Farmed red deer and wapiti crossbreds in NZ calve in early summer, from late October to early December. Most hinds within the herd will complete calving within a 3-week period, although there will typically be a few hinds conceiving at later oestrous cycles that calve over the next few weeks.
Peri-natal (around the time of birth) and post-natal (>24 hours after birth) mortality of calves is the single biggest source of reproductive wastage occurring on NZ deer farms, accounting for about 8% of calves born (see Reproductive Wastage). While it is recognised that there will always be losses around calving, there are ways to reduce overall calf mortality…often this just requires simple on-farm changes in management and calving environments.