How to Start a Reindeer Farm

Everyone has heard of them, but not many have actually seen one outside a zoo. But they do exist, and they have played a remarkably important role in the history of many sub-arctic cultures. Reindeer are fodder for myth (remember Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen), and though they aren't considered a domestic animal like cattle, they have been herded for their milk, meat, hides and antlers for thousands of years.

Instructions

1. Decide what you want to raise your reindeer for. Powdered velvet antler, the reindeer product that is probably highest in demand, is sold on Asian markets. There is a need for tame, or "quiet," reindeer in movies and television and to pull Santa on a sleigh at malls all over North America, while reindeer meatballs are as popular in Scandinavia as reindeer sausage is in Alaska and Canada.

2. Buy property in a sub-arctic region for your herd. Reindeer are most comfortable above 62 degrees latitude, and they prefer to herd on coasts in the summer and forest in the winter. Up to six reindeer can be accommodated on as much land as would be sufficient to feed one beef cow.

3. Install chutes, working pens and squeezes on your property, tall enough to keep a frightened reindeer from jumping. Even if you don't intend to harvest their antlers, a proper chute system will be necessary for working safely around your animals. They will still need to be vaccinated, castrated and dewormed.

4. Set up satellite telemetry to track your herd if you intend to provide it with free range. Reindeer will migrate to different areas with the seasons, and unless you plan to take up a nomadic lifestyle, you'll need a way to find them when you need them.

5. Buy stock animals with an eye for what you want to sell them for. Some lines have superior antlers, some produce exceptional quantities of milk, while others are known for their gentle demeanor.

6. Find a veterinarian with knowledge of deer health and the diseases endemic to deer in your area. She will be able to advise you on the best preventative medical plan for your animals.

7. Bring your herd to your chosen area and provide the animals with as comfortable a life as you can. Keep them happy and healthy, and they will reward you with a satisfying, if rather unconventional, livelihood.