GROWTH-RESPONSES IN RED DEER CALVES AND HINDS GRAZING RED-CLOVER, CHICORY OR PERENNIAL RYEGRASS WHITE CLOVER SWARDS DURING LACTATION

Two experiments were conducted at the Massey University Deer Unit, New Zealand in 1990 and 1991 to evaluate the' performance of lactating re d deer hinds and their calves grazing conventional perennial ryegrass- based pastures, red clover or chicory. In both experiments, hind and c alf performance was evaluated from 1 month post-parturition over a 2 1 /2 month summer period to weaning at 3 1/2 months of age. In Expt 1, h inds and calves were grazed on low (5.4 kg dry matter (DM)/hd/day), me dium (10.8) or high (16.4) allowances of red clover, or on a medium al lowance of a conventional ryegrass/white clover sward (9-9 DM/hd/day). In Expt 2, hinds and calves grazed equal DM allowances (12 kg DM/hd/d ay) of perennial ryegrass/white clover, chicory or red clover. Red clo ver generally had higher organic matter digestibility (OMD) and higher total N than ryegrass/white clover, and when grazed at equal DM allow ances, promoted higher voluntary food intake in the hinds, increased c alf growth (430 v. 330 g/day) and increased hind liveweight change. Al though decreasing the red clover allowance in Expt 1 slightly but non- significantly decreased hind voluntary food intake and decreased both calf and hind liveweight change, all low red clover values were still consistently higher than all ryegrass/white clover values (P < 0.05). In Expt 2, chicory was of higher OMD and ash content than red clover b ut N content was lower and similar to ryegrass/white clover. Chicory p romoted lower levels of calf liveweight change than red clover but hig her than ryegrass/white clover. Hind liveweight change on chicory was lower than on red clover and was similar to ryegrass/white clover. It was concluded that red clover offers potential as a special purpose fo rage for deer production and that further experimental work is needed with chicory.