How to Raise a Fawn

Fawns are commonly found abandoned. A Doe only care for its young when they need feeding, and although they stay close by, if something spooks the doe, it will leave their young behind. Bringing up fawns can be a challenge. They require a large amount of attention and supervision to be strong and self-sufficient enough to be released back into the wild. You can help to raise a fawn, though, if you find one in trouble.

Things You'll Need

  • Blanket
  • Baby bottle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Ensure the mother has not simply wandered off. Leave the fawn for a few hours and see if its mother returns. If she does not, or if it looks particularly bony, you will need to adopt the fawn.

    • 2

      Place a blanket over the fawns head and fold its legs under it. Put the fawn somewhere safe. Fawns can cause a surprising amount of damage, so make sure it is a safe and secure area. Contact local wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians or game wardens to find out about where the fawn can go. While you can raise it while it's small, it will need time in a sanctuary too.

    • 3

      Offer the deer a baby bottle containing water. If the fawn's ribs are showing, or if it has sunken eyes, add some sugar to the water. Do not offer any food at this stage. Feeding a dehydrated animal can have serious consequences.

    • 4

      Purchase fresh goats milk. Offer this in a bottle as the fawn requests it. There should be a minimum of two hours between feeds. This is the best substance for the fawn until it begins to wean.

    • 5

      Find someone to collect the fawn. While it can be tempting to keep it, fawns are difficult to wean, and can suffer from serious gut complications, which are difficult to spot and expensive to treat. You also risk the fawn become too tame to be released, and being unable to hunt. Find a sanctuary for the fawn, and agree to visit regularly to see your fawn grow up. Some people go once a week.