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HOUGHTON SIRES
Sika Deer Sires
Cervus nippon
About Sika Sires
Compact, resilient, and highly intelligent, Sika Deer sires exemplify adaptability. Naturally secretive, with a quiet and unobtrusive character, they are perfectly suited to amenity parkland — requiring minimal input, eating very little, yet producing top-quality venison.
Renowned for their alertness and stamina, this species thrives across varied terrain, from woodland to open grassland. Houghton’s Sika sires are carefully selected for strong antler conformation, quiet strength, and ornamental traits, ensuring they breed offspring well suited to both conservation and selective improvement programmes.
Sika Deer
Origin: East Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan)
UK Status: Introduced (1860s), now wild in parts of Scotland, Ireland, Dorset, and Northern England.
Key Traits:
Size: Smaller than red deer — adult stags around 70–100 kg, hinds 45–70 kg.
Coat: Dark brown to black in winter; reddish with white spots in summer. White rump patch edged in black.
Antlers: 4–8 points, slimmer than red deer; often with a distinctive inward curve.
Behaviour: Secretive and quiet
Call: High-pitched whistle (unlike the red deer’s roar).
Benefits/Uses: Hardy, adaptable, excellent venison quality
