and their calves were confined in four pens for 12 weeks. Four observers each monitored the activities of a randomly chosen calf from 0800 to 1330 h and from 1430 to 2000 h. Activities were analysed as proportions of total activity using linear and quadratic regressions. Time spent suckling increased until Day 26 (110 seconds, in a total of three bouts), decreasing to 13 seconds (in a total of eight bouts) by Day 73. Most of the hinds (70%) allonursed (nursing a calf other than its own), some as soon as 2 days post-partum. Forage consumption by the calves decreased from 37.1 s at 8 days to 12.6 and 17.1 s at 59 and 73 days, respectively. The regression equation for time spent suckling (proportion of total activity) against calf age (days) showed a quadratic effect: y = 0.76 - 0.026 day + 0.00023 day(2) (R-2 = 0.797), whilst time spent eating forage showed an opposite quadratic trend: y = -0.17 + 0.28 day - 0.0002 day(2) (R-2 = 0.761).