CHERRY TWP - Ron Boy had pheasants, turkeys, chickens, beagles, basset hounds - even cows for a time. But none of these animals would suffice.

Boy wanted something else.

Boy and his wife, Donna, of Boyers and their business partner, Bob White of Ellwood City, own and operate SouthBranch White-tails. The farm specializes in breeding genetically superior white-tailed deer that are raised and sold to breeders and game preserves across the nation.

The idea originated in Ron's love for the animal and a visit to a breeding farm. After conversations with Donna and White, the dream began to take shape.

"I always wanted to raise deer," Ron said. "Everything is enjoyable about it - it's a great family hobby."

In May 2000, the Boys and White

began the venture with nine fawns that were brought from Ohio, Indiana and areas in Pennsylvania. Now, the farm is home to 33 deer on 12 acres of land.

The deer are not your average deer that are found in forests and woodlands. These animals stem from generations of selective breeding.

One of SouthBranch's deer, Inferno, a 3-year-old buck, weighs about 230 pounds and sports a massive set of antlers. This male descends from a bloodline that includes a world-record buck named Goliath that was ranked as the world's largest buck in 2004.

According to the state Game Commission, the average adult buck in the wild weighs about 140 pounds.

The high genetics are very crucial to breeding and provide better chances of producing quality offspring, Ron said.

This in turn makes the animals very valuable. Some of the deer can be worth in the tens of thousands of dollars.

"It's a very nice alternative type of farming," Donna said. "I think it's a good way to save the family farm."

According to the North American Deer Farmers Association Web site, deer are a relatively new type of livestock.

The site also says raising and breeding deer has economical advantages for the farmer because deer eat less than cattle, require minimal daily care and do not take up as much acreage as traditional livestock.

Donna said there are more than 800 deer farms in the state, but the operations require more than just feeding. Raising and breeding deer require constant monitoring and care to ensure the animals are disease-free and are not under the types of stress they would encounter in the wild.The deer are vaccinated yearly and fed a diet of fresh alfalfa year-round. This is supplemented with a mix of 12 different ingredients, including various vitamins, minerals and nutrients."We are very conscientious about the health of our animals," Ron said. "We go to great lengths to keep our animals healthy with the right vitamins and feeds."He said immunizing the deer can take an entire day, as the deer must be sedated throughout the process. The animals are vaccinated to prevent tuberculosis and brucellosis, a bacterial infection that can affect the nervous system.Last year, the Boys and White received a surprise when neighbors from the surrounding area woke early and came to the farm to help with the vaccinations."We had to start at 4 a.m.," Ron said. "It blew me away. These guys actually got up to help us. It meant a lot."White said although there is "a lot of work" involved in raising and breeding the deer, the part-time endeavor gives him a sense of satisfaction."This is something I'm going to do when I retire," he said. "It's a whole cycle. (The deer) all have their own personalities."