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All handling facilities are different. The “perfect” facility has not yet been invented for the handling of reindeer. However, facilities do not need to be elaborate for reindeer if a few key points are taken into consideration.
Reindeer can be readily herded into pens or enclosures and handled in chutes and squeezes. Reindeer tame quickly and bunch up when alarmed, making them easy to herd. They circle counter clock wise when being worked.
Large numbers of them are velveted under such restraint in the extensive operations in Alaska, Tuktoyuktuk and Russia. Reindeer may also be restrained with immobilizing drugs such as xylazine, ketamine and others.
Some of the main things necessary for an adequate handling facility are:
- A large holding pen
- An alley or runway from the large pen to the main facility
- Smaller sorting / holding pens (optional)
- Some type of squeeze
- Scale (optional)
The facility should be made of solid wood plants (or sheets of plywood) six to eight feet in height. This will eliminate the chance of your deer “jumping” a fence where they may perceive a possible escape route. This will also reduce the risk of injury to the animal from trying to go “through” a fence. Although reindeer are very docile and easy to handle, you have to remember that they are still a wild animal that will try to escape if they feel threatened in any way. When reindeer feel threatened in alleyways or small pens, they will typically try to run back to their home pasture or ranges. This is their natural survival instinct.
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