Fawn Care

Fawn Care

Please feel free to download any of the following pdf's...

The information pertaining to these pdf documents has been gathered from my own personal experiences, as well as information gathered from others

that have handled and cared for fawns.

Please note : some of the information may vary due to the differences in experience and opinion between the

various parties the information came from.

So you Found a Fawn - PDF

Child's Fawn Care Chart - PDF

Medical Issues and Treatment PDF

Fawn Rehabilitation - PDF

Just a few helpful tid bits

(this information can also be found in the PDF's above.)

Bottle Feeding Schedule

Note * You may tweak this schedule ~ this is simply the schedule that I am using for my bottle babies.

Day 1-3 ~ 1-3 oz every 3-4 hours (force feeding as necessary)

Day 4-7 ~ 4 oz every 3-4 hours

Week 2 ~ 6 oz every 3-4 hours

Week 3 ~ 8 oz every 4 hours

Week 4 ~ 8 oz every 4 hours

Week 5 ~ 10 oz every 5 hours

Week 6 ~ 12 oz 3 times per day

Week 7 ~ 14 oz 2 times per day

Week 8 ~ 16 oz 2 times per day

Week 9-12 ~ 18 oz once per day

Wean shortly thereafter

The earliest you should wean is at 8 weeks. If you can keep them on a bottle longer, then it couldn't hurt to keep the fawn on until approx 12-14 weeks.

*Note ~ when the fawn is a newborn, and trying to learn to drink from a bottle ... you may only get one or two ounces in it per feeding. During this time you will need to follow the schedule above - as well as throughout the night (every 3-4 hrs at night). Once the fawn is drinking by itself - and is up to 3 oz, it can go through the night without a bottle. When this happens - you can do your last feeding late at night (like no earlier than 10pm) and then early in the morning (approx 7-8 hrs later after the last night feeding).

FORCE FEEDING ~ When a fawn is "pulled" from it's mother, or orphaned/rejected ... it will need bottle fed. However, in most cases you must force feed the fawn a bottle for atleast the first few feedings ~ until the fawn "learns" how to suck the bottle itself.

The best way I can explain how to do this - is from my own experience ...

When I force feed a fawn or goat kid ~ Here's how I do it :

Take the fawn/kid in your lap and "wrap" your right (or left)

arm over top of it's back and up under it's chin.

Next take your hand that's under the fawn's/kid's chin

(while holding the bottle in your opposite hand)

And open it's mouth with your fingers.

Plop the bottle nipple in it's mouth.

HOLD the nipple in it's mouth by wrapping your hand

(the hand that you used to open it's mouth)

around the nipple and the fawn's/kid's mouth opening.

Then you want to hold it there and gently squeeze the mouth on the nipple

in a "nursing" motion ~ squeeze, release, squeeze, release.

This will make milk flow from the nipple, as well as help teach

the fawn/kid how to suck it.

TIPS (to help the fawn to accept the bottle) ~

Here's a few tips to encourage the fawn to accept a bottle :

1. Stroke the fawn's throat (you may need a helper to do this while you're hands are full) in a downward motion to assist the fawn to swallow the milk.

2. Have a helper "tickle" the fawn's back legs and behind area while bottle feeding it. When natural nursing takes place - the mother deer will lick their baby/s on the behind and hind legs, etc. to stimulate them and help them to nurse.

3. You can add a little (approx a Teaspoon) of plain or strawberry flavored yogurt to the bottle to give it a sweet taste.

4. Smudge a little bit of Black Strap Molasses on the nipple and let it dry a little. Don't "CAKE" it on .. you just want a thin layer. This will give the nipple a tangy sweet taste.

The best advice I can give is that you are loving, gentle and have patience and eventually the fawn will learn. There have been cases where a baby fawn or goat, etc. will completely refuse to bottle feed - and in this case, you would need to syringe feed or tube feed.

Thank God I have never had this problem ~

but it does happen. Good Luck !

STIMULATION ~ You must wipe the fawn's "behind" with a damp cloth or baby wipes to stimulate them to defecate and urination. Do this at each feeding until the fawn is "going" on it's own without being wiped.

DIRT ~ You must offer black dirt in a dish (fresh every 3 days) from day one until weaned/released. There is good bacteria in the dirt that fawns need for rumen health. Get the black **unfertilized** dirt from you yard/field. It can have some sod roots in it. Do NOT use potting soil. The purpose of this is to set up their digestive system to digest the plant life in your area ... every location has a different bacteria specific with each location.

YOGURT ~ Plain or Strawberry flavored yogurt can be added to the fawn's bottle for prevention/treatment of scours (diarrhea).

TIP ~ Yogurt added to the bottle can also be used to help a newborn (force fed) fawn accept it's bottle.

Whole Wheat Bread ~ bread is good for the fawn's digestive system. Give the fawn ww bread as a treat once or twice per day. Just a pinch or two will due.

GREENS ~ Give the fawn a handful of alfalfa and/or green clovers each day.

Meningeal Worm

If you have any type of livestock on the same grounds as your fawn/s and/or deer, be very cautious and educated about the Meningeal Worm. This worm doesn't seem to really affect deer/fawns, but if the deer transport it to the livestock, it can KILL quickly ! Goats, Sheep, Cattle, etc.

Here's an article that has details about the Meningeal worm, if you have livestock near your deer ...

please be sure to read this ! ....

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/deerworm.html

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