Because I've never heard it said before, and moreover because of the escalating cost of grain, I'm wanting to know how much grain one needs to give a deer to maintain adequate health and stamina in them (and me
). I of course want to give them enough, but don't want to give them anymore than they need and enter the realm of ''the more they eat the more they poop''. My deer have access to 22% alalfa hay 24/7, with little to no other forage in the pens. To escape the problems with birds, I feed grain (16%) in the evening and give each pen just enough grain to eat through the night w/o leftovers. Through this method I have learned what they are ''willing'' to eat per evening: Yearling bucks-3 lbs, 2yr old bucks-4 lbs, 3yr old bucks-5lbs, and 4yr old bucks-6 lbs. My deer are extra large and robust in the fall, but I don't sell them by the lb. I have two basic questians: 1- How much grain do you feed yours and can or should I cut back on their grain intake, and force them over to the salad bar (hay), especially the older ones? 2- Can one get by sufficiently with less than 16% protein on grain when you're feeding 22% protein hay? Fellow deer farmers, I know these are tough questions that are capable of bringing out a mutitude of opinions, cause how would we ever know on 'any buck's given year' whether he did better on 16% grain 3 lbs/day as opposed to 14% 4 lbs/day. That being said, I would really like to know your opinions and what has been working for you. The heart of my question is spawned out of my need to cut costs if and where I can. Thank you in advance for your time and shared experience!
). I of course want to give them enough, but don't want to give them anymore than they need and enter the realm of ''the more they eat the more they poop''. My deer have access to 22% alalfa hay 24/7, with little to no other forage in the pens. To escape the problems with birds, I feed grain (16%) in the evening and give each pen just enough grain to eat through the night w/o leftovers. Through this method I have learned what they are ''willing'' to eat per evening: Yearling bucks-3 lbs, 2yr old bucks-4 lbs, 3yr old bucks-5lbs, and 4yr old bucks-6 lbs. My deer are extra large and robust in the fall, but I don't sell them by the lb. I have two basic questians: 1- How much grain do you feed yours and can or should I cut back on their grain intake, and force them over to the salad bar (hay), especially the older ones? 2- Can one get by sufficiently with less than 16% protein on grain when you're feeding 22% protein hay? Fellow deer farmers, I know these are tough questions that are capable of bringing out a mutitude of opinions, cause how would we ever know on 'any buck's given year' whether he did better on 16% grain 3 lbs/day as opposed to 14% 4 lbs/day. That being said, I would really like to know your opinions and what has been working for you. The heart of my question is spawned out of my need to cut costs if and where I can. Thank you in advance for your time and shared experience!