Fallow deer
Our Fallow Grove fallow deer are bred for clean, consistent venison and calm camp visits on the Karoo and grassveld camps of Karoo Edge.
Why farmers choose it
Lodges and chefs value the gentle temperament and fine-grained venison of our fallow herds. Farmers choose them for easy handling and stable weights through the seasons.
| Species | Fallow deer |
|---|---|
| Camps | Mixed grassveld |
| Focus | Farm table & lodges |
| Records | Calving & bloodlines |
| Visit | Karoo Edge gate |
Our Fallow Grove Herd is built on well-settled fallow deer, bred and raised in mixed grassveld camps around Karoo Edge Farm. These camps are shaped by the seasonal shifts of the Eastern Cape, with soft Karoo veld, scattered acacia and solid post-and-wire fencing. The herd forms the core of our farm-table venison and lodge supply, feeding into the Free State through the Bloemfontein show season and supplying seasonal carcasses for chefs. They settle in quietly in the Karoo’s dry, open valleys and adapt well to grassveld edges, making them ideal for farmers wanting a steady, low-stress venison line.
We keep every group calm with low-stress herding, well-maintained water troughs and a mix of natural shade and planted windbreaks. Routine checks cover hooves, velvet growth, body condition and the electric fences, with batteries or solar taking over if the power cuts out. Our herd husbandry manager and our pasture and forage manager coordinate pasture rest, early forage when the veld dries, fresh water points and keeping the handling kraals tidy. We update calving and bloodline records by hand, working with our stud records lead, so each lot can be traced from herd to plate. New antler grows in velvet through early summer, and we keep handling light in late summer while the bucks clean up and settle before the rut.
Chefs and butchers get named lots with reliable carcass weights and clear provenance, handled by our venison provenance manager to keep every step of the cold chain tight. Farm shops and lodges can order by appointment straight from the Karoo Edge farm gate or the Bloemfontein stand in season. Farmers and game reserve owners looking to start or expand a fallow herd find these animals easy to acclimatise, gentle in mixed camps and quiet to move. It’s a herd just as suited to education days or quiet farm visits, managed by our farm visits coordinator, as to being the core of a farm-table supply line.
Anyone keeping or moving fallow needs to know the permit rules under NEMBA for these Category 2 deer. We only sell live animals to buyers with a valid or pending permit, and sturdy fencing is a legal must. Fallow are cloven-hoofed, so national foot-and-mouth disease rules now need state vet paperwork if you're moving animals out of a control area. Forage and water come first in El Niño years, when dry spells are likely. Regular vet check-ups, velvet management and clean camps help us keep the herd healthy and calm, so please book visits or orders well in advance because everything runs by appointment.
Buyers and partners
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