Examination and modelling of growth of Central European red deer (Cervus elaphus hippelaphus) from birth until 7-8 month of age

SUMMARY The weight gain and its seasonal changes were examined of red deer calves kept under farm conditions in Hungary. The calves were weighed at birth and 5 times later at the average age of 119, 154, 182, 214, and 242 days. Based on the live weight data of 5 male and 5 female calves 34 different growth models were tested, using Proc nlin procedure of SAS software. Based on the different goodness of fit criteria of the tested models the 5 best fitting equations were chosen. The live weight difference between sexes has grown significantly with age. Weight gain decreased during winter months dramatically in both sexes a typical phenomenon in deer species. The male claves reached 75.8 kg the females 65.6 kg live weight already at 182 days of age demonstrating the high growth potential of Hungarian red deer surpassing considerably the performance of C. e. scoticus and C. e. hispanicus. In the comparisons of 34 tested growth equations the best fitting model was {–0,95+10,27*age0,39}. The model estimates the measured live weight with an accuracy with a mean of ±2 kg in both sexes. In applying this model the live weight measurement at birth is not required but the exact date of birth is essential