First Fawn of the rehab season

another:

We only have white tails in Michigan. Yes, a fawn of about a month can jump a 3 to 4 foot fence. A full grown can clear 8 feet if it wants to. Usually, if a deer thinks that a fence is too high, it will find a way under. I know of a squash patch, completely surrounded by chain link with holes dug under the fencing where the deer have made their way in. They are way smarter than we'd like them to be.

I'm glad they leave my squash alone! Actually, I have so much they could have some....(!) But they took the okra down to stubs.

jylgaskins, we were wondering how long do the fawns stay with their mothers? We have quite a few where we just moved and are enjoying them. We spotted a doe with her fawn this weekend.

Thanks

Does will generally stay with their mothers through the winter, while bucks move (or are driven off by compeating bucks) to batchelor herds for the winter. After the rut is over (late November, early December) the will all intermingle to feed. In the spring, the does will seperate to have their fawns and spend the first few weeks of the fawns life with sight and hearing. That's why I tell people that if a fawn is lying down and quiet, mom is still around. If they are wandering around and crying, mom is dead.

A fawn is weaned in the wild within 6 to 8 weeks. When I hand raise them, they will take the bottle untill Autumn. I don't discourage it, it gives them extra calcium and calories and gives me a chance to check them over at least once a day. By November they are only coming up to the house for treats and by Christmas, I'm lucky if I see them at all. I still put out treats though as I know they come in and out of the yard at night. If the snow is deep, EVERYBODY comes looking for a meal.

Even though I have the fawns in my yard, it is still a thrill for me to watch them in the wild. The best, is when one I have raised comes back to show of HER fawn.

Indiana grows some realy BIG bucks!

Good to know....good to know

Thanks for answering my question. I have enjoyed reading your thread very much.

I just came back from walking the dog and I got to see a doe with triplets!!!! Just wish I would have had my camera! On our after dinner walk we saw a Broad Winged Hawk sitting on a low wire, again no camera and I could have had a fantastic picture!!

It's a good doe that can raise triplets. Was it a mild winter in your area?

Yes it really was over all. We moved in this house like January 12th and I it was in the 40' s that day. Feb. was bad, but really about it. She looked like a young doe. In the spring, I saw a group in the yard next door, had 4 does and a nice big buck so I imagine these are the same ones I am seeing now. Though we have also seen a younger buck with a doe hanging out in another neighbors yard eating apples.

We have been amazed at all the critters we get to see & watch here!!

Here is a photo of triplets that I saw in a field not too far from here, I couldn't get a photo of the mother included, she stayed just out of view. They are what we call Mulies.

DonnaS

You will always see a lot more multiples after a wild winter. I was told once that a deer will usually concieve twins or more and then if there is less food or an otherwise harsh winter, only one will develope. Does who concieve their first year actually finish growing while they are pregnant.

I love the white butts on the mulies. You must have a wonderful piece of property!

Yes I do have a great property, but the triplets in the photo were in the hills about 7 or 8 miles from here. There are several near areas that I drive to to bird watch and see other animals. That is where I get the most entertainment, just going out to nearby hills, usually where there is water, a stream or small pond always in this dry climate attracts bird and animals.

Donna

Hi jyl, a friend from Mid-south forum showed me this thread. Hooray and thank Goodness for you! Fawns are one of the worlds most beautiful animals. I am certain it is a very rewarding. I have seen fawns play and I bet you laugh a lot, while raising these little angels.

I am also a rehabber...but mine are 2 legged. I rehab waterfowl. Usually Wood ducks but this year, we have a Canada goose. His name is Dudley Do-Right and he will be 14 weeks old, Saturday.

This is one day old Dudley

Dudley is cute! You should check out the other threads jylgaskin also does ducks - you name it I think ! ;)

What a cutie and love his name!

Named after the cartoon Mounty, right?

This fawn is anything but an angel right now. Since he is alone, he seems to think it is my assigned duty to entertain him and he want's to play every time I go out the door. In the picture he is in a rare moment of repose, chewing his cud. Please notice what remains of my hosta next to him.

I have been encouraging him to leave the yard and go into the woodlot next door. (I’m hoping that he connects with the wild fawn out there). I push him out the gate and he looks at me like "Why would I want to go out there, there aren't any hostas, no lilies, no chicken feed?" He does spend a lot of time watching over there, so I know that doe and fawn are close.

He is shedding and loosing his spots already as you can see from the second photo. It's early, but I think the heat has a lot to do with it. There are no little nubs on his head yet, but he rubs his forehead against me to scent me and itch the area.

Two of his favorite games right now are sneaking up behind me and grabbing my shorts or skirt and playing with hoses. I've never had a deer with such fascination with water. He has always loved the sprinklers and run about in them, but now, he wants the whole hose. He jumps at the water and drags the hose around to watch the water spray, and then he drops it and starts dancing all over again. Oh well, its cheap entertainment and there is nothing but reruns on TV....

He weighs about 50 pounds (I know, because he is getting very hard to carry out of the chicken pasture when he insists on getting in there when I feed them. (Chicken food, yum!) He drinks a little over a liter of formula two to three times a day and gets lots of fresh kale, Swiss chard and spinach from the garden. Plus the hostas, raspberries, daylilies, shrubs and whatever else he helps himself to.

The coyotes were calling fairly close to the house last night and when I went out to check on every one, he was sleeping next to the house. He's learning. I also limit his exposure to strangers now, so he only feels comfortable with "His" humans.

I read the thread on Dudley. He's pretty cute, but how are you ever going to get him to go away? I have found that to be the hardest part of raising a single Canada. The ducks are easy, I put them out on the small pond in the yard and when the wildlings start flying over head, they just start joining them. It's so cool in the spring when everyone comes back north and mine drop in to say hello and get a snack. We've even had a female come back to raise her young in the pond.

It works pretty much the same if I have Canada multiples, but a single tends to bond with the domestic ducks or me and not want to leave. I try really hard to keep them from bonding with humans because if they are a pest around here, the DNR will eliminate them. They are also pretty strict with the rehab licenses and I'd hate to loose mine because I had a permanent goose.

He is so beautiful!

Do you have a camcorder to record his antics. When Dave gets the video part going it would be so neat to see him playing with that hose.....better than any Tv program LOL

Unfortunately I don't have one, but we're looking....

That is great. I can just picture him and his antics. You are probably right about what he thinks about leaving. He has it too good where he is at. He seems pretty smart.
The wild deer seem to be playing in the water alot too. I watched 3 yesterday, kicking and splashing like fawns. I bet the water felt good, to chase the bugs and heat away.

Yes, Dudley is named for the cartoon mounty.

Maybe, we should let your lovely fawn and Dudley play together. They seem to enjoy the same games. Except, Dudley has a very strange fascination with shoes. He will carry them around like a chew toy.

Since, we have never had a goose before, we had no idea that he would not want to leave. Our ducks (especially Woodies) cannot wait to get to the lake. Wood ducks (around here) don't really migrate but they do have a winter home about 5 miles away. Then return in the spring for courtship and nesting. Anyway, there are about 50 Lesser Canada geese on our lake but Dudley is a Giant Canada and we really wanted him to be with his kind. But, he seems to be quite happy where he is, so I guess he will become one of the locals...for now. I am hopeful that he will find a girl and he will follow her or that he will want to fly away and maybe find more Giant Canadas.

Sorry if this sounds dumb, but what is the difference in a "Lesser" and a "Giant" Canada goose?

LOL Not dumb at all. There are many subspecies of Canadas. The differences are usually size, color, feather pattern, behavior, range, etc. Dudley has a slight variation in coloring, feather pattern and size. If you could see him next to the lessers, you could understand better. He is quite a bit bigger and he is still growing. He has a white patch on his brow, his black neck is dull, his chest is a dull gray (instead of white/beige) and the feathers on his back are a darker brown, kind of a gray/black.

Does this make sense? If not, you can find a gazillion web sites that can explain better and have pictures.

so i was reading your other thread....why can the goose not stay....is it bad for him? i am totally stupid about wildlife:)

Sticks, you have dmail.

Whether a wild animal can stay with a rehabber or not depends on a lot of things like Local DNR regulations, neighbors and if it will become aggressive or not. In Michigan we are not allowed to keep any wildlife beyond rehabilitation.

Personally, I rehab animals to return them to the wild and will not rehab an animal that cannot be released in its proper habitat. While we may not mind a crow or goose or batch of ducks hanging about, a neighbor might not appreciate the noise, litter or nuisance that a wild animal can become. A crow will get into mischief, ducks create a mess and Canada’s can become aggressive and territorial.

It took several attempts to get the last Canada I raised to move on. He had gotten very possessive about certain ducks and started beating up on my drakes. It also broke my heart to see such a majestic bird wandering around a yard and swimming in a kiddy pool when he should be flying high in the air and calling to the ground. We have a lot of wild geese fly in to spend the night on the pond behind us. As they would fly low over the yard he would run and take flight with them, but as soon as he got to the end of the yard, he would look back at the house as if he was torn between the calling of the wild flocks and the pull of what he thought was his "human" flock.

We finally got him to move to a nearby pond where geese stopped in their migration, but he never joined them. The owners of the pond kept him supplied in corn and while it lasted it was a good life for him. We had hoped that he would take a mate from the spring geese this year, but the dam on his pond failed and dried up. As the pond receded it exposed old toxic materials, and the vegetation rotted. In the end, he walked home and came to the gate to be let in. He obviously had come home to die.

If I had allowed him to stay in the yard, contained, he would probably be alive today, but would I have done it knowing the possible outcome? No. He was a wild animal and belonged in the wild

I guess it's all up to the individual rehabber and how they feel about it and the habitat that they have available. Dudley is certainly getting every chance for a good life. It also depends on if the rehabber is subject to the licensing regulations. One must possess a federal permit to posses migratory fowl and birds and they are pretty strict about the outcomes of the animals. There was another rehabber in town who could not bear the thought of "her" geese being out in the wild where something could happen to them, she kept their flight feathers clipped so they could not leave the yard. It was noisy, it was dirty and someone called attention to it. Not only did she loose her federal and state license to rehab, but also they had to destroy most of the birds, as they could not be released again. It was tragic for her and the animals, but she forgot the primary rule. These are not pets, they are wild animals, they do not belong to us, and they are only with us until they can be RELEASED to where they belong.

It's a difficult business. It can be heartbreaking. You don't get thanks, you don't get paid. Our expenses for food and formulas aren't even tax deductible. We do it for the love of the animals and the knowledge that there are animals out there that wouldn't be if it were not for us.

thanks for that explanation...and thanks for what you do ....i am a foster momma for doggies and kitties and cry my guts out when one of my furkids leave....; i am sure it is not easy for yall....i wasn't atuned to what all rehabing involved....thanks for all the information...and again, thanks for what you do:)

Oh No! Clipped wings?! That is very sad.

I think everyone here thanks you for what you do. We sure enjoy your stories. I agree, no mater what happens to them later, the animal is far better off in the wild with a normal life. You give them that chance. The chance is the gift.
The animal has to be allowed to be an animal. Anything else would be cruel.

I didn't really mean that I never get thanks from people, though I do surely appreciate the warm fuzzies I get here. I may have been a bit pissy when I wrote that because I had just dealt with the millionth person who called me up and expected my to drive 35 miles, one way, to search for a bird that she thought was hurt. She was furious that I expected her to actually catch the bird herself and then drive it to me. She keps saying, "this is your JOB, it's YOUR responsability!" I tried to explain to her that if I left the house to chase every animal myself, not only would I be broke, but I'd never have time to take care of the animal. I also told her that if I was expected to bear the cost of helping that animal, (thoes darn mealworms are expensive!) then she, at least, could bring it out. Last I explained to her that THIS IS NOT A PAYING POSITION. SOme people just don't get it, just like they can't understand why this is not a petting zoo and they can't bring Aunt Mary and all her grandchildren to play with the animals.

Right after she hung up, someone finially answered my ad about the black kittens I ended up with when they were left in an apartment, and she wanted me to PAY to have them spayed before she took them. Jeeze Louise.

OK, I got that off my chest and for all the other rehabbers out there.

Well, I'm going to go spend some time with someone who's ALWAYS grateful for what I do for him, and never bites me and I don't have to wash his butt.(well, not often anyway) My dog Moose. Maybe I'll let him play in my pool with me. Well, only if he promises NOT to bite the inflateable rings and let the air out again....

Amazing that some people expect everyone else to put their selves out, but they NEVER do.

I have loved reading your threads and am learning things I did not know before. I thank you and all the rehabbers out there that do this to preserve our wildlife!!

I almost had to find a rehabber for a bird tangled in the net over my blueberries - and I was so grateful knowing that there would be someone who could and would save the bird that got caught with my stupid act if I had caused it harm. Fortunately for me (and the bird) I was able to get it cut out of the net safely - (even though my cats had other ideas about what to do with a bird)! The bird flew away the instant it was freed and I took off the netting and will never, ever put loose netting up again..
Blueberries for everyone at my house!

My cats are always looking at me with a bird like, "Hey, you going to eat that?" So far they have never touched one that we have raised in the house. How they tell the diffrence, I'll never know.

I don't use netting in the garden any more. I put up plastic fence netting to keep deer off some rhododendron bushes I had planted (this was a few years ago, when I lived in PA). To my horror, one day I found a large snake tangled up in the netting. It had tried to go through one of the holes, gotten stuck, and threaded itself through several more holes trying to escape. The plastic was embedded under its scales and it was very difficult to get scissors under to cut it loose. I wore heavy leather gloves in case the snake tried to bite me, but I nearly had a heart attack when it started to beat its tail against the ground and made a sound like a rattler. It was a black racer snake, and I did not know at the time that this was its defence mechanism! Once freed, it was quite docile. Anyhow, after rescuing this snake, a few days later I had to free a smaller one, and after that I decided to get rid of the netting.

Same here with the netting. I had a robin stuck in it. Good thing I was home. The mate was screaming in a tree.
I have also seen where deer get small fences stuck on their face and can't eat. Or fence stuck on a leg and cut. No more small fence or netting for me. So my lilies get chowed on, my berries get picked. But I feel better about it.

jyl, have you ever tried growing your own mealworms? They are very easy. All you need is a plastic tub, a potato, oatmeal and a start of mealworms. I do this and if I lived closer I would give you some.

I will warn you that one phase of mealworms are fairly large, black bugs. The good news is that they don't jump or fly. I want to an art exhibit in the 70's and it was a big bin of oatmeal with potatoes stuck in it and it bred mealworms! Art, sometimes it is for the birds!

You know, I realy should raise my own. I did when I had box turtles. It just sort of creeped me out.

I agree about art. I make my living off my art and it infuriates me when someone gets a grant so they can do "instalations". I'm sorry, but whenever I hear that word in association with art, I think "crap". I think all grants for artists should be stopped and they should have to either do their art for love or produce something that apeals to enough people to support themselves. Art should be something that endures. Something that you could look at 100 years from now and still recognise it as art. If someone from the future came back and attended a high end art show from the present day, they would realy be baffled. It's sad

Great thread! I'm marking it. :) Please keep the good stories coming.

Any new pictures of the dear, deer?