In a free range condition I don’t see Bucks being sterl.
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Cottonseed
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Originally posted by MasterOfNothing View Posthttps://youtu.be/I8pNxtiA07k
I put this link on a cottonseed thread a couple months ago, but I didn't get any responses on it. I think it had a lot of interesting information. I'm new to deer hunting, as well as this forum, so I've been doing as much research as I can to help me understand deer better. Apparently there a chemical called gossypol in cottonseed that causes sterility in deer, so feeding cottonseed year round can affect fawn crop. I don't know if this helps, but it might be something you want to look into.
We stop feeding around Labor Day before the rut just to be safe as a precaution because yes, some studies show that large amounts of cottonseed ingested by deer can cause them to be temporarily sterile. I also believe most of these studies have been studies in pen raised deer who's diets consists of almost 100% cottonseed. I understand that deer exposed to more natural browse aren’t as impacted.
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We have fed cotton seed for 6 years, about 6-10 tons per year. Yes it works putting on weight on the animals. But remember it is only a supplement to the other things white-tails eat. Cotton seed and protein pellets can help your herd but it can also create a false load of animals on your area, (bringing in more animals from your neighbors). this can put more hurt on your pastures with more animals on your property.
don't worry about having your bucks go sterile as the deer will be eating more browse than cotton seed, unless you have penned deer.
We get our cotton seed from Cape and Son's as they have cotton mills contracted and can keep the cost better for you. They can be reached at 325-673-6206
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Originally posted by RascalArms View PostWe don’t have hogs but I don’t know of just a whole lot of things a **** hog won’t eat.
I’ve heard it’s hard for them to digest....but I’d bet they’d eat the crap out of it!!
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Guys just want to give a heads up on the cotton seed this year. With all the crazy weather we have had this year there is a possibility the seed could contain Aflatoxin. I never even thought about this. I usually buy some to feed my cows and deer each year. I was given the heads up by a cotton farmer in our area. He said if you got your seed at the start of the harvest there shouldn't be any problems. Its the cotton that has sat in the fields from all the flooding and has been stressed you need to worry about. Just thought I would give a heads up.
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Originally posted by deerwatcher51 View PostI started cottonseed for the first time last year. I was to late to find any in bulk and ended up buying cottonseed in sacks. I bought a half a ton to start and in sacks it was about the same cost as protein. I filled the wire feeders in January along with the protein feeders. I feed protein year round. If I remember correctly, you can put about 350 lbs in each wire feeder. From January through June, the cottonseed basically went untouched, but they were hitting the protein pretty heavily. In July, it was like a switch was flipped and they started hammering the cottonseed. I ended up buying another half ton and they ate all of that by the end of August. My plan this year is to let the protein run out and fill the cottonseed feeders and have that be their only option for January and February. I bought a high sided trailer and have already picked up three tons of bulk cottonseed from the nearest gin, which was 90 miles away. As far as finding cottonseed, I would google "Cotton Gins" and see the ones nearest you. Call them and see if they have any available. Now is probably the best time to find some. Later on they will either not have any more or will have contracted out what they have. I hope this helps.
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I have a feeder about what you mentioned and I’d guess it to hold 400-450. Never could get deer to touch it last year. Finally hogs ate it all. Moved it to a new property about a month ago.... so far untouched. Deer walk past it daily
In throckmorton I think I can feed it to deer by hand. Can’t feed it fast enough
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