I am asked all most daily about bucks shedding their velvet. Why does this occur? Is it painful? And how long does it take? All very good questions.
This is happening in our pens right now. We have our bucks all separated so that they won’t hurt each other.
A deer’s antlers begin to grow each year in May. They are covered with a soft furry covering called velvet. This is protection for their antlers because there is blood running through them as they grow. They are a living thing with nerve endings. In August the antler stops growing and the blood supply shuts off. Then they harden from the inside out. No they are not itchy, nor do they hurt at this time. They are hard bone. The velvet is removed to show their crowning acheivement, a beautiful set of hard antlers.
To remove the velvet a deer picks a low lying bush, a branch, or something plyable to help get that old dead skin off. Some deer are lazy and let it fall off on its own. Others can’t wait to remove it and it is all over in 20 to 30 minutes. At any rate once it is removed their antlers become weapons that they use to prove their man hood to the other bucks. That is our reason for separating our deer. They love to spar and would injure each other. Some bucks have been known to fight to the death. It is not always over “Doe” as we are led to believe. But many times just over territory and wanting to be “the big man on campus”. By giving our buck’s their own pens, they mark their territory and seem to settle down knowing they have claimed their domain.
Please feel free to leave any questions or comments.
Rusty