dtabor

Reading about supplemental feeding etc I see everywhere where people are saying that feeding corn is bad for or will kill deer. Im only asking this as Im not an expert and thought of this question but....What is the difference between supplemental feeding corn and deer that live in/near large cornfields and gorge themselves on it? I would guess that when it is available, that is their primary food source so using the same theory that corn will kill deer I would think that there would be alot of dead deer in agricultural areas where corn is grown as there is an almost unlimited supply for a few months of the year there??

Like I said, not being scarcastic, just trying to see the difference.

D

Georgetownboys

Corn is kinda like candy to Deer. . .not to much good stuff for them, low in protein etc. So while it attracts them well, if you really want to feed them and develope better racks, body size etc. then you have to plant food plots or feed more specialized foods.

timbercruiser

I' ve had a gravity feeder in my backyard for over 5 years with corn in it. The deer will come out and eat maybe a handful apiece at a time. I also maintain a green field out back and have a number of acorn trees as well as other natural foods available. If you had them in a pen and the only feed available for them was corn, then they would probably die.

Rob in VT

I think it' s more that a deer' s digestive system changes from summer and fall going into winter. As their diet changes, so does the way they can " process" food. A deer can certainly eat corn in the winter, but because their stomach is geared towards breaking down bark, twigs, and browse, they aren' t able to digest the corn. A deer can literally starve to death with a full belly.

farm hunter

Rob' s got it -

If the deer are subsisting on browse and a well meaning person decides to plunk down 400 lbs of corn - the deer will of course eat it - and not digest an ounce because the correct bacteria for the breakdown of corn may not be available. If the " well meaning" person figures hed done good, and stops feeding at some point (it takes about 2 weeks for a deer' s digestive system to obtain the correct bacteria for a specific feed) the deer will can be left with no or little feed opprutunities.

Feeding can be good - but it MUST be in addition to an overal feed plan - AND maintained through till greenup - It can be a HUGE responsibility in non farmland areas.

That said - Don' t do it if you can plant - I don' t.

S.Texas

Corn is a carbo for deer. They like it. BUT

Mother nature plays her role in a deers diet. With late summer rains and a good " greening" period, deer will often times pass up our corn feeders. Plants such as Lime Prickley Ash or Granjeno will shoot up to 20% crude protein.

Micro organism that live in a deers stomach (which is a 4 stage) These bacteria are ciliate, bacilli, cocci, and spirilla.

The older the plant ingested the higher amounts of indigestable matter are sonsumed, (like lignin) ofcourse lowering its nutritional value. This is why deer consume the fresh growth over older plants.

Did you also know that deer do not have a gall bladder. This allow deer to eat rhododenron, which can kill sheep and cattle.

lunchbucket

Corn has about 2-4% protein and little or no vitamins and minerals. Is is starchy which is bad for the rumin when the temps start to go below 20 deg. F. However, the carbs n the corn are good for energy. The thing is to use some supplement that has some agents to buffer the starch and allow for the digestion of the corn. We are seeing more deer with bellys full of corn now that some cold weather set in. This is also do to lack of nutrient availablity and the ol' wives tail of the corn fed buck. Hopefully this will taper off after hunting season.

Russ otten

Deer are wild animals, been around for thousands of years. If they are in the wild, they do a good job of maintaining their health. I don' t know how close they are to a goat, but they can do a pretty good job of surviving. A question. How come those states that produce so much corn also seem to have some of the biggest deer? A record trophy in Iowa? The number 1 state in corn production. And I think Illinois is second. I rest my case.

Russ

S.Texas

Well northern whitetail are considered O.v. borealis or O.v.dacotensis, and are a sub-speices of southern whitetail. Thats why thier bigger.


(really they just escaped from Texas)


PS never heard of a deer dying from eating to much corn

Dan O.

S. Texas; they do die from eating too much corn in the northern climates. If deer are low on browse at the end of the winter and you supplement with straight corn, the deer end up dieing with a full belly of corn.

Dan O.