BSK; I did search after search and produced a good list of articles on deer digestion. You've got universities, the USA dept. of energy and the dnr against you:

http://www.thecontentwell.com/Fish_G...l_feeding.html

http://huntland.com/deerfeed/

http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/reso/toughlov.html

http://newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/ask...ogy/bio023.htm

http://www.aces.edu/department/extco...21main.html#t1

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/wtdeerfacts.html

http://www.huntergroupinc.com/Trees_...s___seeds.html


But don't worry I found a site that backs up what you say:

http://www.suwanneeriverranch.com/WTinfoDdigestion.htm

Thank you for the learning experience.

Dan O.

PS: I found a great site on fish farts:
http://www.smellypoop.com/farts.html

Good topic you and BSK have going. I've been frustrated trying to find out information on deer digestion in the past. One good link (study on competition between cattle, deer and goats) gives some pretty reliable information. - http://wildthings.tamu.edu/publicati...DPUBS/A080.PDF

From my own experiences and investigations, I've concluded that deer do eat some true grasses, but mostly by accident. I've been intersested in the grass question for years, as I, and others often see deer feeding in lawns and even on golf courses - apparently eating grass. I've come to the conclusion that the deer are eating some of this grass by accident, as they "hunt" for new growth forbs in this environment. I don't think there is much question the deer do not feed on mature stands of grasses (timothy, fescue, etc.) When a feild or lawn is mowed, competition is reduced for forbs as they shoot skyward trying to out compete the much more dominant grasses, and the deer key in on this food source. Also, if deer can digest any grasses - it would be the tender young shoots available right after mowing, I do not think though thats why you observe deer feeding in a lawn. http://www.suwanneeriverranch.com/WTinfoCdiet.htm

I do agree that Cattle and Deer's digestive systems are very different. Though since they are both ruminants - the huge amount of studies on cattle can give us insight into deer biology (as comparitively little studies exist for deer). Caution should be taken when comparing horses to deer though since their their digestive systems are completely different as the are not ruminants http://www.equinestudies.org/structur.htm

If deer cannot properly digest mature grasses if has major implications for emergency winter feeding. Many people use alfalfa hay in these conditions. For the most part, at least in my area, alfalfa hay is at least half grass (timothy etc.).

Dan O.

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BSK; you have to admit that there are many factors which limit the deer carrying capacity of an area of property. These would normally be hunting, food, predators. But; if you live in an area that averages 14 ft of snow per year, the normal control factors are low compared to the effect deep snow and snow late in the season have on the deer. The deer population is well below the food carrying capacity, so that habitat is not being depleted. If the deer are unable to get winter food in an extreme winter, emergency feeding is the only way to maintain an adequite deer population for hunting. This area only has a very limited doe harvest (by draw only). The harvest limit is one deer, and the deer population is low compared other areas. I don't think it is reasonable to lower the deer population to a point were there was no open season because emergency winter feed wasn't given.

If people are feeding hay that has a high grass content they are wasting money and effort as compared to feeding alfalfa cubes/hay if deer cannot digest the hay.

Dan O.

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BSK; you're right, the link that farm hunter gave appears to be a reputable study. But; what I get out of it is that deer do get nourishment from young grass. So when it comes down to the crunch, it isn't advisable to plant grass mixtures for deer. Other crops such as legumes and forbs offer more nourishment and attract more deer. But; they do consume grass if they have to.

Dan O.

Just curious, are ya'll including rye, wheat, or oats when you refer to grasses or are you considering bahia, bermuda etc, only?

Rye, wheat, and oats are cereal grains, not grasses. Timothy, Perenial Rye, fescue would be considered examples of grasses. The Cereal grains are annuals and the leaves are very high in carbohydrates compared to the grasses. They are very digestable by deer before they start to head out. They are a preferred food in the fall in my area, we plant in September. If you examine the stomach of a deer thats been feeding in a rye feild, you'll notice its just a bright green slurry. Conversely, occasionally you'll find small amounts of grasses mixed in the stomach as well. These plants look almost like they the were when ingested. Most grasses are very high in cellulous, low in carbohydrates.

I maintain that deer rarely eat grasses on purpose. Even when they have the right micro-organisms to aid in digestion, the process takes a very long time in a deer's digestive system. I do think that deer "sample" all kinds of possible foods for several reasons. Deer are very adaptable when it comes to food sources. However, they still need at least 2 weeks to develop the right bacteria in their stomach for new foods. By sampling different food sources occasionally, they speed this process up should they have to switch food sources for some reason.

On a similar note, we provide clover plots year round, annuals for the fall and spring and corn for the fall and winter. There is enough forage available for our herd that they shouldn't need for other foods. Yet they still browse on saplings (alot) and will all but switch over when mast like apples or beechnuts fall. Deer do not like to put all there eggs in one basket - thats why several food types/and plenty of natural browse are important.

This year after season, I video taped some deer from a treestand in a mature Hemlock/Beech woods as they worked toward the standing corn feild. We had about 1 ft of snow. It was very interesting as two deer came through, pawing for ferns under the snow. As the found them they would nip them close to the ground, and eat the foot long ferns as they watched ahead of them. They probably ate 20 each as I video taped them. I have no idea how digestable they are, also I never see them selecting ferns in the fall like this.

farm hunter; That's an interesting idea about deer eating everything to maintain some bacterial culture in their system. It would allow them to drastically reduce the time required before they'd digest whatever they were forced to eat. (OK; except for tough grass).

I used a similar system when I looked after a waste water treatment plant. Until the feeds could be stabilized we had a terrible time when our feed liquor makeup changed rapidly. Without storage capacity to ease the transition to a different food supply, I relied heavily on a small batch reactor that I keep stocked with bacteria that could digest much stronger and different feeds.

Have you noticed when the deer stop feeding on the cereal grain plants?

Dan O.