How to Care for a Newborn Fawn

If you find a baby fawn in the wild, don't assume that is has been abandoned. Watch it for a while from a safe distance to be sure the mother didn't just go grazing. Sometimes a mother deer will reject her newborn fawn or, sadly, it dies during the birthing process. If this happens, it is the right thing to try to save the baby orphan. Expect to spend a lot of time keeping it clean and feeding it, especially in the first week.

Things You'll Need

  • Towels
  • Heat lamp
  • Straw
  • Bottle
  • Colostrum
  • Damp cloth
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Instructions

    • 1

      Dry the fawn completely with a towel. It weighs only a few pounds at birth and has almost no body fat, so it is at risk for hypothermia if it remains wet after it is born. Keep it very warm and out of drafts at all times.

    • 2

      Keep the baby deer in an outbuilding like a barn or shed, with a minimum of 1 square meter of living space. Set up a heat lamp to keep it warm, but not so close as to burn it and not so far that it doesn't provide enough heat. Determine the proper distance by placing your hand on the fawn for a few minutes and feeling how hot the light feels to you. Spread a layer of dust-free straw on the floor, and make a pile for it to lie on. Clean the straw every day to prevent bacteria from growing and possibly making the newborn sick.

    • 3

      Feed the deer fresh colostrum, if you can obtain some, using a bottle designed for pets. Goat colostrum is appropriate if you can't find any from a deer. If you cannot get natural colostrum, you can buy a man-made replacer. Make it fresh every time you need it, and never make it in advance. Follow a feeding schedule that increases the amount of fluid in the bottle and decreases the times per day. The first week, give the fawn 300 to 600 g per day and feed it every four to five hours. The second week, give it 800 to 1200 g per day and feed it six to seven times a day; add grain, grass and water to its diet. In week three to five, give it 1000 to 1500 g per day and feed it four to five times a day. In week six to seven, give it 1500 g per day and feed it two to three times a day. In week eight to nine, feed it once a day and then wean it off of milk.

    • 4

      Massage the fawn's anus and perineum with a damp cloth to stimulate defecation and urination. The mother will lick her baby to do this in the wild; this is important to prevent it from getting toxic.