How much to feed?

A few things that might help are Rice Bran and 100% soy oil for top dressing. Here is a Link for the Rice Bran.

http://www.admani.com/horse/Products/Horse Healthy GLO.htm



Shock Effect Whitetail Conditioner would sure help also. I am a dealer in Minnesota for them if you need some help there.

Let me help you with a bit of background first...Energy is a prime requirement for lactating does. They require almost double the amt of energy than that of a buck in velvet, plus, almost triple the calcium requirement. Remember that whitetail(and all ruminants) partition energy; first to body function and condition, then immune system, hoof growth, antlers(bucks), and for does...milk production, which requires a significant amt of energy on it's on. The concept is logical..Body function and condition trumps everything else in these "partitions", and will rob the others if needs not met. They will begin the process of storing fat fairly soon, and will ramp up the fat storage rate roughly late September, as another photoperiod will change. What %crude protein are you currently feeding? You can actually start incrementally stepping that percentage down in the coming weeks, and incrementally raise fat and starch. I personally try to keep direct-fed fat in the 8%-9% max, but raise the starch up around 30%. With a starch rate in that range, you have a much better shot at reaching those net energy requirements, plus will build fat, or energy reserves, from the inside out, rather than direct fed. The cautionary note I would give is...make sure it's incremental steps, rather than wholesale change in the ration...the rumen will rebel! Especially one with a starch rate that high! To guard against lowered ph, and acidiosis, pull the crude protein back to around 14%, and use a good task specific probiotic...probiotics won't add weight, but they will assist in feed utilization...which means better digestibility of the total ration. Plenty of products out there, and the producers here in the forum will have some good ideas about energy feeds and supplements, just remember to phase in whatever is used carefully. Good Luck!

dream'n, just sent you a pm with my contact info. For those of you that may be following this thread, let me give a brief explanation...starches are considered non-structural carbohydrates(simple sugars, starches, fructan), and for the most part are also rapidly fermentable. Whole corn, as an example, contains about 5-6% protein, and roughly 82-84% starch, depending on variety. Starches are a great for energy and weight gain, but must be balanced with protein, fat, and other components. Rapidly fermentable carbohydrates, fed at a high %, without being balanced, slow the fermentation process, lower rumen ph, depress appetite...and convert glucose to lactic acid, which is where we find the term acidosis, or laminitis. The specific questions asked by dream'n, regarding net energy lactation, net energy maintenance, net energy gain, are a little difficult to fully explain here, as feed companies and labs have only cattle or other small ruminant figures to compute...There are NO complete studies regarding net energy requirements(NER) for whitetail deer, although I've seen some promising work coming out of a couple University trials. Nutritionists, and competent managers, mostly with cattle or small ruminant experience take the results as fed, tweak the numbers to fit what we do know about whitetail physiology, and make the best possible recommendation. After 25 years of working with cattle and small ruminants, I can tell you the last 6 working with whitetail have been the most difficult, and the most rewarding, as I am also learning nearly every day! One thing is certain, the "old school" concept of balance is still true.