News

This is the place to keep up to date with news of special events, culinary innovations and new arrivals among our herds of deer.

 

Our Deer Are Casting 

17.03.2022

Our first red sire stag cast last week! 

Antlers are essentially like bone. The deer grow and cast their antlers annually. This cycle is driven by changes in testosterone levels. The older animals tend to cast first, usually starting in mid March. Some of the younger stags will cast as late as April and potentially even into May. 

Once cast (where they shed), tiny buttons are left – circles of tissue from which the new antlers start to grow. It is a matter of days before the velvet (growing tissue) starts growing over the pedicle. By late July/ August the antler is fully grown and rising testosterone levels causes the velvet to shrink and blood supply to dry up. The velvet peels off (“in tatters”) and they will rub their antlers on trees and shrubs to clean their antlers. This stage is “hard antler”. They retain their antlers through the rut (Sept-Nov) and the following March reduced testosterone levels cause the pedicle and antler to separate. 

The antlers look most magnificent when fully grown in late velvet in July. 

The entire cycle lasts about 5 months. The fastest recorded growth was 25mm per day – the fastest living growing tissue in any mammal. The antler cycle is unique in the animal kingdom. 

a male red deer in a grass field with blue skies

FIVE NEW GREAT TASTE AWARDS ADDED TO OUR COLLECTION

08.08.2024

Judged by the Guild of Fine Food’s professional panel, five of Sky Park Farm Shop’s products have been granted Great Taste Award stars in the 2024 competition.  For a second consecutive year, the Butchery Counter’s produce has excelled with two […]

National Winners!

03.05.2024

Sky Park Farm Shop, Harting, West Sussex, was crowned National Winner of the Small Farm Shop Category at the Farm Shop and Deli Awards 2024 in Birmingham on Monday 29th April.  The award-winning Farm Shop was acknowledged for their exceptional […]

Sky Park Farm’s Easter Eggs

12.03.2024

If you pop into the Visitor Centre this weekend you’ll see our new incubator set-up.  We have put a variety of bantam eggs in as it’s just 21 days until Easter and that’s exactly how long it takes for a […]