Heartland Feed

I recently changed to Heartland about three weeks ago for all four of our deer. This consist of three does and one buck fawn.



Immediately after blending the Heartland with what I was feeding, the food consumption on a daily rate went up based on the 1.5 lbs per day. The deer really seem to like it, seems very palletable, and I have no issues with making the change. The crew looks really good.



The percentage of the Heartland is only 16% I bump that up to about 22% by adding some 36% pellet.



The cost of the Heartland is a little higher but I feel it is worth it.



Jeff & Tina Enochs

Hunters Dream Whitetails

We also use Heartland feed and do very well with it. We started our farm about five years ago and have used it the whole time. We are up to 27 deer now and they do eat it very well. The only thing that we change is we ad some Aaromyicin not sure on spelling but it is an antibiotic pellet in i believe 4% we mix about 2 cups to a 50lb. bag. We feed our does and the bucks in the winter 16%. In the spring the bucks start eating the 18% feed. Fawns also are eating the 16% and we have had several compliments on how good the fawns look this year body size is very large and they seem extremely healthy. Hope this helps a little . www.browningwhitetails.com

I used it for 2 years and loved it. My deer were healthy, and conception rate was good also. I only changed due to the higher price, and having to drive 4 hours to pick it up. This added $ 150 to a ton of feed so I changed. If it was more available in my area I would still be using it.

Myself like many people in the north switched to a non-textured feed last April. It sure is nice knowing that the deer are eating all the feed and the only feed being eaten by non-target animals is a few pesky rabbits. I used to have every animal under the sun at my feeders. When I get the 22 out and start burning brush piles this week many of those rascally wabbits will be gone. My feed is made by ADM Alliance and it has garlic and an extra fat added to it year-round that is a rice oil that helps with digestion.

I used to have a feed similar to what the Flees family feed their deer. It worked good, but I have very few animals and they have more than I can count. The true testimonial I would say is that I have a mentor buck I have kept to keep with younger bucks for years now. He is 13 yrs. old and has never looked better on January 1st than he does this year. The previous three years he had 9-11 points. This last year on ADM he had 17 points. I expect him to have another good year in his third decade of existence. He is well past his prime and if he can put the points on this year, just think what that is doing for the rest of my deer. Non-textured feed is a win-win-win feed program when it comes to palatability, consumption, and digestion. JOE

I will also like to add to the post above of the forage content of my herd. I feed my animals three different types of alfalfa ranging from a relative feed value of 160-217. I have all my deer in three pens from mid-October through the end of April. These are my winter pens. This makes it easy for me to change from one alfalfa to another if the alfalfa they are eating in that one particular I feel is too hot for them.



When I sort deer in the spring they are more spread out. I separate them to a ratio of to 2 deer per half acre size and they can't keep up with the forage of clover, brassica, and the sunny/mix grass seed I have mixed in to fill all the dead spots since I can't irrigate these pens during the heat of summer. If I get that ratio right I will not have to rotate deer out for a recovery period. With this mixture of forage and ratio of deer I do not have to feed alfalfa from spring green-up time till mid-October. My animals get clean water year round also. I believe if you give them water in the winter it helps their appetite and they won't shut-down and wither away like some of the deer do outside the fence.



If it isn't broke, don't fix it. When you find the right feed, forage, clean water, and keep the numbers down you will have a less stressed herd and one that is easier to maintain. Your herd health as a whole will be better and you will spend less money on anti-biotics and over-worming. Green is in, and since it is nearly impossible to call your herd organic, you can still have a very natural herd that is eye pleasing with a consistent look to it. With great deer comes great responsibility. JOE