Blood Composition of White-Tailed Deer

In recent years overpopulation of deer and consequent decline in quality and quantity of natural forage in many states have attracted the attention of wildlife biologists to the nutritional requirements of deer (French et al., 1955) and the effects of malnutrition. Blood analyses of both wild and penned deer have been made in searching for correlations between elements of the blood and nutritional condition or disease. (Browman and Sears, 1955; Leopold et al., 1951; Maynard et al., 1935; Rosen and Bischoff, 1952; Whitlock, 1939). During February and March, 1955, blood samples were collected from white-tailed fawns, Odocoileus virginianus, which had been used in digestion tests of natural forages at the University of New Hampshire Animal Nutrition Laboratory. Observations made of the formed elements and chemical constituents of the blood are reported herein. Materials and methods.—Eight male fawns from Maine and New Hampshire were brought to the campus in October, 1954. They were housed in a 16 x 16 foot unheated shed with attached corral. They were fed a 16 per cent dairy feeding ration, a nutritionally balanced ration for growing ruminants, at the rate of about 2.0 pounds per animal daily. Water was available at all times. Digestion trials of natural forages were begun on December 11, 1955. The forages tested were hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), mountain maple (Acer spicatum), and apple (Malus sp).