cottonseed ???? Deer food ????

[flurryoftexas]

i built a cotton seed feeder and put it out.....i just put camera up last weekend to see any activity....i will be back to check the cameras in two weeks.....

[WestTXHunter]

It is the most complete feed there is for deer or cattle. I'm in the bull and buck business and it can sterilize either but only temporarily. 6-8 weeks after they quit eating it, everything returns to normal. Deer in the wild will never eat enough of it to cause sterility, only in captivity. Cottonseed is a balanced feed with high protein, energy and fiber. What more could you want? One of the main reasons it is getting high in price, is that hunters have discovered it and many large ranches in South and West Texas are feeding it exclusively. Also, with corn being so high last year, many farmers planted all corn and little cotton. That created a shortage.

Not true. Cottonseed is not a balanced feed. For deer it contains nothing that will grow big antlers... it has no calcium.... no salt.... no energy from omega 3's... It does not contain enough vitamins, fat or fiber to be a balanced feed. The reason cotton seed is priced so high is because it is being used for bio-diesel production and other alternative energy which has increased the usage and lowered the reserves. Cottonseed is also used in the production of animal feeds, medicine and other food based products. Corn is being used for ethanol production as well as milo.

[bltiger]

Not true. Cottonseed is not a balanced feed. For deer it contains nothing that will grow big antlers... it has no calcium.... no salt.... no energy from omega 3's... It does not contain enough vitamins, fat or fiber to be a balanced feed. The reason cotton seed is priced so high is because it is being used for bio-diesel production and other alternative energy which has increased the usage and lowered the reserves. Cottonseed is also used in the production of animal feeds, medicine and other food based products. Corn is being used for ethanol production as well as milo.

Cottonseed has 19-24% protein levels (based on what I found on google) and it has been proven that protein does help bucks grow bigger antlers so how does that fit into your theory? Just playin' devil's advocate of course.

[bltiger]

And I know for a fact that SALT does not help deer grow bigger antlers, that comes straight out of the mouth of two wildlife biologist I've met with...I'm not saying deer don't need salt, but it doesn't help them grow bigger antlers...

[Bodey]

I wasn't implying that cottonseed was the perfect, complete ration but it does offer an excellent source of protein ,as well as fiber and energy from cottonseed oil. I don't need my feed ration to provide salt and minerals. I believe it is the best buy for the dollar as far as deer feeds go. I purchased two semi truck loads in South and West Texas for $190 and $205 a ton this January and that was when corn was $6-7 a bushel. Corn is now around $3 a bushel and that was all supposed to be about "Ethanol"and energy. It was really about trader speculation in Chicago.

[WestTXHunter]

I wasn't implying that cottonseed was the perfect, complete ration but it does offer an excellent source of protein ,as well as fiber and energy from cottonseed oil. I don't need my feed ration to provide salt and minerals. I believe it is the best buy for the dollar as far as deer feeds go. I purchased two semi truck loads in South and West Texas for $190 and $205 a ton this January and that was when corn was $6-7 a bushel. Corn is now around $3 a bushel and that was all supposed to be about "Ethanol"and energy. It was really about trader speculation in Chicago.

You are absolutely correct... on all of your points above

[WestTXHunter]

Cottonseed has 19-24% protein levels (based on what I found on google) and it has been proven that protein does help bucks grow bigger antlers so how does that fit into your theory? Just playin' devil's advocate of course.

Wow.... actually it is not a theory. My Feed Mill has been making feed since 1958... yep... over 50 years... so it is not a theory.... Fact is we have an on-staff Animal Nutrionist (yep has three degrees and knows his stuff) who provides actual analysis for all of the feed we produce... What makes deer horns grow is not salt... if you read the post where I was replying to my friend Bodey I was referring to "Balanced Feed". My other comment was that Deer require specific minerals and vitamins to enhance horn growth and that cottonseed meal does not have enough of the specific minerals to enhance horn growth. Besides if all it took to grow big horns was cottonseed meal then all of the deer feed manufactures (mine included) would stop adding all of the trace minerals and vitamins to their feed...

[extremehunter]

From what I understand whole cotton seed has alot more protien than meal.

[bltiger]

Wow.... actually it is not a theory. My Feed Mill has been making feed since 1958... yep... over 50 years... so it is not a theory.... Fact is we have an on-staff Animal Nutrionist (yep has three degrees and knows his stuff) who provides actual analysis for all of the feed we produce... What makes deer horns grow is not salt... if you read the post where I was replying to my friend Bodey I was referring to "Balanced Feed". My other comment was that Deer require specific minerals and vitamins to enhance horn growth and that cottonseed meal does not have enough of the specific minerals to enhance horn growth. Besides if all it took to grow big horns was cottonseed meal then all of the deer feed manufactures (mine included) would stop adding all of the trace minerals and vitamins to their feed...

Cottonseed and cottonseed meal are two different items correct? Because in your first comment you were talking about cottonseed and the last comment you are talking about cottonseed meal. So I think those are two different items. I'm not trying to attack you so please don't feel like I am. I'm just reading what you wrote,

"For deer it contains nothing that will grow big antlers... it has no calcium.... no salt..."

I thought you were implying that salt helps grow big antlers since you stated it above. Deer definitely need salt like humans or we would die so in a way a deer cannot grow horns if it is dead so I guess in a round about way deer need salt to grow big antlers!

And I meant who does Cottonseed containing 19-24% protein make it a bad choice to feed deer? That is what I was saying about theory not questioning your feed mill. It does take a balanced diet to grow big antlers we agree on that.

[WestTXHunter]

From what I understand whole cotton seed has alot more protien than meal.

Good question.... most folks think that... but the fact is that Cottonseed meal has 41% protein and cottonseed has just 19 to 24% or so.... why you ask???? well because a Whole cottonseed is made up of cotton fuzz, cotton burrs, cotton seed hulls (this is what protects the actual seed) and the cottonseed. *When you remove all the rest and keep the seed... the volume of protein goes up because you have less filler.... Most Feed mills use Soybean meal, Cottonseed meal and Dried Distillers Grains (DDG) to increase the level of protein in their feeds... for example some folks want high protein Alfalfa Pellets.... Alfalfa Hay has between 16% and 19% protein on average... and between grinding and running through the pelleting process it may lose a bit... so if someone wants high protein Alfalfa Pellets in the 20% or more range then one of the above would be added to increase the protein level.

*This is also why DDGs are so high in protein... corn for example has only 8% protein... Corn DDG has upwards of 40% protein... all the filler is removed just leaving the kernal.....

[Rex]

Interesting read.

http://www.buckmanager.com/2009/02/24/feeding-cottonseed-as-supplemental-white-tailed-deer-food/

[mulie_mike]

I called a cotton gin and they offered me clean and delinted seed. Is that what you feed to the deer?

[mhbaseball]

well I put out cottonseed for the first time this year, 1 week ago. I will check pics to see activity. Yes if deer eat only cottonseed it will make them sterile but eating it as a supplement to regular browse will not. That is the latest research

[big_smith]

We fed CS for several years with great results, until the cows became a major problem. Now we can't put it out, as they will tear down the fence to get to it. For the money it is much cheaper than protein, it is water resistant, and you lose a lot less to coons, hogs, etc than you would protein. It is difficult to store, and move around. We store it in the big giant sacks that weigh about 4-5 hundred pounds so it is hard to move around. It might take a while for deer to turn on to it. We usually mix in a little corn, or pour molasses over the top to get them started.

[TWP]

Shot first three deer out of front porch growing up....we had over 5 tons of cotton seed that we used to feed cattle during the drought. The deer loved it!!!! Might have to bring it back.