Deer don't eat grass???
 

Have you ever heard this?

Why do they eat grass? What type do they prefer? Why do they eat grass in your yard v. a field?

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Jeff,

I seen several does eating grass in the middle of an old logging road last year - I walked up to make sure there was nothing else as the grass was kinda tall - not sure what flavor it was - but definitely will eat it

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

they definetly do ,i use to hunt the hills of brown county ,indiana and ounce all the acorns were gone all the deer would just eat the vegetation which was 99 percent grass

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

i see deer eat grass all the time but if you have alfalfa they will hit the alfalfa before they would grass. But they do eat grass.

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Never heard that. I have heard that they prefer browse and other stuff though over grass. They dig thru the snow all winter to get to my grass. Maybe it’s just because mine is usually the longest compared to my neighbors and they have less snow to dig thru. ;)

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

I googled it and its like only 10% of their diet. I know my dog pukes from to much.

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Sure they do. Believe it or not, your lawn actually has a few advantages to a deer's diet. Obviously grasses tend to grow in uniform distribution, making browsing much less time consuming for an animal that's livelyhood depends on quick eating. Grass is a consistent food source, 12 months a year. Grass has thick cell walls which contain very high levels of cellulose, (a sugar produced after fermentation) that I believe deer need in their diet (but takes a long time to digest in rumen). There are more amounts of nutritous material in each plant cell than meets the eye. Deer are just like cows...kinda. They are both ruminant grazers (not strict browsers) with very similar stomach systems. Im sure people will jump on me for calling deer grazers, but they are not true browsers. Typically deer will only consume grass in the early spring as immature grasses are sprouting and snow cover begins to desist. Reason being, the earlier the stage for the grass, the less cellulose it contains. Another reason deer might resort to eating grass is the fact that they are moderate sized herbivores, which contain a moderately sized gut capacity, perhaps accomodating some grass material that requires longer retention time. And lastly, perhaps the most elementary theory. There just is not enough browse to satisfy the animal's diet.

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

but the real question has anyone ever seen a deer smoke grass

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

I have to jump in on this one.

I agree, deer can and do eat grass. Studies haveshown that it makes up about10-15% of their diet.However as previously stated, the cell walls contain high amounts of lignin which is hard for the bacteria in the rumen to break down. Deer just don't have a large enough rumen to keep mature grass long enough to break down and extract the nutrients. They can readily eat and digestyoung green grasses. However, they can starve to deathwith a stomach full of mature grass. This is why you probably see them more often eating grass in a regularly mowed lawn. Same goes for cows, moderate grazing keeps grass in a growing state and therefore easier to digest.

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

I saw two does and a buck at the annual Hash Bash here in Ann Arbor:D

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Ahhhh yes. If I can find it....I'll post a photo of some deer we saw in Huntsville, Ontario - Canada, last year......eating hay off a trailer someone had placed in their yard (near the snowmobile trails). I felt bad for the deer....for the reason you just mentioned. They could literally starve to death with a full stomach of hay.



There's another reason they prefer lawns over wild grasses.;)

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Germ you guys have a hash bash!?

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Do we have a hash bash, LOL

http://www.freedomactivist.net/hashbash.html

I am sure I saw Jim there in April[:-]

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[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

Being in the cattle business and having taken animal science/range science while in college, I have a little knowlege regarding this subject, albeit limited and far from an expert.

One of the first things you learn in regards to managing native pasture/rangeland is that cattle, sheep, and deer/goats are complimentary to one another in maintaining a proper balance of range plants in a properly managed situation in that their PRIMARY food source is different from the other species.

Native pasture plants can be broken down into these general categories- grass, forbes(weeds), browse(woody plants and leaves) and legumes(clover type plants). Legumes, in a native situation comprise the smallest percent as they are usually the most preferred by all species.

However, animals, just like us like a variety in their diets.
While these aren't exact percentages (I am relying on memory from 30 years ago) these are close enough to get the big picture of what the different species consume in regard to variety. I am sure I can dig through my textbooks and get the exact if someone pressed me.

Cattle- grass 70% forbes 20%, browse 10%
Sheep grass 30%, forbes 40%, browse 30%
deer/goats grass 10%, forbes 10%, browse 80%

So yes deer eat grass just like cattle eat browse, but the percentages of eachare on the opposite end of the spectrum.

It will also vary within times of the year and what else is available that is nutritous. Wheat and oats are classified as a grass yet is the preferred food source for deer during winter months.

Alfala is a legume. Peanuts are a legume.

As far as deer starving to death on hay, so can cattle if it is too low in protein and TDN (total digestiable nutrients).

There is a saying"A chain is onlyas strong as its weakest link." This statement is never more true than when it comes to Nutrition, regardless of the species in question.

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

What were you doing at the Hash Bash young man, and more to the point why didn't you invite us? ;)

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

I work in A2;)

RE: Deer don't eat grass???
 

I had a pasture that was heavy in Johnson grass, and the deer flocked to it like clockwork every evening year round. In fact, we killed four deer off that pasture the only year we were able to hunt it.