What Inexpensive Way to Feed Deer?
As a General Rule – There are
- Bluegrass
- Buds of trees and shrubs
- Flowers
- Oats
- Leaves
- Wheat
- Acorns and other nuts
- Alfalfa hay
- Cacti in desert regions
- Soya bean meal
- Rice bran
The deer is a beautiful and sensitive creature. Seeing a deer running in the wild is an incredible experience. If you plan to bring deer home, you should know what to feed them to attract them to you and improve their health. What Inexpensive Way to Feed Deer?
If you understand the deer’s worldview and learn when they come out, how they use their resources, and what to feed the deer in the backyard, then you can take them home.
Also in the winter natural food sources for deer become scarce, and so some families that feed deer all year long help to keep Deer alive during times of Food scarcity.
What to Feed Deer in the Backyard?
What to Feed Deer in Backyard – Deer are herbivores; they spent the better part of their days foraging for vegetation in the wild. Deer diet varies with season. The typical food items you can feed them in the backyard are:
inexpensive way to feed deer
Wild Deer at Night can regularly be seen once evening sets in Grazing with Cattle and horses in the field.
If deer come to your backyard for food, they won’t hesitate to look for food elsewhere, like trash cans, your garden, and fruit trees. So You need to make sure that the Deer you are attracting are eating the things you want and not something treasured to you.
Check Out Amazons Educational Books on Whitetail Deer
We have a Niece in a City in Northern Ohio where she lives. The City has passed laws that the deer are protected, and they have become so numerous that they have become a pest. Each evening eats everyone’s shrubs and flowers. Trash cans need to be secured.
See Our Extensive Article – 7 Ways Deer Farmers Make Money
Deer are twilight creatures, which means they will feed before sunrise and after sunset. Deer generally rest in the middle of the day in the shade of slopes or trees that chew their cud like cows. Many times they Bed down from around 10 AM – 3-4 PM each day.
Things that change and throw off their normal schedules, that are weather-related items
- Clear Skys at night – They feed more
- Bad weather causes them to eat as they can
- Heavy Rain and Snows
Deer also can be trained to come to your feeders at times you set. You can do this by feeding at proper times. Same time each day and deer will put that spot in their schedule.
We know one grandmother, she lives on a 70 Acre Farm, but she goes out each day and rattles corn in a tin can, and the deer mosy up to be fed.
Deer also need to feel safe and protected to come easily to be fed. They easily become accustomed to city sound, lawnmowers, Tractors, Cars, etc. Many farmers watch deer watching them as they sow their crops.
What Can you Feed Deer instead of Corn
Many people choose to feed deer with corn. This can be purchased in many places. Walmart, farm stores all have begun to carry it. Also, you can buy corn at your local deed mills. We bought some this year and we paid $6 for a fifty lb Burlap bag.
Bottle-Feeding Deer In Kitchen
Does Peanut Butter Attract Deer
Yes, Deer Love peanut butter. You will need to install it so that they can easily get to it without hurting themselves. They will spend hours licking the peanut butter.
Are Deer Attracted to Apples
Yes Deer love apples. They will eat them off the ground, or pull them out of the trees if they can reach the. My Brother has 35 acres and the Deer have literally pulled branches off of his apple trees. He eventually put wire cage around them to protect them
Should I Cut up Apples for Deer
Yes if you are trying to attract deer. If you slice up the apples they will put off more scent. deer have highly developed sense of smell and will follow their noses to find them.
Apples are sweet so the deer do not need a lot. To much can make them sick have colic and become bloated just like any ruminant. They also have smaller digestive systems.
What Time should I set my deer feeder
Really depends on what you are wanting to accomplish by feeding the deer – Wild deer roam over approx 1 square mile – Here are some times and thought.
- Feeding for Health-Deer are normally nocturnal and will eat all night long. They feel safest at that time. If you are wanting to see, they sell trail Cameras very reasonable now so that you can view them. Some even hook to the internet. They are triggered by Motion
- Feeding Deer To watch – 1 – 2 Hours before dusk, 1 – 2 hours after dawn.
How to Attract Deer to Come to Your Backyard? ( feeding deer corn)
You will notice one thing deer will find your home before putting your furniture in the house. You can find his signs in the backyard, such as the eyebrow plant, looking at the end of the branches and twigs.
Deer do not have lower incisors. When they chew on a plant, the edges are often uneven. You’ll also see other signs like footprints, scratch marks on smaller trees, and patches of bare dirt.
However, you can do certain things to lure deer into your backyard, provide them with their favorite food, clean, freshwater, and a cover to escape predators. Deer are smart animals that will quickly learn about your home habits and your family’s activities.
Grow Plants and Trees That Deer Eat
You can grow a variety of plants and trees in your backyard to provide a nutritious diet for deer. This will also give you an opportunity to plan your landscape for your needs and wants.
You can grow evergreen plants and trees. The benefit of these trees is that they will continue to provide food year after year.
You can also grow shrubs. Deer like to eat the shoots of these plants because they are very nutritious. In addition, they are an excellent source of winter food. Some shrubs that you can grow and deer-like them are also such as:
- Azalea
- Euonymus
- Rhododendron
- Arborvitae
- Blueberry
- Holly
Trees that you can plant in your backyard are:
- Oaks
- Crabapple
- Hawthorn
- Apple
- Dogwood
- Yew
- Willow
- Cedar
Yew is toxic to humans, but deer can eat them without any problem; this is because of their different gastrointestinal systems.
Some other plants that you can grow in your backyard are
- Alfalfa
- Vetch
- English ivy
- Ferns
- Sweet clover
- Strawberry
Building a Cheap Backyard Feed Plot for Deer – Clover Spot (homemade deer feed)
The Problem of Feeding Corn (food)
If you are feeding the deer with corn, there are many problems with that choice. Corn is cheap and easy to dispense, but it is not ideal for deer to eat as a staple, especially in winter.
Deer accumulate their fat stores throughout the year to take them to the leaner months. Corn is an excellent source of nutrients; it mainly contains 70% starch. Foods like broken corn are easily fermentable but can cause bloating.
Deer can get starch and fiber from other woody plant sources that can keep their gastrointestinal tract working properly. Corn can also cause an intestinal condition known as acidosis.
Acidosis can create an acidic environment, which can kill beneficial bacteria and cause gastrointestinal problems.
There are some foods specially formulated for deer that can avoid fermentable carbohydrate problems like corn. But this feeding technique needs a compromise because deer will depend on this easy food source and will not seek other things.
Other Things That Deer Need in Backyard (Winter Deer)
If you want to make your garden a unique place for your deer, then you need other things to keep them happy and healthy.
Put a block of minerals or salt in the backyard for an additional source of nutrients like sodium and calcium. If they don’t use it year-round, they will undoubtedly use it during the winter season.
If you are placing the feeder in the yard for the first time, spread some food around the feeder to help the deer get used to it.
As you know, deer are shy animals, so keep your yard free of regular human visits so they can rest in peace and not have to be on high alert. Make your yard a place where they can roam freely, get fresh, clean water, and stay safe from predators.
Disadvantages of Deer on Feeding Deer In Your Backyard
The deer also has some disadvantages in its ownership. They will not only eat the food you offer but also your favorite plant such as tulip, rose, etc. they will love to eat.
Deer are always hungry, regardless of the time of year. You can plant individual plants that your deer don’t like, but at some point, hungry deer can eat what they would typically avoid.
Deer sometimes also have some indirect side effects. Deer can carry many health problems such as Lyme disease. You should think about these side effects before inviting them into your home, such as:
- Mange
- Plague
- E.coli
- Giardiasis
So it’s balancing the benefits of enjoying these beautiful, adoptable animals with the risks of keeping them close to home.
We Found This article form Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Pleading with People, not to supplemental Feed Deer – Had some good Points
DIY Backyard Deer Feeders
The Cheapest way to feed deer with feed in your Backyards is to simply spread it on the ground. The deer will find it and eat it just fine. Sometimes you might run into mold problems if it rains a lot. These examples are some cheap deer feeders, mostly from deer hunters, but will spark some ideas for your backyard.
- Cheap PVC Deer Feeders – Less than $ 50 – These work great my brother sprayed his with camo paint and it makes it close to invisible. We als installed a solar motion light above the feeders then we got to watch them when they came after dusk. We made ours from 3″ PVC and the deer eat about 25 lbs a week from it
- Cheap $ 20 Barrel Feeder – This is a real chepa durable deer feeder that – this one holds quite a bit of deer corn
- Building a Wooden Deer Feeder – This is pretty attractive for Backyard.
- $ 16 – Automatic DIY Deer Feeder – this one is very created so that the deer learn to dispense their own feed. Need Metal can with Lid, Broom handle, Chain to hang it.
- 5 Gallon Bucket Feeder – This one is very cheap to make in your Garage
Commercial Backyard Deer Feeders Available
There are many types of Deer Feeders, many of the above have been commercialized, so you can simply buy what you need without the building part. You can see selection Here in Price ranges from Cheap to Top of the Line automated feeders
- 6-gallon Bucket Feeders with Timers –
- 30 Gallon Tripod Feeders
- Gravity 350lb Feeders – Tri pods
- 20 lb Tube Feeder with Dispensers
- 40 Gallon Manual Feed Station – fasten to Tree
- Truck / ATV Corn Speaders
- Texas Hunter 2000lb Feed Station
6 Thoughts – Is it OK to Feed Deer in your Yard
Yes and No, Lets look at some Reasons for both thoughts
- Yes – You might have a lot of lands that you want to provide refuge for deer during hunting season. Many farms provide feed for deer especially during gun season to give them a place of refuge
- No – Having deer on your property can attract predators, Coyotes, Cougars, Mountain Lions, deer Hunters, Trespassers
- Yes – Your Neighbors love the beautiful deer that come – I have seen several urban deer walking down the middle of an asphalt street in a housing edition as they move yard to yard munching
- No – Overpopulation can cause problems. We have in the local park in our city every couple of Years they go in at night and thin out the Deer population because it has become so dense. They donate the meat to local children homes
- Yes – You live in an area that deer are sparse, loss pf habitat, hunted out
- No – Some localities it is Illegal to feed Wild Animals
Can You hand Feed deer
Deer are Wild animals, some have been domesticated and those can be fed by hand. I would use wisdom here, Deer are able to run fast to flee when they are afraid. Buck Deer Have antlers that can hurt and mame. Deer Hooves can strike and slash open if they feel threatened
What should you not feed deer
Deer are Rumiments, so naturally, they feed on grains, leaves, grasses, twigs, etc. If you feed them other items it is not good for the health of the deer and could weaken or promote disease. Some of them are
- No kitchen Scraps
- No Table Scraps
- Potatoes
- Animal Proteins – Deer are Vegetarians – Their digestive system is not built for Meats
- Anything sweet – Indigestion to deer can be fatal
Deer have been found that starved to death but had stomachs full of undigestible materials.
Conclusion What to Feed Deer
Keeping deer in your backyard is a fantastic experience; they are gorgeous animals. If you can learn how to feed deer in the backyard, then they will bring a lot of joy in your life.
You must learn the disadvantages that help you avoid the pitfalls that can sour the experience for you and your family.
