Feeding Schedule

Hey just wondering how you guys feeding schedules are??? Do you guys feed every day? Do you constantly keep feed in the feeders? Do you let your feeders go empty? If your feeders go empty how long do they stay empty? How many pounds of feed do you feed to like 10 deer?

My feeders pretty much are kept with feed always....I do let them eat them down to empty once in a while but I always re fill them right away. Just how I do it here.......now I will be tb testing this Saturday so I will let them go empty so the deer will all fast before they are tranq....but other than that we keep them with feed always....

On the average, adult deer will eat 4-5 lbs of feed a day

I like to keep feed in in front of them at all times. Especially the bucks, due to the fact that they can come in and eat when ever they want. If the feeder has been empty for a day then they all will be waiting ,thus causing a few fights when they all try to eat at once.

My deer are fed once a day in the evening, I expirement to find out how much one pen will eat in a day. Once I find how much i provide that amount once a day, somedays i come home to deer that are paceing and eager to eat, somedays there is some left over. Works for me, my deer are plump and healthy. Keeps them very tame when they realize I am their feed source, they know when they see me that dinner is served.

Antlershed, awesome post....you are right about the deer knowing their feed source....they do the same for me when I come with the skid loader they know it's New feed......they know it's good stuff .......I just like to make sure they have the feed 24 / 7 no matter what.....I guess there is no good or bad way as long as they are getting fed on a regular basis and not going hungry ........just my opinion.....good luck....

I agree with LJwhitetails...4 to 5 lbs a day, and sometimes the mature bucks will consume 6 if you let them.



And I agree with Allen...if they are too hungry, they will fight at the feeder, so that's why I feed in separate trays...one tray for each of them...spread out.



And I agree with Antlershed...I do exactly what you do for the same reasons you do, with the same results as you get.



And I agree with you Dennis...there is no good or bad way...as long as they are getting fed and not going hungry...and staying healthy...fat and sassy right Dennis?! lol

fat and sassy is the way...Mark!! LOL!

ddwhitetails said:

Antlershed, awesome post....you are right about the deer knowing their feed source....they do the same for me when I come with the skid loader they know it's New feed......they know it's good stuff .......I just like to make sure they have the feed 24 / 7 no matter what.....I guess there is no good or bad way as long as they are getting fed on a regular basis and not going hungry ........just my opinion.....good luck....

Click to expand...

ddwhitetalis is that you ???? TO NICE ,

Right on target with the average daily consumption rates given here, and a couple things I might add. First, how much browse do your deer have access to? That is also a component to be figured into daily consumption..A good way to figure this would be to take a 2-week or 30-day period and record the amount(weight) of the ration being offered, then record the refusal rate..You can then express this as a % of the total ration, and adjust the amount offered from that...the point being, you want to control cost, but NOT at the expense of livestock health and energy requirements..Secondly, whitetail are obligatory fat and mineral depositors, they store fat in tissue and mineral in their skeleton...The stored fat is used as an energy source during rut and mostly post-rut, when they undergo a partial hibernation..meaning their body condition can be a bit misleading late summer and early fall..they will look plump(healthy), but current ration/browse consumption may not be meeting NE(net energy) requirements..Now I said all that to say this...everyone here has given the best advice...keep the feed in front of them...as you watch consumption rates and body condition, you'll have some baseline to reference, and a trend analysis to watch for inconsistent or mixed results...good luck!