Sika deer, a wild animal wearing floral clothes, successfully raised in Soc Trang, velvet 15 million/kg

Recently, some farmers in Thuan Hung commune (My Tu district, Soc Trang province) have boldly invested in converting to the model of raising spotted deer for velvet antlers, with initial success.

Taking us on a tour of a well-invested deer farm, considered the first deer farming model in Soc Trang province, Mr. Lam Khen (70 years old) shared his enthusiasm.

In 2022, while focusing on farming and gardening, by chance through the press, he learned about the model of raising spotted deer for velvet in Tien Giang province.

After visiting the farm to learn more, I realized that this is a new model. Sika deer are wild animals so they are easy to raise, require little care, and are very popular in the market.

From then on, he decided to spend all his savings to build a barn and import 14 spotted deer (2 males, 12 females).

The initial cost was about 1 billion VND. After a period of raising, the doe gave birth. There are currently 16 deer left in the barn.

Sika deer are wild animals, so they have strong resistance, are disease-free, and can adapt easily to all climatic conditions. Especially in the Western region, the temperate climate and year-round fresh food are favorable for developing a sika deer farming model.

According to Mr. Khen, deer farms are simple, but must be dry and airy. The farms are made into small, fenced cells, each farm only raising one deer. The floor is lined with rice husks and coconut fiber to prevent the deer from hurting their feet and to ensure hygiene and absorb the waste the deer excrete every day.

Deer raised for more than 2 years produce velvet antlers, but because the deer is still young, the velvet antlers are small. When the deer reaches adulthood, the velvet antlers will be large and of good quality. The spotted deer are being raised by Mr. Khen's family, a farmer in Thuan Hung commune (My Tu district, Soc Trang province).

Compared to other livestock such as buffalo, cows, pigs, goats, etc., although the initial investment is high, sika deer are easy to care for and do not require daily cleaning of the barn. For the deer's food, he uses grass, leaves, vegetables, and fruits in his garden. Every day, he feeds the deer 3 meals. Thanks to that, the cost of raising deer is not too expensive.

Sika deer are raised for more than 2 years to produce velvet, but because the deer is still young, the velvet is small. The deer must be 5-7 years old, reaching adulthood to produce large and quality velvet. Deer velvet is ready for harvest after 45-50 days, if it is delayed for 55-60 days, the velvet will be old and lose value.

Every 8 months, male deer produce antlers once, averaging 500-800 grams/animal. Currently, fresh deer antlers are sold for 13-15 million VND/kg.

To strictly manage this high- value livestock model, Mr. Khen's family pays close attention to the growth and development of livestock through keeping a livestock monitoring book.

"Currently, the deer antler product is also sold by a company. They guide the cutting of the antlers and then buy them back, so Mr. Khen's family is very secure.

"I record every time the antlers are vaccinated and when the velvet is harvested. When the velvet has bloomed, it is time to cut it after 45 days. After 45 days, the velvet is old and very difficult to sell," said Mr. Khen.

Ms. Chau Thi Muoi, Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Thuan Hung Commune (My Tu District, Soc Trang Province) said: "Mr. Khen's model of raising spotted deer for antlers is a new model in the locality, currently only his family is raising them. This model has opened up a new direction in livestock farming, helping to diversify livestock in the locality, bringing high economic efficiency.

Although this is a new model, it has initially shown high economic efficiency. The locality is very supportive and will soon conduct research to replicate the model according to local conditions, creating conditions for people to access many preferential capital sources and link output for products, contributing to the development of deer herds and increasing income for people."

Source: https://danviet.vn/wild-animal-wearing-a-flower-coat-raised-successfully-in-soc-trang-15-million-kg-20250208235749288.htm