Goat/Sheep Feed vs. Deer Protein

[canny]

Have fed 20% sheep/goat pellets for the last couple years in the hill country, deer hammer it. In comparing labels side by side with 20% deer pellets from the same mill the goat pellets had a slightly higher fat content and about half the vitamin A content, only detectable difference from the labels. The goat/sheep pellets were larger diameter than the deer pellets but the deer chewed them up just the same.

Just my opinion and am sure many will disagree, but if my deer were in a pen and eating nothing but protein I could be concerned about differences in trace minerals but am feeding free range deer and the pellets are only part of their diet.

Am also interested in where to get 16% cattle feed for $3.50/bag as I will feed it in a heartbeat if I can get it for that. The sheep/goat pellets I have been buying run about $1.50 per bag cheaper than the deer pellets, around $7/bag.

Places that have deer in pens, do not feed just protein. Their feed is a balanced feed that meets all the deers needs when it comes to nutrition. Thi

I think we still need to keep in mind this is supplimental wildlife feed. I dont think changing the deers' suplimental feed diet (reducing copper/mineral content) would have an adverse affect on their digestion or health.
They are still wild animals who are not exclusively feeding from deer feeders. Before automatic deer feeders came about, the deer didnt have copper deficiencies, right???
It sounds like right now the best option is either this cattle feed (if we can clarify the cost and location) or the Red Label protein.

True that it is supplemental feed, however during high stress periods especially in the summer they will consume a large amount of feed, assuming you dont have good spring/summer plots.

This comes into play because when deer are stressed their antler production goes down due to having to maintain other body functions. If you feed addresses these functions with the proper minerals and nutrients then there shouldn't be a noticeable decrease in antler growth during the stress periods.

In regards to the automatic feeders and copper deficiencies. No deer did not nor do they have copper deficiencies due to automatic feeders. This is because corn, i'm assuming, doesnt have any nutritional value for deer except carbohydrates.

[mhbaseball]

But if you can get 16 protein from cattle grain in a 50 lb bag like hogdude said...who can turn down a 50 lb bag for $4??? I sure cant especially when it has a mixture of corn/cottonseed....both of which deer love. I would love to hear where he gets this???

[Hawkpuppy 1]

You can feed a sheep feed to free range deer. I would suggest using the 20% in a free range environment. Deer consume about 4% of their body weight per day. Studies have shown that of that 4%, only about 1-2% will be of a supplemental form. Still have to manage your habitat right. The big differences in sheep vs. deer feeds are the fiber content, fat content and mineral package. I don't think you could ever develop a mineral difficiency on free range deer by feedign a supplement unless the existing conditions were already so bad that it was a pre-existing condition.

Dave

[mhbaseball]

good post hawkpuppy!!!!! Didnt know that.

[holdin4horns]

Well I ended up finding some stuff here in Abilene (Antler Plus) deer protein for $8 per 50 lb bag. I did my research, contacting several guys in town, but the cheapest livestock feed anyone had with 16% protein was 7.50 per bag, and typically were in 1/2 inch cube size. I decided to pay the .50 a bag and go with the Antler Plus deer protein.

Still, $8 versus what i typically pay was well worth the phone calls!!

Thanks

[wellingtontx]

Goat/Sheep Feed vs. Deer Protein

I think you made a wise choice.

Still wondering about the "mystery" protein for sub $4.00 per bag.

[AntlerMax]

I just LOVE discussions like this one....

Especially when people read tags and think that one brand is better than the other based on the tag alone...

It's the things that AREN'T on the Tag that are important... like where the sources of Protein come from and how readily they are digestible to the animal... and the balance of Macro and Micro Nutrients and what source they are from...

If you'd like to see a pellet that is 18% Protein, 4.5% Fat and 16% Fiber, I've got one in a jar on my desk....

If you send it off to a lab, the analysis will come back EXACTLY what the tag says it is...

but just don't look at the ingredients....

They're made from Wood Chips, Clay, 10W30 Motor Oil and Lawn Fertilizer....!

.
.
... Carry On....!

[Skinny]

I think you made a wise choice.

Still wondering about the "mystery" protein for sub $4.00 per bag.

It is $5.00 a bag now!!! Gotta buy it by the ton though!!! The deer are very attracted to it. Wheather it grows big racks and/or gives the deer what they need, I am not sure. There is so much native browse around here it would be impossible to pinpoint the most beneficial source of nutrition they eat. But it grows the heck outta our bulls!!! I first realized the deer liked the feed by seeing them at the creep feeder eating it. I put some in a gravity feeder and the deer ate it up.

[kfd82]

It is $5.00 a bag now!!! Gotta buy it by the ton though!!! The deer are very attracted to it. Wheather it grows big racks and/or gives the deer what they need, I am not sure. There is so much native browse around here it would be impossible to pinpoint the most beneficial source of nutrition they eat. But it grows the heck outta our bulls!!! I first realized the deer liked the feed by seeing them at the creep feeder eating it. I put some in a gravity feeder and the deer ate it up.

What is it (what brand and feed name) and where do you get it?

[lovemylegacy]

All-stock sweet feed, mixed with corn.

[Codie]

Well I ended up finding some stuff here in Abilene (Antler Plus) deer protein for $8 per 50 lb bag. I did my research, contacting several guys in town, but the cheapest livestock feed anyone had with 16% protein was 7.50 per bag, and typically were in 1/2 inch cube size. I decided to pay the .50 a bag and go with the Antler Plus deer protein.

Still, $8 versus what i typically pay was well worth the phone calls!!

Thanks

If you ever want to get the Red Chain protien (which is about the cheapest protien I have found, try 4 h Feed on why 180 E in Breckenridge. A freind of mine from high school owns it. I use them for all my feed, but I am using ADM Alliance Nutrition "Rack Plus" feed and the deer are LOVING it. $360/ton right now

[raiderelkhunter]

It is $5.00 a bag now!!! Gotta buy it by the ton though!!! The deer are very attracted to it. Wheather it grows big racks and/or gives the deer what they need, I am not sure. There is so much native browse around here it would be impossible to pinpoint the most beneficial source of nutrition they eat. But it grows the heck outta our bulls!!! I first realized the deer liked the feed by seeing them at the creep feeder eating it. I put some in a gravity feeder and the deer ate it up.

Not true. Land evaluation and have the browse and forbs tested for protein content....a pain in the rear, but not impossible...

[wellingtontx]

Hogdude - again, where is it that you are buying this mystery protein for now $5.00 (originally stated as $3.50) per bag ? Even if it is by the ton.

[mhbaseball]

PM him and he will tell you. He told me but I have since deleted the PM sicne it wasnt within driving distance of me.

[RiverRat00]

What is the current price of protein per Lb?