Farm visits Ashburton

The first farm I visited consisted of 30,000 stock units made up with deer (around 5,000), sheep (12,000) and cattle (600). They have very different weather here to just a little further south and the landscape appears very green. They did say this is the best growing season they have had and they are still restructuring the flock  after the drought in 2009/2010. They culled a lot of hoggets that year. The ewes are mostly Coopworth ewes scanning at 170%. They are tupped in April/May and moved regularly through tupping up to June. Then they are moved onto swedes and kale up to 6 weeks before lambing. Singles may stay on brassicas up to 1 weeks before lambing. The multiples are set stocked for lambing at 9-12 ewes per hectare. Singles are not set stocked, at lambing they are then shed off daily. This gives them the option to move them depending on weather and grass availability. This year they have also purchased some store lambs (1,500) in late December/early January to control the grass.
The deer herd consists of 3,500 english red hinds, 1,400 stags and 30-50 sires. There are 300-500 in the velvet herd. Half the hinds are put to an elk cross as they finish better. The deer fawn November/December on high ground and are sold between 10-18 months. Some may go at 8 months. 
Cattle mostly consists of dry dairy animals or store cattle. Both cattle and sheep graze deer paddocks. Deer are browsers and both cattle and sheep are used to control grass/clean up the paddock. I was surprised to see dogs being used to move the deer.
They make silage (grass silage and oats and peas) to feed all animals over the winter. The deer get the better quality oats and peas. Swedes and kale is also grown for all species. Sometimes they will have 800 hinds on brassica crops.