Energy cost for activities of mule deer fawns [Odocoileus hemionus, Game animal]

Energy expenditure and activity were recorded during indirect calorimetry measurements of 3 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) fawns during winter. Subjects were restrained on leashes to a combination of bedding, standing, walking, and trotting activities. Measurements included 11 after 48 hours of fasting and 93 with fed animals. Analysis of variance of energy expenditure, with deer, feed regime, and activity level as main effects, and temperature and time of day as covariates, indicated that only activity level was significant. Multiple regression of energy expenditure on time spent bedding, standing, walking, and trotting provided estimates of energy costs for these activities (b ± SE) of 112 ± 8, 164 ± 9, 326 ± 13, and 1,293 ± 167 kcal/kg0.75/day, respectively. These estimates were used with time budgets for unrestrained deer to calculate a typical daily energy expenditure.