Resource
Plan and track seasonal calving around local veld forage peaks with a free one-page calving calendar for deer herds.
On South African stud and commercial venison farms, the timing of calving shapes calf survival, herd health and veld recovery for the year, whether the herd is fallow, red, chital or sika deer under permit.
Use the calendar ahead of each breeding season to align calving with natural forage peaks, whether your camps are in the Karoo, the Midlands, the Highveld or coastal veld. On our farms, fallow, red and sika calve in November and December as the summer grass comes through, and axis calve in late winter to spring. The same dates feed into herd record reviews, pasture rotation plans and drought preparation when forage may be tight.
The calendar is a one-page A4 sheet with a month-by-month layout and a row for each deer group’s expected calving window. Columns cover breed, camp or group, due dates calculated from joining, actual calving observed, and notes on veld condition or feed supplementation.
To use the calendar, fill in the expected calving date range for each group based on your breeding records. As calving happens, mark actual dates and add notes on forage or weather, such as El Niño warnings from the Weather Service. Season by season, the marked calendars build a reference that links herd records, veld growth and climate. Over time, your notes help fine-tune joining dates, adjust stocking rates and improve herd resilience.
Mistakes we see most often are not aligning calving to local forage peaks, skipping veld notes, or letting old records go unreviewed when planning each season. Sometimes camps are grouped too broadly, missing differences in veld or breed timing. Remember, it is illegal to move deer or calves to another property without the right permit and state vet clearance if movement controls are in place.
To request your free calving calendar, just send a message through our contact form with your name and where you farm. Questions about filling in the calendar can go in the same message.
