Can you feed to much?

I have read on here before that your fawns should take in 10 to 20% of their body weight of milk per day. My question is how accurate is that, and also can you feed them too much? My fawns were pulled at 30 hours and are now 6 days old. When I get finished feeding they act like they want more is it ok to give them as much as they want or should I limit them to a number of ounces per day? THANKS

Twenty years ago when I started with whitetails , I heard both sides of the question and I decided to give all they wanted. By the time they were three months old , they were eating one of the big lamb / calf bottles , three times a day. They had huge guts and did not eat much else because they were so full all the time. Then they got a bug and got sick and I had a real bad time turning them around. Years after that , I fed with a normal size pop bottle and fed three times a day . They were always still hungry after feeding but they were offered other food and I kept a 2 liter bottle of water with a nipple hanging in their pens so they could have water any time of the day so they didn't get dehydrated. Worked much better for me. Jim

If you are feeding replacer you can kill them over feeding.

With the red cap system, I feel you can feed them all they want.

I am using red cap milk. So you feel that i can feed them as much as they want?

Yes...If you are not mixing...My fawns in years past when on formula/replacers get a belly when they eat...When I would mix it, it would froth up...And the residue in bottle when empty was bad. I have none of that with the red cap...My Doe is drinking 14 oz at a time. I know that with formula, I was only comfortable giving 4oz at this age.

How many times a day are you feeding and she is drinking 14 oz per time? I just want to make sure that I am not going to offer them too much and they not know when they are full.

I've been feeding red cap for 10 days now 4 times a day as much as they want.Mine are all doing great just make sure you give them fresh dirt this does same thing as probiotics doesn't hurt to give both. (drinking between 10 and 20 once)Mine are already starting to nibble on feed to.

I agree with spiderman. I bottle fed over 50 fawns last year bucks and does on goat milk. I never gave a fawn more than 30 oz a day. If you do they wont eat other stuff. I want my fawns on grain and milk by 5-7 weeks into bottle. I bet i have a couple of coming yearlings that are 150 lbs+.



If you don't believe me there is a picture of one of them on Whitetail Exchange under timberjack semen. He was bottle raised this way.... The picture was taken on May 7. He is MUCH bigger today...

http://www.whitetailexchange.net/au...ing-up,name,107940,auction_id,auction_details

She is the only one I have pulled (buck still on the doe) no others born yet...

So, I have her in my house, she only wants feed 4 times... if she wanted more I would probably give it but she doesn't ask for it...she will come visit but doesn't demand the bottle like deer on replacer she only wants it four times...I love it

I am going with the knowledge of Wildbunch Whitetails. Rod and diane Miller have been in the business as long as most. They fed all they could eat and said they had the nicest, healthiest fawns they have ever had before.....that in itself is enough for me....I'll be feeding them a set amount for the first week four times a day.....I will then be feeding them 3 times a day all they can eat..........being it is three times a day it's not going to fill them up........the milk is digest rather quickly and this is why they will continue to eat other things......in fact The Millers said their fawns doing the all you can eat actually started eating other things faster than any other fawns thye rasied.......Everybody has their ways and I'm not saying one is better than the other.....I simply am going with the knowledge of the Millers and the fact that they were very satisfied with the way of bottle feeding.....they have fed basically every fawn they have bottle fed every fawn that has ever been born on their farm since being in this business and that tells me they have done a lot of fawns! You need to be sure you also vaccinate your fawns as well as put in the probiotics in their milk......use the red cap and save yourself a lot of hassle..........

Going with letting them eat all that they want. Do any of you notice your fawns bellies looking like they are going to pop?? My smallest triplet eats very well and is a week old today. She eats about 9 onces per feeding 4 times a day. She pee's and has soft droppings almost everytime we feed. She seems to be doing fine but the only thing that makes me wonder is her big belly. But, She isnt much bigger than the bottle and shes drinking an entire bottle each time. Any concerns neccessary? OR continue feeding em all they want?

WOW......9 ounces at 1 week old, and she does not have the scours.? What are you feeding? To me that sounds like alot! I would figure 2 - 4 ounces each feeding. Maybe some of the veterans know more......Maybe I have always been under feeding mine....Anybody ?

What are you feeding??? Red cap you can feed them all they want.......milk replacer not sure if you can do that.......

Why would you even risk feeding a doe fawn all they want? Your only concern on a doe fawn should be health. If you keep her healthy she'll be ready to breed in a year and a half. She doesn't have to grow in hyperspeed to be able to do that. I would just go with the moderate amount no matter what kind of milk of milk replacer I was feeding her. I have 43 fawns in my barn right now going on 100, and the oldest one will be 2 weeks tomorrow. I'm not even giving him 24 oz a day and he's growing like a weed...

Im not sure how much they are supposed to have either. I heard from another guy that his fawns are drinking 10-20 ounces per feeding 4 times a day. I dont know why there is so much confusion with all of this. I wish there was just a set number. I read about feeding the 20% of total body weight in ounces of milk per day and I was doing that but they cry and act like they are starving.

What ever works for you is what to do if your fawn is healthy no scours no diareah keep doing what you are doing.Just use your head if you think belly might be to big cut back a little til she can handle it. I don't like to see mine act like they are starving either thats why i switched to red cap lot easier no mixing no mess.If feeding milk replacer can not feed all they want they will bloat every time can not digest *** well or something.

On red cap mine are satisfied ofter eating and doesn't come back for more till 5 hours later...she stops at 19oz...She was born on the 13th my others are alittle smaller/younger

I love the red cap much healthier,stronger,better...No problems at all.

I guess if I was feeding 43 fawns and expecting 100 I wouldn't agree with the all you can eat theory either. But i'm not....and I do it not so my doe fawns grow at hyperspeed......I do it because it makes them nice and healthy....they grow at the rate they should......they eat other feed..they wean earlier....they are nice healthy strong fawns and that is why i feed them what they want. I would never consider feeding a fawn all they could eat if i thought it was endangering their health......my deers health is first and foremost on my priority list on my farm and always will be.

Do parents let their kids eat all the candy they want? Candy and milk are not the same I know that, but the idea is parents know better than kids. Well most times

Dennis...

I am With you! The red cap is the best thing ever!!!

I now have 10 fawns on it from every age.

Wow it is the best

It will cost me more but it is much healthier the fawns are so much better than ever before and I have been on every replacer out there...There is no problem starting them on it either it must taste the same or something they don't fight it like replacer