Elk For Sale

Elk are largest member of the deer family and one of the largest land mammals native to North America. It is an ungulate, like goats, cattle and camels, and has even numbered toes on each foot and a ruminant digestive system with a four-chambered stomach. They are twice as big as mule deer and the males have large, impressive antlers.

Elk

Elk in captivity require large pastures with eight-foot fencing. For a moderately-sized herd, at least three pasture areas are needed so they can be rotated as the animals eat down the grasses. In barns or holding pens, elk become more docile and easier to work with in low light, rather than bright lights.

Elk Diet

Like their cousins, the deer, goat, and buffalo, elk graze on plants like grasses, tree bark, leaves, and shrubs. It is not uncommon for them to eat between eight and fifteen pounds of vegetation per day. In captivity, elk should be fed a diet that consists of alfalfa hay, which is higher in protein, vitamin A, and calcium than grass hay. Elk are not used to eating a grain-based diet and should not be given more than one pound of grain per head daily. Elk ranchers should be aware than an aggressive male elk, or bull, may crowd out the other elk and eat all the grain himself. This could lead to digestive issues and, quite possible, death. Elk can also graze in large pastures, rotating between pastures as the vegetation is eaten. A salt block placed in the pasture area will provide additional minerals in the animals' diet.

Breeding Elk

Female elk, called cows, should not be breed until they reach about 450-pounds, or a year and a half to two years of age. Elk go into rut in late fall and the calves are born in mid-summer. Unlike cattle, elk cows rarely have trouble calving and do not require routine human intervention. Calves should be kept with their mothers and are usually weaned by the time they reach 175-pounds.