Farmers in Thai Hoa are expanding their deer farming model.

Listening directly to households engaged in deer farming share their methods and experiences in generating stable income in Thai Hoa town shows that deer farming is proving economically effective and is attracting investment from many local farmers.

Mr. Ho Sy Dieu's livestock farm is located in Nghia Tien ward, more than 6 km from the center of Thai Hoa town. His deer enclosure is situated right next to the main entrance gate on the right side.

While explaining how to build enclosures suitable for deer, Mr. Điều pointed out herds of deer of all ages that were growing healthily, bringing his family a considerable income from selling deer meat and antlers.

To ensure the deer thrive, experienced deer farmers in Thai Hoa town share that suitable enclosures for deer must have a clean floor, be cleaned regularly, and have a flat, raised floor.

If using biological bedding, the enclosure only needs cleaning once every 6 months. The bottom of the enclosure should be regularly cleaned and lined with bedding to keep it dry. The enclosure walls can be made of wood, iron posts, or steel, with multiple compartments suitable for the deer's growth stages. In particular, male deer must be kept separately to avoid conflict between males and other members of the herd.

According to farm owner Ho Sy Dieu, because he researched and understood the techniques of raising deer before investing in deer farming, none of his deer have gotten sick in over two years of operation.

Deer and stags are the same species, but deer are larger and heavier than stags. Therefore, if raised for commercial meat production, deer yield nearly twice the economic value compared to raising stags. However, in terms of antler quality, deer velvet is of higher quality and commands a higher price, yet deer antlers are also larger and heavier than stag antlers.

At current prices, each breeding deer can fetch between 12 and 15 million VND. Fresh deer meat sells for between 220,000 and 250,000 VND per kilogram. At Mr. Ho Sy Dieu's farm, there were times when he had up to 40 deer, both for selling meat and for harvesting antlers.

“Last year I harvested an antler velvet from a deer weighing 4.8 kg. On average, the selling price of fresh deer antler velvet is about 1 million VND. Normally, deer yield antler velvet weighing about 1-2 kg each, depending on age, and the harvesting cycle is once a year. The weight of the velvet gradually increases with the age of the deer.”

Currently, Mr. Ho Sy Dieu maintains a herd of about 10 deer for meat and 6 deer for antlers. He said that deer are very easy to care for, and their food consists of various plants and vegetables that his family grows or gathers from the surrounding fields and gardens, saving him a lot of money on feed.

In early August 2023, the Farmers' Association of Thai Hoa town organized a training conference on crop and livestock care to increase the efficiency of production models, including deer farming.

Mr. Bui Quoc Anh, Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Thai Hoa town, said that currently in the town, besides Mr. Ho Sy Dieu's household, many other families are also implementing the deer farming model, earning "double" profits from selling deer meat and harvesting deer antlers, with a total herd of about 160 deer throughout the town. The highest concentration is in Nghia Thuan commune with 8 households raising 46 deer; Long Son ward has 3 households raising 30 deer… The town is studying ways to expand this effective model.