EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTING SUMMER RANGES ON LACTATION AND GROWTH OF WAPITI (Cervus elaphus)

Abstract

The effect of nutritional supplementation with alfalfa-barley pellets (approximately 11 MJ ME kg DM⁻¹) on milk production of wapiti hinds and growth of their calves was studied from birth in late May and early June until weaning in mid-September on aspen parkland ranges in central Alberta. Although supplemented hinds produced more milk at peak lactation (1080 vs. 883 g per nursing bout, P = 0.04) and may have gained slightly more weight (359 vs. 187 g d⁻¹, P = 0.08) before the rut than their unsupplemented counterparts, growth of calves (870 g d⁻¹) was unaffected by the nutritional treatment. Unsupplemented calves grazed more than supplemented calves (59 vs. 36% of the active period, P = 0.00) and this may have compensated for lower milk consumption. Supplemented hinds spent progressively less time grazing than unsupplemented hinds throughout the summer. This trial suggests that there are few benefits of supplementing lactating wapiti on appropriately-stocked parkland ranges in central Alberta during summer. Key words: Game farming, lactation, calves, growth, wapiti, elk