Herd Certification
Deer farmers must meet strict state regulations in order to breed and sell deer. Every three years, a herd must be tested to ensure that the deer are not infected with tuberculosis and brucellosis—communicable diseases that are easily spread. Fouts Equine specializes in the certification process and has an understanding of Indiana’s state requirements.
The service includes drawing blood from every deer in the herd that is one-year old or older, before sending the blood samples out for testing. When the results are delivered, Fouts Equine will send them on to the state along with the herd’s complete inventory.
A complete inventory has to include two forms of identification for each deer, its sex and age. One of the two forms of identification will be an official USDA tag. If the results come back negative for both tuberculosis and brucellosis, the State Board of Animal Health office will issue a letter of accreditation to the herd owner.