What should you not feed deer?

Do not feed hay, corn, kitchen scraps, potatoes, lettuce trimmings or any animal proteins from animals rendered into feed. Deer may actually starve when fed supplemental foods during winter if they have a full belly of indigestible foods.

What foods are toxic to deer?

Deer Resistant Vegetables and Herbs

Certain plants, such as rhubarb, are toxic to deer. Deer usually also avoid root vegetables (which require digging) and prickly vegetables such as cucumbers and squashes with hairy leaves. Cultivars with strong odors such as onions, garlic and fennel are not palatable to deer.

What can I feed the deer in my backyard?

Is it OK to feed deer in my backyard?

If you feed deer in your backyard or at a park, you could be harming them instead of helping them. Bringing deer together at feeding sites increases their risk of contracting communicable diseases, such as chronic wasting disease, from other deer.

Why you shouldn't feed the wild deer?

Supplemental Feeding Can Harm Deer

attract predators and increase risk of death by coyotes or domestic dogs. spread disease among deer. cause aggression, wasting vital energy reserves and leading to injury or death. reduce fat reserves as deer use energy traveling to and from the feed site.

The Do's and Don'ts of Feeding Deer Over Winter

Is corn bad for deer in the winter?

Although corn has poor protein, it has high carbohydrates. Whether it's planted in a food plot, or fed at a feeding site, corn can be a great benefit to whitetails during winter. Most deer managers are more than willing to plant their plots in the spring and summer.

Is corn bad for deer?

Corn is high in starch and a good source of digestible energy, but can cause problems in a deer's digestive system. When deer eat too much corn or other high-‐carbohydrate food, many complex changes occur in the rumen. Some microbes proliferate while others die.

Will deer eat carrots?

Fruit & Vegetables. Although deer will eat apples, carrots, cabbage, etc., their use is not recommended. They are like candy to a child tasty but of little value in providing a well-balanced and nutritious diet.

Can I feed deer Quaker oats?

If formulated deer food mixtures are unavailable, oats are the next best supplemental food for deer. Oats provide deer with a healthy mixture of fiber and carbohydrates without disrupting their digestive system.

Can I feed deer apples?

Deer naturally eat apples, and apples are perfectly safe for use in a deer feeder. Apples provide deer with a sweet treat that gives them a large nutritional boost. However, deer aren't capable of properly digesting apples. For that reason, deer typically only eat them at the end of the winter.

What do deer love to eat the most?

Deer will primarily eat browse (woody portion of leaves and stems), forbs (broad-leaved plants), mast (acorns, apples, etc), and grass. Although these are the main foods deer like to eat, the quantity of these different foods differ throughout the year and the region you are hunting.

Is it OK to feed deer bread?

A small amounts of white bread cannot do any harm, but if a single deer were to eat anything more than a few slices of bread there is always the potential for life-threatening lacticacidosis. It is certainly not wise to put out large amounts because you cannot control how much each deer might eat.

Is peanut butter good for deer?

Deer love peanut butter, so it is an excellent bait. You can use peanut butter alone or in a mixture to lure deer into an area for hunting or just to enjoy watching them. Peanut butter is much cheaper than most commercial deer attractants and works as well or better.

What fruits deer Cannot eat?

Anything in the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant…etc), and rhubarb are examples of plants deer avoid because of their toxicity.

Can deer eat lettuce?

When food is scarce, deer eat just about anything, including prickly-stemmed okra and hot peppers. Vegetables that deer seem to prefer include beans, lettuce, cabbage, and cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

Can deer eat potatoes?

Do deer eat potatoes? Yes, they do, especially the sweet potato variety. They will also eat other potatoes, including toxic potato leaves if hungry enough. Potatoes are equally used in certain areas to feed deer, so they are not deer deterrents.

What is the cheapest thing to feed deer?

An inexpensive way to feed deer is with corn. Deer love corn and many hunters rely on it for supplemental feeding. That being said, corn is not an excellent source of protein, which is essential for antler growth and the nursing of fawns.

Can deer eat raisins?

Wild raisins for Deer

Birds commonly eat them, but whatever is left shrivels and resembles the raisins we use for our meals. For deer, they are not the first meal of choice but are generally eaten during the winter.

Can deer eat apples in winter?

Deer eat woody browse in the winter. This can be leaves, berries, saplings, bulbs, or buds. In wintertime, they will take their pickings from the ground. They can also have some lush forage such as kale, radish, turnips, apples, or cabbage if it is available.

Will deer eat oats?

As previously mentioned, oats are highly favored by deer and they consistently rank among the top species consumed by deer in forage preference trials. Oats are highly nutritious as well. In well-managed food plots with a neutral soil pH and good fertility, oats can contain more than 25% crude protein.

Can deer eat tomatoes?

Deer love tomatoes, but other plants in your garden might also be at risk. Other favorites of the deer are the Swiss chard, strawberries, sweet corn, raspberries, and some varieties of beans.

Does deer eat bird seed?

Unfortunately, deer eat bird seeds even if they're not the first or second food choice. If you own a feeder, birds may not be your only diners. Deer can quickly empty out birdseed, which costs homeowners more money. You'll need to purchase more seeds for your flying friends.

Are salt licks good for deer?

All hooved mammals love salt, so licks made only of salt do a fine job of attracting deer. Licks with added flavors, minerals and nutrients can be even better, especially if you find one the deer in your area really love.

Is popcorn bad for deer?

So what animals can eat popcorn? Plain air-popped popcorn can be fed to alpacas, cows, chickens, roosters, goats, horses, llamas, pigs, sheep, cats, chinchillas, dogs, ferrets, fish, hamsters, mice, pet birds, rats, frogs, monkeys, raccoons, turtles, squirrels, wild birds, and deer in small amounts.

What is the best thing to feed deer in the winter?

The best option is to give them more of the winter foods they are already adapted to eating: winter browse. This includes buds and twigs of woody plants. Introducing new foods in the middle of winter, especially in high quantities all of a sudden, can actually be more harmful to deer than not feeding them at all.