Taking up the cotton seed

[mudjeremy]

This year was my first time dealing with cotton seed, we had some nice bucks on camera coming to it but next week we are taking the cotton seed out. I was wonder how everyone else does it and what y'all do with the left overs, we have 13 feeders set out and most of them have some still in them.

[aggie2000tx]

Why not just feed it out until gone?

[mudjeremy]

Why not just feed it out until gone?

I've been told by the biologist of the ranch that if the deer are on it for to long they can become sterile

[aggie2000tx]

I've been told by the biologist of the ranch that if the deer are on it for to long they can become sterile

I don't know what would cause that in cotton seed. Interesting. I have never fed it

[Slick8]

I've been told by the biologist of the ranch that if the deer are on it for to long they can become sterile

I'm FAAAARRRRR from an expert but I've heard of this before and also read that it's complete bunk.

Just what I've heard.

If I really believed it would cause them to become sterile I wouldn't put out a bit of it. Plus if they ate it that would be natures way of eliminating the stupid deer from the herd.

Good luck to ya.

[Breezy]

I've been told by the biologist of the ranch that if the deer are on it for to long they can become sterile

Wrong ! Leave it out

[ggreg02]

I'm pretty sure their cottonseed intake has to make up a large % of their diet to make them sterile. Most deer wont eat enouh in the wild to cause a problem. It is my understanding there are a lot of big ranches in South Texas that feed it year round with no problem. I would leave it till they were empty if it were me.

[gargetter]

I'm FAAAARRRRR from an expert but I've heard of this before and also read that it's complete bunk.

Just what I've heard.

If I really believed it would cause them to become sterile I wouldn't put out a bit of it. Plus if they ate it that would be natures way of eliminating the stupid deer from the herd.

Good luck to ya.

Only if cottonseed was their main diet.

[Tx625]

Only if cottonseed was their main diet.

Exactly, which it is not, leave it out!

[mudjeremy]

If it was my ranch I would leave it since everyone is saying the same thing, but I just work on the ranch and if the manager says we are taking it up I guess that's what's gonna happen

[coachk43]

JUST FYI:

I too have heard that Cotton Seed does cause temporary sterilization. Usually, the bucks are fine to reproduce if you stop feeding cotton seed around the first of Sept. I was told by two separate biologists that you should start feeding in late Feb - early march and cease no later than Sept 1st. If you're starting now, you've missed the most important time of antler growth for this season anyhow for the most part.

[wtx223]

Has to be main diet source to negatively effect them. Our mule deer eat very little cottonseed in summer months, but really get after it from Nov to March. They will eat it before green hay or pellets even. Going on 7 years.

[ggreg02]

We start ours on it early at our place.....

[systemnt]

I've been told by the biologist of the ranch that if the deer are on it for to long they can become sterile

Fired.
The studies done werent exactly scientific.. and were on pen deer.

[aggie2000tx]

Just does not make sense to me. What is it the cotton seed that would cause them to be sterile? Why is it ok to feed it some of the year and not the rest? Someone enlighten me please.