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Nathan and Selena Coburn have a small velvet-focused operation. Their KPIs are very good: 100 percent weaning in the mixed-age hinds, and good average velvet weights (two year-olds 3.4kg, mixed age 6.65kg).
But the stags have been as grumpy as hell. Roaring was carrying on right through to button drop, with even a stag death from fighting. They have to feed out from the tractor and Nathan has been chased around the paddocks on his farm bike.
It’s clearly a social problem and Nathan has simplified the mob structure to two-year olds, 3-year-olds and above, and sire stags. This has reduced the roaring and the number of aggressive stags but a couple of the previous offenders are still at it. “Shoot them,” was the advice from the floor. More helpfully, he was also advised to provide a couple of old pine logs or such-like in the paddock for the problem stags to take out their aggression on. The original reason for maintaining them in multiple age group mobs was to minimise stress to optimise velvet production.