Features
More elk than Rudolf
Joe O Grady in Co. Roscommon is one of the few organic deer farmers in the country.
One problem with deer farming is the amount of calls you get around Christmas. Inevitably at that time of the year somebody gets the bright idea that it would be nice to get a loan of a few deer to pull a sleigh though the local town for the benefit of the children. However, while the deer in this country might be distant cousins of Rudolf, it would be a very brave man that would attempt to catch them and hitch them to a sleigh.
'Reindeer are more closely related to the elk' says deer farmer Joe O Grady. His herd are a breed of red deer from Hungary. At the moment he has 43 females or hinds on his farm at Ballinderry, Fourmilehouse in Co. Roscommon. Deer are highly-strung animals. 'If you don't look after then they won't go into calf' says Joe. 'And if they're stressed at all they could respond by killing a calf. They need plenty of space and peace and quiet when they are calving. You know they are going to calf when you see them walking along the fencing looking for a suitably quiet spot.' Deer are very good mothers and they don't need half the attention that sheep or cattle require If the newly born calf finds it hard to get up for his first suck, his mother will help him to stand by balancing him between her own back legs. As soon as the calf has had his first taste of mothers' milk she then puts him in a corner and covers him with grass or nettles. Apparently this is to hide the calf from any potential intruders.
Hinds are extremely protective of their young. 'During the calving season they'll go for anything that comes into the field' says Joe. 'If you went close to a hind she'd get up on her 'hind' legs and attack you with her front ones. At that time of the year I never go in without my shield- that's a board two feet by two that I can hold in front of me if anything goes wrong.' Deer are sold for meat after twelve months when they weight about a hundred kilos. But when Joe's calves reach three months he sells his calves to a large deer farmer who finishes them for export. There's no advantage so far in raising his deer organically. Of the three hundred deer farmers in the country only about five or six are organic which isn't enough yet to supply any significant market.
The high fencing is the biggest expense. A hundred metres of the two meters high wire costs nearly 400 Euro and for an acre you'd need a minimum of three rolls. That's before you count the cost of erecting it. But against that, deer take up very little time compared to other livestock. They're very suitable for part-time farmers like Joe who work away from the farm ' They don't need any dipping, dosing, shearing or foot paring' says Joe. 'They're very healthy animals. I haven't had the vet out in five years.' Joe wouldn't want anyone to get the impression that deer are totally wild animals. 'If you mind them and feed them meal they learn to put their trust in you' he says. 'We know everyone of the them and we have names for them all.'
Mac is the name of Joe's seven-year-old stag or male deer. When he's chasing the females or 'rutting' he's at his most dangerous no matter how well he knows you. The fact that he roars and bellows like a bull during the rutting season makes him seem even more dangerous. 'I don't mind the noise 'says Joe. It brings a different sound to the countryside. I enjoy being ribbed in the pub by my neighbours about the terrible racket that's coming from my farm.'
Well known organic goat’s cheese makers, Inagh Farmhouse, have launched two new products in the St. Tola range. Named ‘Divine’ and...
