what would you feed deer to give them at least 16% protein or higher
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That is where you start. We used to have a custom pellet made that was 17.9% protein. You can fortify that with a late cutting alfalfa, soybean meal(not whole soybeans, unless they are roasted)and sunflower seeds.
We have been been trying feeds for a couple of years and PURINA makes the BEST! They have a locked in formula that guarauntees you the exact same amount of every nutrient and protein in each bag no matter how much you buy the next time you buy itll be the same! and it works great. If you change there diet it takes two weeks for their stomaches to change and during that two weeks they are kinda sick and it just takes away 2 weeks of time that they could be using to grow instead of changing diets and having to adjust!
Over the past four years I have been feeding the wild deer around the house. Cotton seed meal. High in protien, its high in just about everything a deer needs. Affordable too. I put a little livestock mixing salt with it and mix in a goodly some of calcium carbonate.
This has provoded the deer with enough of a healthy diet that many of the wild does are dropping twins. Since the farm is planted in corn and soybeans the get thier choice of additional foods.
One thing that is really suprising is one 5 acre tract along the river bottom has nothing planted, just wild weed growth, the deer are in there everynight, my best guess is for ruffage.
My brother-in-law has purchased several large amounts of various types of Rape seed, this will be planted in the draw between our houses along with three species of white millet and Dutch White Clover. The clover produces its own nitrogen, this will allow any additional fertilizers to supplment the seed crops.
Alfalfa hay when fertilized properly can produce protiens of up tp 22%, a good Bermuda such as Tifton 44 or Wrangler can do the same, and is not as tempermental as Alfalfa, if you have the climate to grow it. Timothy or/and Brome is also good.
Should you be feeding wild deer, 100 acres of typicle southern hardwoods supplies enough browse for about 5 deer per year. Yet 10 acres of well maintained food plots can provide enough for 100 deer.
Using Google and serach it out there is some great information out there.
You may also wish to contact your county Extentsion Agent for information, for a small fee you can have soil samples sent off for analized. This will tell you the needs of the soil, and what you can do to help it.
deer question, 12/25