Janiszewski Paweł, Cilulko-Dołęga Justyna, Murawska Daria, Bogdaszewski Marek
Department of Fur-Bearing Animal Breeding and Game Management, University of Warmia and Mazury In Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
Department of Commodity Science and Animal Improvement, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
Anim Sci J. 2018 Feb;89(2):483-487. doi: 10.1111/asj.12926. Epub 2017 Oct 18.
The aim of the present study was to describe the suckling behavior of the offspring of farmed European fallow deer Dama dama in the postnatal period. Video surveillance footage from the first 18 days postpartum was analyzed in detail to reveal that the duration of interactions between the mother and the offspring changed with the fawns' age. The duration of mother-offspring interactions was longest between postpartum days 12 and 18. The frequency of interactions at different times of the day varied in the analyzed periods. The results of the study could be used to increase the welfare of farmed deer.
