Intake and digestion of hill-land vegetation by the red deer and the sheep

Abstract

DOMESTICATED sheep and feral red deer (Cervus elaphus) are the two principal producers of food for human consumption from a large proportion of the rough grazings of Scotland. There is considerable interest in the possibility of increasing the production of venison by farming the red deer, and studies of the degree of domestication required, the development of biologically sound management practices and their economic viability are in progress¹. A fundamental question is whether the red deer can utilise the indigenous vegetation found on the hills more efficiently than does the sheep, and, if so, to what extent this is brought about by its greater ability to range over and graze selectively on hill vegetation or by its ability to consume and digest more of the poor quality vegetation. We have investigated this latter aspect and now report that on such diets red deer consume greater quantities of digestible dry matter per unit metabolic body weight than sheep. The greater ability of the deer to increase voluntary food intake during the summer months is also discussed.