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Suplementing Deer Feed

1K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Bigbill 
#1 · (Edited)
Around here Cattle Grubs and worms are the problem are the same problem as elsewhere.
I haven't seen a deer with Grubs but doesn't mean they are not a problem for them.
Neighbor has feeder cattle and deer sometimes feed on his property.
I have read of feeding medicated goat feed to deer in spring to rid the deer of any intestinal worms.
Not sure that address Deer herd heath adequately, but I'm not up to chasing them down and tacking them to Vet, especially perhaps two hundred.
What kind of feed and supplements and amounts do you Folks use to keep your deer herd healthy?
On edit there is supposed to be an in Supplemental, in the title. After 13 years time to use the new laptop.
 
#4 ·
Shelled corn. Or a salt lick.

Deer are a separate species from cattle and not susceptible to the same diseases.

About the only two diseases that are serious that Cervids suffer from are Blue Tongue and CWD.
I'm sorry. Memory sometimes not so great. There are actually six serious cervid diseases..


And Loucutus is right to be cautious.
Though to date there has never been a case of CWD transmission to a human either by eating or handling , if one lives in a state where CWD is present in native herds testing wouldn't be a bad idea.

I don't myself but KY doesn't as yet have CWD in our deer herds.
 
#6 ·
Been supplementing the deer diet at our properties, a property i have permission to hunt and at our deer lease for many years. We use mostly corn. We also use soy beans when the price is right. Much of the "deer corn" being sold in Oklahoma is stuff that was rejected for export due to mold and crud. We make sure the corn is free of aflatoxin.

https://brownfieldagnews.com/2013/05/deer-corn-tests-positive-for-aflatoxins/

Sometimes we feed cattle pellets and rice bran. Rice bran won't work in a feeder.
 
#7 ·
There are studies that show feeding deer corn in winter is bad for them. The main idea is too many starches all of a sudden shocks their system and they can't digest it right. This can and does kill deer, when people thought they were helping the animals.

This happens when deer are fed corn during the harder parts of winter, when they are eating primarily tree bark and foraging dried grasses and plants.

If feeding corn to deer, start early in the winter and don't stop, but this doesn't eliminate certain deer that find the corn mid Winter.

Don't take my word on it, do you own research.
 
#8 ·
a lot of times deer will also use the same salt and mineral blocks that cattle use. deer will also graze right along side cattle in the pastures at night with cattle.
 
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#10 ·
Best thing to do is establish good habitat. Good cover and ample forage are cheaper and are much more benefical to overall herd health than a corn pile. Mineral licks are good but don't buy into the crap that is marketed to hunters. Red cattle salt has the same mineral content and is just as effective as the latest gimmick.
 
#11 ·
In Missouri, all-mineral blocks/bagged are legal. Anything containing grain is not. All grain must be removed 10 days prior to hunting the area. I use the bagged red cattle salt and ADM deer blocks (no grain). We have plenty of field crops to keep deer healthy throughout the winter and another bumper crop of acorns this year. I also have several natural salt licks on the farm as my creek is a tributary of Salt River, known to Native Americans and settlers for centuries. Critters like the natural licks but not as much as the ones I've put out. We have CWD/Blue Tongue here and find several dead deer every year.
 
#13 ·
I have the berry blocks from TSC up in the water shed area with molasses coated whole corn. Only in the winter with deep snow is when they first go out.

I have one giant buck about 18pts he has 10does with him. I keep the herd healthy so he spreads his genes.
 
#14 ·
Missouri landowners received a multi-page questionnaire from the Dept of Conservation concerning observations/comparisons of 5 years ago vs. this season. One section concerned placement of mineral supplements and CWD. Another covered numbers of big bucks, numbers of deer on the property, and days hunted/harvested/various seasons. MDC does a great job of deer management, hunting seasons, and overall health of the herd. After the data is compiled, they give us back the information.

Presently, in "CWD Counties" where CWD has been found, regulations are different. They have mandatory testing of harvested deer in those counties amounting to several thousand samples. Supplements are illegal in those counties due to the tendency of feeding/supplements to congregate deer. Years ago, counties paid "wolf bounties" of $15 for each "wolf/coyote" scalp brought to the courthouse. You rarely saw coyotes in those days but people abused the system and brought scalps from everywhere, claiming they were killed locally. IMHO, around here, coyote predation on fawns is a concern.
 
#16 ·
We put feed out when the snow is deep. Two berry blocks from Tsc last all winter. Next year three blocks will be put out. The deer are huddled just beyond my property in the water shed. The local 400# blackbear just paid us a visit. Yogie just stays by himself and doesn’t bother anyone.

Ok no more corn but the turkeys are here for the cracked corn by the dozens,
 
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