Hello everyone, I've been cruising this site for about three months. My partner and I have finished our first set of pens and we are in the process of getting our licsense. My question for those of you that have been at this for a while is, are deer that are fed a more natural diet of grains and browse healthier than those on textured or pellitized feed ? Thank you in advance for your response.
what to feed?
- Thread starter Luv2watchemgro
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Joined Apr 2009
558 Posts | 0+
Defiance, MO
Daren this will wind up being personal choice. We feed textured feed for one reason. It offers variety. I don't know about you but I would personally get tired of eating the same thing breakfast, lunch and dinner. That's the advantage of textured feed. The guys feeding straight pellet feed like it because they control better what the deer is eating. That way you don't have one deer picking out what he wants each time.My thought with textured feed is at the end of the day all the food is gone. They also seem to eat more with textured feed. Good for them, rough on the pocket book. Keep in mind most of the time you get what you pay for. We don't cut any corners with our buck mix during the antler growing season. Its better to have less deer and better feed than to have to many deer and crappy feed.
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
Joined Apr 2009
1,428 Posts | 0+
Northeast Wisconsin
We use Purina Antlermax. Purina makes a textured feed, but the issue we had with it was that the bird just got into it too much, so we use the pelleted feed. We've been using it for about 9 years now and like the consistency of the product. We also like the fact they have area reps that can give you advice or help you out with a feed problem.
Welcome!! I feel textured feed is important! But I also think deer need browse! I give my deer both, and it seems to be working very well! Good luck!
Scott Neeb
www.chanllowfarms.com
Scott Neeb
www.chanllowfarms.com
Joined Oct 2011
359 Posts | 0+
Columbia City, IN
Welcome to the awesome world of deer farming!
I use a pellet from ADM, because locally they have a great reputation, it's mixed within a day or two after I order it, I always get compliments on how nice my deer look all year long. I do add about 3 or 4 scoops of rolled soybeans for every bag of feed I put in the feeders for the extra fat, fiber and protien content. My pens are usually pretty lush with grass and clover, but since October I also have free choice bales of alfalfa.
I use a pellet from ADM, because locally they have a great reputation, it's mixed within a day or two after I order it, I always get compliments on how nice my deer look all year long. I do add about 3 or 4 scoops of rolled soybeans for every bag of feed I put in the feeders for the extra fat, fiber and protien content. My pens are usually pretty lush with grass and clover, but since October I also have free choice bales of alfalfa.
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
I like to mix my own so i use a local sweet feed along with 18% and 20% pellet. Depending on the time of the year i will add soybeans,sunflower,soybean meal,steam flake corn,peas and so on. I also like to add buck jam to the feed and then mix in a couple different kinds of probotics and a little something that feeds the good bugs in the gut. There are many ways you can go. You just need to figure what you like and what fits the budget!
Joined Apr 2009
1,428 Posts | 0+
Northeast Wisconsin
I should have mentioned that we do feed alfalfa in the winter along with the pellet. In the summer there is grass and clover in the pens that they munch on. According to Purina, deer can live on just the pellet, but they do better if some browse is added like the alfalfa etc. Deer normally chew a cud and it helps with their digestion if they do. We do not add any probiotics, never have and never had any problems. We've been in business for 18 years.
Wild Rivers Whitetails said:
I feed it also. Purina changed the feed by taking the sun flower seeds out. ever since, the birds stay out of mine.
crocket said:
ok, so besides the seeds, what could you add to the feed to increase fat content in the purina deer chow textured? Or better yet, what feed out there is better? my deer don't waste any of the purina. I can barely afford it but at least they eat it all.
Joined Apr 2009
1,428 Posts | 0+
Northeast Wisconsin
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
Joined May 2009
1,166 Posts | 0+
Tuscaloosa, Alabama