After button drop the stags were fed on either one of straight plantain, plantain and grass, or straight grass but there has been no difference in the weights of the velvet on the different feeds.
The Normans pumped the feed into the stags all last winter, including feeding ad-lib palm kernel and balage, as well as putting urea on the crops and pasture.
While the stags dropped their buttons two to three weeks earlier than normal because they were fed so well, velvet weights were disappointing, Ken says.
“We thought maybe the temperature was having an effect but after recording the temperatures on the days we cut velvet we don’t think that is the case, but we will keep monitoring it. Maybe the temperature leading up to velveting had more of an influence.
“I’ve picked the brains of everyone I know and people say to feed them better. I’ve fed the snot out of them but maybe there is a critical time of the year for feeding for velveting stags.”
The Normans weighed the stags throughout winter and undertook pasture analysis to ensure the feed quality was high. Stags were consistently going on to pasture covers of 2300-2400kg of drymatter per hectare.
Analysis showed the pasture they were on was 29% protein and 38.7% fibre, with metabolisable energy (ME) of 12.6. The balage comprised 58% fibre and 11% protein, with an ME of 8.8.
From the beginning of July through to August 22 last year the stags put on only 12g a day, but after button drop they put on 300g a day.
The Normans worked out it cost $31 a stag for the palm kernel, balage and to get the urea on to the hills. Frustratingly, they had virtually no increase in velvet weight. They needed to cut an extra 250g a stag to break even so last year the cost was unjustified, which means they will re-evaluate their plans for the future.
This year Ken plans to feed the stags well straight after the roar, then tighten them up to maintenance level through winter and build feed levels up for late July, when he’ll open them up again.
“We’ll put urea on and get feed under them for the two weeks before button drop.”
Their goal for this year is to feed the stags more strategically and invest more in genetics by buying a better velveting stag.
“I always thought feeding was the answer but perhaps genetics hold more sway than I previously thought. I always knew it was important, but I thought I could overcome it with feeding.
“We bought a good velveting stag last year [2014] and he is shaping up a ripper.
“What you see is what you get with velvet because it’s a bone structure. It’s 75-80% hereditable.”
Some of the Normans’ mixed-age hinds with the stag.
