Feeds delivered to most species held at The Scottish Deer Centre are based around species-specific diet sheets, with the exception of hoofstock not given supplementary feeds i.e. Red Deer, who graze mixed pasture managed in line with their needs. All diet sheets are regularly updated to reflect appetite and seasonal changes, weights and/or body condition of individuals, changes to food availability and selection and any other relevant information. 

I am responsible for managing the diet (and applicable diet sheet shown below) for our Asian Short-Clawed Otters, under the direction of the Head Keeper. The otters are the only species weighed regularly at The Deer Centre (see 'B - Health Monitoring') as scale training has either not been possible as yet (for other carnivores) or is impractical (i.e. for small, flighty deer species or larger deer which are more complex to manage.) Body Condition Scoring is used to assess the condition of the other species kept.

I update the otters' diet sheet on a monthly basis, after the otters have been weighed, and generally make adjustments based on this. Seasonality is not usually an issue with feeding Short-Clawed Otters, and it is more common instead to see their appetite dip briefly in response to a sudden change in weather conditions before then stabilising quickly when temperatures and conditions level out over a couple of days. In these cases, the diet sheet is used as a guideline and small reductions in food, for example, can be made if appetite dips for such short periods of time. 

From day to day, the completion of feed monitoring sheets for carnivores such as the otters, and also for hoofstock receiving supplementary feeding, allows keepers to keep track of appetite, willingness to take certain foods and other relevant details which in turn inform updates to diet sheets and food selection, preparation and presentation. To the right of the diet sheet shown below is an example food monitoring sheet for the otters, which I completed on 12 April 2016 after each of their four scheduled feeds, showing the amounts of food each otter consumed at each feed, the times and methods of presentation, and comments on their behaviour, appetite and keenness to feed, and also the weather conditions that day, which may have an impact on feeding. The first feed described included one of their twice weekly doses of Potassium Citrate in chicks and mice, as noted (see 'A - Health' and 'B - Routine Preventative Care').

Food orders at the Deer Centre are either placed as needed (e.g. for supplementary deer feeds i.e. Edinburgh Browser Cubes, or beef / horse / rabbits - see stock records below) or on a fixed scheduled. Order forms are used to note the amounts to be ordered, which are then compared with delivery notes or invoices to ensure the correct order has been sent, and then kept on file - stapled to delivery notes / invoices - to refer to when future orders are to be placed. 

The order form shown below relates to a 'small animal feed' order I placed in January, detailing the amounts of chicks, mice, rats and quail needed over an eight week period. Small animal feed orders are placed on an alternating schedule of eight weekly (long order) and six-weekly (short order) to ensure appropriate feed levels for the otters, fox and wildcats. 

Also shown to the right of the small animal feed order form is an invoice sent with a fruit / vegetable order I placed with Ivan Wood & Sons, a local fresh produce supplier, for a selection of food for our bears. These orders are placed on a weekly basis, for next day delivery.