We have revised our thinking about winter feeding especially since the loss of George and the severity of this winter that never seems to end. In addition to fresh hay daily, we sought help from Lloyd Lee of Ontario Whitetail Ranch for his recipe -- each buck gets daily: 1 1/2 part corn, 1/2 part oats/barley mix and 1 part dairy ration. We are using a 16% protein dairy ration because we were unable to get the 18% protein dairy ration that Lloyd uses. We started feeding about 200g on the first day and have worked up to about 600g of this mix per deer per day.
EGee is getting a bit more dairy ration in his 600g as his weight is down. We also de-wormed all the deer with Safe-Guard in the mix for three days (Feb 11, 12, 13). We also added some probiotics (FASTRACK) to his diet and he seems to be holding his own. He is not yet gaining weight, Our vet, Dr. Brian Willows, thinks he will not start gaining weight for at least two weeks.
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Hi, my dad owns a fallow deer that will be 13 yrs old this year. Her name is Daisy. Daisy has lost some weight this winter, about 30 lbs. She always has corn available in the barn and my dad cuts up apples for her once a day, sometimes carrots. I was wondering if you have a suggestion as to what I can feed her to help her gain some weight back. Also, she isn't as active so I was wondering if maybe her age had something to do with it. I appreciate you taking the time to read my comment and any help you can offer. Thank you
Laura
LauHu5@aol.com
We are wondering where you are? In Ontario we had a tough winter and had several deer lose weight.
Thirty pounds is considerable weight loss.
1. Does Daisy have access to fresh hay every day or to open pasture? Does she have a mineral and salt lick?
2. Is she drooling or losing her cud? She may have tooth trouble especially as she is aging. You may need to grind her grains or make a mash to get the nutrition into her if she cannot do this with her teeth.
3. We would test for worms or parasites to rule that out as a cause of weight loss.
4. It is possible that she is overfeeding on the corn. Our research shows that fallow deer only need about 500g or one pound of grains in addition to grass or hay. Rumen overload could cause loose poop, inactivity and/or loss of appetite and could be fatal. We would restrict her access to corn and add some other grains like oats and barley.
4. We added a probiotic product called REVIVE to one of our sick deer's feed. He is doing better.
Hope this helps.
Jane and Allan
jmcd@reztel.net
(613) 386-3673
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