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Step 1
Provide ample green vegetation and dry grazing areas for reindeer in the spring. After months of losing weight in the winter and bearing calves in the early spring, reindeer need to regain weight and strength to prepare for another winter.
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Step 2
Find a space with a variety of fresh plants, including grasses, herbs, lichens, mushrooms and dandelions where reindeer can eat and roam during the summertime. Choose an area that is free from insects; otherwise, bugs will keep the herds constantly moving and unable to eat enough to sustain a healthy diet and get ready for winter.
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Step 3
Give reindeer room to roam in places where mushrooms, shrubbery, drying leaves and lichen are available in plenty. Keep in mind that reindeer can live primarily on lichens, but that the ideal diet during the autumn provides more substance and variety leading into the hardships of winter, when grazing is nearly impossible.
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Step 4
Use lichens and standard cattle feed as necessary in the winter to supplement reindeers' diets. During the winter, reindeer lose about 12 percent of their body weight, but they can regain weight quickly in the springtime if good grazing is available to them.
